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Once and Again
Background:
An heir to the Champion spark plug fortune, Billy Campbell began
acting in high school but became putting more serious attention to it
when he studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Trained at
Ted Liss Studio for the Performing Arts, the Players Workshop of
Second City in Chicago, and Howard Fine in Los Angeles, Campbell was
first noticed while playing the recurring role of Luke Fuller
(1984-1985), the soft-spoken gay lover to co-worker Steven Carrington
(played by Jack Coleman), on the ABC primetime soap "Dynasty."
After starring in the TV shows "Crime Story" (as Det.
Joey Indelli; 1986-1988) and "Moon Over Miami" (as Walter
Tatum; 1993), he garnered critical acclaim for portraying the Golden
Globe-nominated role of Sela Ward's love interest Rick Sammler, a
single father and co-head of an architectural firm, in the ABC drama
series "Once and Again" (1999-2002). He would later co-star
as the intelligent and persuasive Jordan Collier on USA Network's
science fiction/drama series "The 4400" (2004-2007) while
playing recurring roles on Fox teen drama series "The O.C."
(as magazine editor Carter Buckley; 2005). He most recently
guest-starred as Wayne Callison on multiple episodes of CBS legal
drama starring James Woods, "Shark."
On the big screen, Campbell has starred in the films "The
Rocketeer" (1991; as the title role), "Dracula" (1992;
as suitor Quincey P. Morris), "The Brylcreem Boys" (1998),
"Enough" (2002), and "Gods and Generals" (2003).
He will next be seen alongside Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa
Leoni in the upcoming fantasy-comedy film "Ghost Town,"
which is set to be released on September 19, 2008.
As for his stage works, Campbell has performed in "Fortinbras,"
"Backbone of America," "Hamlet," "Guys &
Dolls," and "The Best Man."
This handsome, 6' 4" die-hard bachelor, one of People
magazine's "50 most beautiful people in the world" (2000),
dated and was engaged to actress Virginia Madsen from 1981 until her
marriage to Danny Huston (approx. 1989). He also dated actress
Jennifer Connelly for 5 years following their 1991 teaming in the
film "The Rocketeer."
Die-Hard Bachelor
Childhood and Family:
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 7, 1959, Billy Campbell
was raised in the southern city. He attended the 5th through the 10th
grade at Baptist Military Academy, Fort Union, Virginia. After
leaving Fork Union, he attended Western Albemarle High School,
Charlottesville, Virginia, and graduated in 1979. While at Western
Albemarle, he played defensive tackle on the football team, drew
cartoons for the school newspaper, and had the distinction of serving
as Western Albemarle High's first mascot. He was also cast in the
school production of "The Man Who Came To Dinner."
An heir to the Champion spark plug fortune, Campbell received a
substantial inheritance by age 18. His parents divorced when he was
two years old. During his formative years, Campbell lived on a horse
ranch in Charlottesville with his mother then spent summers with his
real estate agent dad in Chicago. His parents each remarried several
times and these marriages produced his six half-siblings, two of whom
named David and John.
After high school, Campbell moved to Chicago to live with his
divorced father. He initially planned of becoming a comic book artist
and wen to study illustration at the American Academy of Art in
Chicago. But after taking an acting class at the suggestion of a
friend, he became interested in drama and decided to study the craft
at the Ted Liss Studio for the Performing Arts, and at the Players
Workshop of Second City in Chicago. After appearing in Chicago
regional theater, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue screen acting
while continuing his dramatic studies at Howard Fine in Los Angeles.
A rugby enthusiast, Campbell has played rugby with the Chicago
Lions RFC and the Santa Monica Rugby Club. He has volunteered as an
actor with the Young Storytellers Program and is good friends with
actor and "Crime Story" co-star Stephen Lang.
The Rocketeer
Career:
Initially planned of becoming a comic book artist, Billy Campbell,
who first acted in high school production of "The Man Who Came
to Dinner," became interested in acting after a friend suggested
him to take an acting class while attending the American Academy of
Art in Chicago. He began to study the craft at the Ted Liss Studio
for the Performing Arts and at the Players Workshop of Second City in
Chicago. After appearing in Chicago regional theater, he moved to Los
Angeles to pursue screen acting while continuing his dramatic studies
at Howard Fine in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, in 1981, the aspiring actor landed his professional
acting debut in a sword and scorcery improvisational production
called "Dungeon Master." That same year, he made his first
big screen appearance in Lindsay Shonteff's independent action/drama
film "How Sleep the Brave."
Following guest spots in an episode of NBC sitcom "Family
Ties" and the ABC series "Hotel," Campbell, billed as
William Campbell, landed a recurring role of Luke Fuller, the
soft-spoken gay lover to co-worker Steven Carrington (played by Jack
Coleman), on the ABC primetime soap "Dynasty," in which he
stayed for one year (1984-1985). During this time, he moved to Los
Angeles and made his TV-movie acting debut on CBS' "First Steps"
(1985), in which he was billed as Bill Campbell.
From 1986 to 1988, Campbell co-starred with Dennis Farina on the
NBC crime/drama TV series "Crime Story," playing Det. Joey
Indelli. Meanwhile, he guest-starred as Capt. Thadiun Okona in a 1988
episode of the syndicated sci-fi series "Star Trek: The Next
Generation."
In 1989, billed as William Campbell, he appeared in Richard
Fleischer's 29-minute short adventure/sci-fi film "Call from
Space," and followed it up with first prominent role in the 1991
superhero adventure film based on the comic book by Dave Stevens,
"The Rocketeer," in which he played the title role of a
young stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket pack that allows
him to become a high flying masked hero.
In the following year, Campbell played the supporting role of
Quincey P. Morris, a rich young American from Texas and one of the
three suitors for the hand of Lucy Westenra (played by Sadie Frost),
in Francis Ford Coppola's Academy Award-winning horror-romance film
based on the novel by Bram Stoker, "Dracula." He also
portrayed Laertes in an off-Broadway production of William
Shakespeare's tragedy, "Hamlet," starring Stephen Lang.
Campbell subsequently starred as Walter Tatum, a qualified,
independent, self-made private detective hired to find a runaway
bride (played by Ally Walker), in "Moon Over Miami" (1993),
a short-lived detective romantic comedy series on ABC. He was also
cast as Dr. Jon Fielding in "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the
City" (1994; PBS) and co-starred with Angus Macfadyen as the two
pilots in Terence Ryan's war drama film "The Brylcreem Boys."
The British ensemble drama was filmed in 1996 and released in Great
Britain in 1999.
Meanwhile, Campbell starred in "Fortinbras" (1997) on
the L.A. Stage and revisited the role of Jon Fielding in the Showtime
miniseries "Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City"
(1998).
From 1999 to 2002, Campbell starred opposite Sela Ward, playing
her love interest Rick Sammler, a single father and co-head of an
architectural firm, in the ABC drama series "Once and Again."
His performance in the show received positive reviews, winning him a
People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television
Series. He was also nominated a Golden Globe for Best Performance by
an Actor in a TV-Series – Drama and a TV Guide Award for
Favorite Actor in a New Series. The character Rick Sammler would
later be ranked #36 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV
Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
During his "Once and Again" tenure, Campbell played Jon
Fielding again in the Showtime miniseries "Armistead Maupin's
Further Tales of the City" (2001), which earned him a Golden
Satellite nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting
Role in a Series, Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television.
He also starred opposite Jennifer Lopez, playing her her rich and
powerful, but psychopathic husband Mitch, in Michael Apted's
psychological thriller film, "Enough" (2002).
Following the demise of "Once and Again," Campbell
played Maj. Gen. George Pickett in Ronald F. Maxwell's film
adaptation of Ronald F. Maxwell's novel, "Gods and Generals"
(2003; starring Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall, and Stephen Lang). He
also portrayed serial killer Ted Bundy in the crime/drama TV movie
based on the book by Ann Rule, "The Stranger Beside Me"
(2003; opposite Barbara Hershey), as well as guest-starred in an
episode of ABC legal drama series "The Practice" and NBC
cop/crime drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
2004-2007 saw Campbell co-starred as the intelligent and
persuasive Jordan Collier on USA Network's science fiction/drama
series "The 4400." Meanwhile, he played the recurring role
of magazine editor Carter Buckley during the second season (2005) of
Fox teen drama series "The O.C." He most recently
guest-starred as Wayne Callison on multiple episodes of CBS legal
drama starring James Woods, "Shark," and starred as
Michelle Trachtenberg's estranged father in the made-for-television
movie "The Circuit" (2008).
Campbell has completed his latest film, "Ghost Town," a
fantasy-comedy directed by David Koepp and starring Ricky Gervais in
which Campbell plays Téa Leoni's love interest whom Greg
Kinnear's character warns is a "bad man." Next, he will
co-star with Peter Fonda in a sci-fi drama TV movie set on a distant
planet, "Revolution."
Awards:
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