William Mapother
Encyclopedia
William Reibert Mapother, Jr. (icon; born April 17, 1965) is an American actor and former teacher, perhaps best known for his role as Ethan Rom on the television series Lost
.
, Kentucky, the son of Louisa (Riehm) and William Reibert Mapother, Sr. He is of English, Irish, and German ancestry. He is a first cousin of actor Tom Cruise
(whose given name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV). Mapother has appeared in five movies starring Cruise. He had a cameo role in Minority Report
, Vanilla Sky
, and supporting roles in Mission: Impossible II
, Born of the Fourth of July
, and Magnolia
. Mapother has two sisters, Katherine and Amy (an occasional actress, born February 17, 1974), both born in Louisville, Kentucky. His father was an attorney, bankruptcy consultant and judge in Louisville, between 1967 and 1970; William Reibert, Sr., died on June 22, 2006, after fighting lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.
Mapother graduated from the University of Notre Dame
as an English major, and then taught high school in East Los Angeles
for three years before becoming an actor.
, who sometimes plays scary or otherwise dark characters. Despite playing a pivotal role in Todd Field
's In the Bedroom
, Mapother is perhaps more widely known as Ethan Rom in the TV show Lost
. The character was killed off early in the first season, but since then has appeared in seven episodes mainly through flashbacks, once due to time travel and another in an alternate timeline. This brings the total amount of Lost episodes he appeared in up to eleven.
Mapother has also had considerable roles in a series of independent films, such as The Lather Effect, Moola, Hurt, and the upcoming Another Earth
. Mapother starred in The Burrowers
as a former Indian fighter who joins a posse to help find missing white settlers, only to discover that the hunters have become the hunted.
In September 2007, he was elected to a three-year term on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild
.
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Personal life
Mapother was born in LouisvilleLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky, the son of Louisa (Riehm) and William Reibert Mapother, Sr. He is of English, Irish, and German ancestry. He is a first cousin of actor Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
(whose given name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV). Mapother has appeared in five movies starring Cruise. He had a cameo role in Minority Report
Minority Report (film)
Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and loosely based on the short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. It is set primarily in Washington, D.C...
, Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed, co-produced and co-written by Cameron Crowe. The film is an English-language remake of the 1997 Spanish movie Abre los ojos , the screenplay for which was written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil...
, and supporting roles in Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer...
, Born of the Fourth of July
Born on the Fourth of July (film)
Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also...
, and Magnolia
Magnolia (film)
Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, narrated by Ricky Jay, and starring Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Jason Robards in his last feature film appearance...
. Mapother has two sisters, Katherine and Amy (an occasional actress, born February 17, 1974), both born in Louisville, Kentucky. His father was an attorney, bankruptcy consultant and judge in Louisville, between 1967 and 1970; William Reibert, Sr., died on June 22, 2006, after fighting lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.
Mapother graduated from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
as an English major, and then taught high school in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles (region)
East Los Angeles is the portion of the City of Los Angeles that lies east of Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles River and the unincorporated areas of Lincoln Heights, west of the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and City Terrace, south of Cypress Park, and north of Vernon, California and...
for three years before becoming an actor.
Career
Mapother has become widely known as a character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, who sometimes plays scary or otherwise dark characters. Despite playing a pivotal role in Todd Field
Todd Field
William Todd Field, known professionally as Todd Field is an American actor and writer/director. He has received three Academy Award nominations.-Background and personal life:...
's In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom is a 2001 American crime drama film directed by Todd Field, and dedicated to Andre Dubus, whose short story Killings is the source material on which the screenplay, by Field and Robert Festinger, is based...
, Mapother is perhaps more widely known as Ethan Rom in the TV show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. The character was killed off early in the first season, but since then has appeared in seven episodes mainly through flashbacks, once due to time travel and another in an alternate timeline. This brings the total amount of Lost episodes he appeared in up to eleven.
Mapother has also had considerable roles in a series of independent films, such as The Lather Effect, Moola, Hurt, and the upcoming Another Earth
Another Earth
Another Earth is a 2011 American science fantasy/drama film directed by Mike Cahill in his feature film debut. The film stars William Mapother and Brit Marling. It premiered at the 27th Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and is being distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.-Synopsis:Rhoda...
. Mapother starred in The Burrowers
The Burrowers
The Burrowers is a 2008 horror/thriller film with a Western theme. The film is based on a seven-part television series from director JT Petty.-Plot:...
as a former Indian fighter who joins a posse to help find missing white settlers, only to discover that the hunters have become the hunted.
In September 2007, he was elected to a three-year term on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
.
Filmography
- The MentalistThe MentalistThe Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
(TV, 1 episode, 2011) .... Richard Haibach - Warrior (2011) .... David Milligan
- Another EarthAnother EarthAnother Earth is a 2011 American science fantasy/drama film directed by Mike Cahill in his feature film debut. The film stars William Mapother and Brit Marling. It premiered at the 27th Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and is being distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.-Synopsis:Rhoda...
(2010) .... John Burroughs - HurtHurt (film)Hurt is a dramatic Gothic horror-thriller film, released in 2009. The film was directed by Barbara Stepansky and stars actors Melora Walters, William Mapother, Sofia Vassilieva, and Jackson Rathbone.-Synopsis:...
(2008) .... Darryl Coltrane - Prison BreakPrison BreakPrison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
(TV, 2 episodes, 2009) .... FBI Agent Chris Franco - LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
(TV, 15 episodes, 2004–2010) .... Ethan Rom - Criminal MindsCriminal MindsCriminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
(TV, 1 episode, 2008) .... Ian Corbin - The BurrowersThe BurrowersThe Burrowers is a 2008 horror/thriller film with a Western theme. The film is based on a seven-part television series from director JT Petty.-Plot:...
(Film, 2008) .... Will Parcher - Lost: Missing PiecesLost: Missing PiecesLost: Missing Pieces is a series of thirteen video clips ranging in length from one to four minutes that aired during the hiatus between the 3rd and 4th seasons of the television show Lost, from which the series is spun off...
(TV, 1 episode, 2008) .... Ethan Rom - Skip Tracer (TV, 2008) .... Henry Hargrove Jr.
- WordGirlWordGirlWordGirl is an American children’s animated television series for children aged 6-12, produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids...
(TV animation, 2007) ... Guy Rich (voice) - Viva LaughlinViva LaughlinViva Laughlin is an American musical–dramedy series adapted by Bob Lowry and Peter Bowker from the popular BBC British serial, Blackpool. They also served as executive producers alongside Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Paul Telegdy and Gabriele Muccino. The latter also directed the pilot...
(TV, 1 episode, 2007) .... Sweet Lenny Collins - K-VilleK-Ville (TV series)K-Ville is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jonathan Lisco, centering on policing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina...
(TV, 1 episode, 2007) .... Gordon Wix - Moving McAllisterMoving McAllisterMoving McAllister is a 2007 American comedy film starring Mila Kunis, Jon Heder, Rutger Hauer, and Billy Drago. The film was shot largely in Utah and St Johns County, Florida and was produced by Camera 40 Productions...
(2007) .... Bob - Moola (2007) .... Steve
- Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
(TV, 2 episodes, 2006) .... Alien Bully / Leprechaun #2 - World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center (film)World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...
(2006) .... Jason ThomasJason ThomasJason Thomas is a former U.S. Marine who located and rescued people after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City. With David W... - The Lather Effect (2006) .... Jack
- Ask The DustAsk the DustAsk the Dust is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression-era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's alter ego, a young Italian-American from Colorado...
(2006) .... Bill - Crossing JordanCrossing JordanCrossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
(TV, 1 episode, 2005) .... Henry Bishop - ThresholdThreshold (TV series)Threshold was a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first...
(TV, 2 episodes, 2005) .... Gunneson - ChloeChloeChloe is a first or given name for girls, especially popular in England. The name comes from the Greek , meaning "young green shoot" and is one of the many names of the Greek goddess Demeter...
(2005) .... Doctor - The ZodiacThe Zodiac (film)The Zodiac is a 2006 American criminal psychological thriller film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and who has never been captured...
(2005) .... Dale Coverling - Lords of DogtownLords of DogtownLords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport...
(2005) .... Donnie - The InsideThe InsideThe Inside is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon and produced by Imagine Television. The Inside follows the work of the FBI's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit , a division dedicated to investigating particularly dangerous crimes. The Inside initially...
(TV, 1 episode, 2005) .... Ronald Ewing - The GrudgeThe GrudgeThe Grudge is the 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge, and the first horror film in the Ju-on series, Ju-on 1. The film is the first installment in the American horror film series The Grudge...
(2004) .... Matthew Williams - NCISNCIS (TV series)NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
(TV, 1 episode, 2004) .... Kyle Grayson - CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
(TV, 1 episode, 2004) .... Pete Keller - Suspect ZeroSuspect ZeroSuspect Zero is a 2004 thriller film directed by E. Elias Merhige. It opened to decidedly mixed reviews, and failed to earn back half of its estimated $27 million production costs at the box office.-Plot:...
(2004) .... Bill Grieves - Line of Fire (TV, 2 episodes, 2004) .... Larry
- The KissThe Kiss (2003 film)The Kiss is a 2003 film starring Francoise Surel, Eliza Dushku, Terence Stamp, and Billy Zane. It tells the story of a book editor who is entranced by a certain old manuscript about a romance...
(2003) .... Peter - Touched by an AngelTouched by an AngelTouched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
(TV, 2 episodes, 2003) .... Eddie - Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(TV, 1 episode, 2003) .... Luke Edmunds - The Pennsylvania Miners' Story (TV, 2002) .... John 'Flathead' Phillippi
- CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
(TV, 1 episode, 2002) .... Douglas Sampson - Self StorageSelf storageSelf storage is an industry in which storage space is rented to tenants, usually on a monthly basis. A self storage business provides rooms, lockers, containers, and/or outdoor space in which tenants can store and access their goods. Self storage tenants include businesses and individuals...
(2002) .... Graham - Minority ReportMinority Report (film)Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and loosely based on the short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. It is set primarily in Washington, D.C...
(2002) .... Hotel Clerk - SwordfishSwordfish (film)Swordfish is a 2001 crime-thriller film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film is an action thriller that was also notable for Halle Berry's first topless scene...
(2001) .... Gabriel's Crew - In the BedroomIn the BedroomIn the Bedroom is a 2001 American crime drama film directed by Todd Field, and dedicated to Andre Dubus, whose short story Killings is the source material on which the screenplay, by Field and Robert Festinger, is based...
(2001) .... Richard Strout - Almost FamousAlmost FamousAlmost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
(Scenes Deleted, 2000) .... Bartender - Mission: Impossible IIMission: Impossible IIMission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer...
(2000) .... Wallis - MagnoliaMagnolia (film)Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, narrated by Ricky Jay, and starring Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Jason Robards in his last feature film appearance...
(1999) .... WDKK Show Director's Assistant - The Unknown Cyclist (1998) .... By-Stander
- Trickle (1998) .... Josh Riddell
- Without LimitsWithout LimitsWithout Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc....
(1998) .... Bob Peters - Born on the Fourth of JulyBorn on the Fourth of July (film)Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also...
(1989) .... Platoon Member – Vietnam