#23 on Tropopkin's Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100]
Appeared in episodes of four different series with Jerry Orbach: "Law & Order" (1990), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) and "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005).
Both he and his Rancho Deluxe (1975) and Heaven's Gate (1980) co-star Jeff Bridges were Oscar nominated for Best Actor in 1984, for The Killing Fields (1984) and Starman (1984) respectively.
Direct descendant of Richard Warren and wife Elizabeth Walker, Mayflower passengers.
Eight cousin three times removed of George Bush and four times removed of George W. Bush and eighth cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Father in law of Louis Cancelmi.
Father of 4 children: Elisabeth Waterston (born 1976), Katherine Waterston (born 1980) and Graham Waterston (born 1982) with his wife, Lynn Louisa Woodruff and James Waterston with his ex-wife, Barbara Rutledge-Johns.
Forrest Bedford, Waterston's character on "I'll Fly Away" (1991), was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
Has a summer home in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.
Has appeared in episodes of four different series with Richard Belzer: "Law & Order" (1990), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) and "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005).
Has appeared in episodes of three different television series with Jesse L. Martin: "Law & Order" (1990), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) and "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005).
Has played four U.S. Presidents; Abraham Lincoln twice in both "Lincoln" (1988) and "The Civil War" (1990) (voice only), Thomas Jefferson (voice only) in "Thomas Jefferson" (1997), fictional President William Foster in The Enemy Within (1994) (TV) and the unnamed fictional President in Shadow Conspiracy (1997).
Has the distinction of starring in two television series in which he played a prosecutor--D.A. Forrest Bedford in "I'll Fly Away" (1991) and Executive Assistant District Attorney/District Attorney Jack McCoy in "Law & Order" (1990).
He and Stockard Channing were in five films together: David's Mother (1994) (TV), The Room Upstairs (1987) (TV), Sweet Revenge (2002), The Matthew Shepard Story (2002) (TV) and Le divorce (2003). In the last two they played husband and wife.
He attended Groton Prep School and then entered Yale University on a scholarship in 1958 where he studied French and History and graduated with a BA in 1962. He spent his junior year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. After failing to quash the acting bug he studied at the American Actors Workshop in Paris. After leaving Yale he spent some months at the Clinton Playhouse. He lives in Connecticut with his wife.
He has played the same character (Jack McCoy) in four different series: "Law & Order" (1990), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) and "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (2005).
He received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from The University of the South on October 12, 2004
Is the official spokesperson for TD Waterhouse, the online investment company. He appears in all of their television commercials (2003/2004-?)
Once lived in a house previously owned by New Yorker writer James Thurber.
Received honorary degree from Yale. [2001]