Doug Hutchison
About
Biography
Biography
Doug Hutchison's intrinsic ability to take on quirky characters and onscreen antagonists made him one of the most in-demand character actors of his time. Hutchison kept the audience on its toes every time he stepped foot in front of the camera, especially when the role required him to dig deep into mankind's darkest capacities. Throughout his career, Hutchison played a racist guilty of raping a young girl in "A Time to Kill" (1996), a vicious prison guard in "The Green Mile" (1999), and a hired assassin on "24" (Fox, 2001-2010). The actor won a legion of sci-fi fans with recurring appearances on drama serials with cult-like followings, most notably with his turn as the serial killer Tooms on "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002) and as a 1970s scientist on "Lost" (ABC, 2004-2010). In 2011, Hutchison landed in hot water after announcing his marriage to a 16-year-old singer who was 35 years his junior. Their strange union dominated tabloid headlines for weeks and was reportedly permitted by the girl's mother, yet there was no doubt that the highly debated May-December romance had eclipsed Hutchison's hard-earned prolific acting portfolio.
Douglas Anthony Hutchison was born on May 26, 1960 in Dover, DE, and raised in the Midwest, living in Detroit, MI and Minneapolis, MN. Hutchison developed a passion for acting while attending Apple Valley High School in Minnesota, where he began performing with local community theater groups. He eventually moved to New York City, where he attended the Juilliard School and studied with famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner. Hutchison worked a number of odd jobs while living in Manhattan, including handing out promotional flyers in Times Square. Following years of stage work in regional theaters and off-Broadway productions, the actor made his film debut in "Fresh Horses" (1988) opposite Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald. Although he initially resisted a move to California, Hutchison eventually relocated after realizing that there were more opportunities in Hollywood.
Supporting parts in film and on television led to Hutchison's first major exposure with his chilling portrayal of a serial killer who can squeeze through small spaces in a 1993 episode of "The X-Files" titled "Squeeze." The diminutive actor proved so popular, the character was revived for a follow-up episode titled "Tooms" the following season. As Hutchison's small screen profile grew - fueled in part by his popularity with "X-Files" fans and willingness to participate at sci-fi conventions - he began making some headway in feature films. Virtually unrecognizable behind long hair and a scruffy beard, Hutchison was cast as one of two white supremacists from rural Mississippi who rape and attempt to kill a young girl in "A Time to Kill." The Joel Schumacher-directed crime drama, based on John Grisham's 1989 novel of the same name, also starred Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey. The film's casting director Mali Finn was reportedly impressed with Hutchison's performance and championed him for a part in "The Green Mile." In an ensemble of powerful actors - including Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan and Sam Rockwell - Hutchison managed to more than hold his own as an arrogant and vicious prison guard.
Hutchison followed his acclaimed performance in "The Green Mile" with more villainous roles in films as well as on the small screen, from playing another serial killer on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ), to a multi-episode arc as a European terrorist on "24." One of his most notable television appearances began in 2007 after Hutchison landed a recurring role on "Lost," ABC's Emmy-winning drama series about a group of plane crash survivors trapped on a mysterious island. For several seasons, Hutchison played Horace Goodspeed, the leader of a scientific research group called the Dharma Initiative that conducted experiments on the island decades before the plane crash. It was later revealed that Hutchison's character fathered one of the "Lost" universe's most notorious and feared antagonists Ethan Rom (William Mapother). Hutchison made his last appearance on the series' fifth season after his character died during a poison gas attack on the Dharma Initiative. In 2011, Hutchison returned to series television with a guest appearance on the crime drama "Lie to Me" (Fox, 2009-11).
That same year, the actor made headlines after marrying aspiring singer Courtney Alexis Stodden - who was 16 years old and 35 years younger than him - in Las Vegas, NV. The couple met after Stodden's mother and manager signed her up for acting workshops that Hutchison taught. Even though the Clark County Nevada Marriage Bureau required that both marriage license applicants must be at least 18, the teen bride's mother reportedly signed a consent form that permitted the marriage. After their nuptials, Hutchison and Stodden began courting the very curious press, giving interviews to defend their unlikely, some said creepy, union. Whether the circus atmosphere surrounding he and his child-bride would impact his previously respected acting career remained the big question for fans of his work.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Life Events
1978
Early professional credit in a production of "Equus"
1983
Appeared in community theater production of "Sing Me Through an Open Window"
1988
Made his feature acting debut in "Fresh Horses"
1990
Made guest appearance in an episode of the ABC Western, "The Young Riders"
1991
Had small role as a medic in the final episode of ABC's "China Beach"
1991
Acted in "Julius Caesar" at the Mark Taper Forum
1992
Had bit role as a security technician in "The Lawnmower Man"
1993
Introduced the serial killer Eugene Victor Tooms in a memorable episode of "The X-Files" (Fox)
1994
Brought back to reprise role of Tooms for a second episode of "The X-Files" (Fox)
1994
Had a brief recurring role on the Fox drama, "Party of Five"
1994
Played the villainous role of the Poloroid Man in the Fox series, "Millennium"
1995
Played the recurring role of the villainous silicate Elroy-El in "Space: Above & Beyond" (Fox)
1996
Played one of the redneck rapists in Joel Schumacher's "A Time to Kill"
1997
Had a small role in Joel Schumacher's "Batman & Robin"
1999
Breakthrough role, played the sadistic prison guard Percy Wetmore in "The Green Mile"
2000
Co-starred with Jamie Foxx and David Morse in "Bait"
2002
Had supporting role in "The Salton Sea"
2002
Appeared in "I Am Sam," starring Sean Penn
2002
Co-starred in the Vietnam War drama, "We Were Soldiers"
2006
Had a recurring role on "Kidnapped" (NBC)
2007
Had a recurring role as Dharma Initiative leader Horace Goodspeed on "Lost" (ABC)
2008
Cast as the brother of Billy Russeti, James 'Looney Bin Jim' Russeti in "Punisher: War Zone"
2009
Starred alongside Thomas Jane and Ving Rhames in "Give 'em Hell, Malone"
2010
Had a recurring role as Davros, a European terrorist, in "24" (Fox)
2011
Guest-starred on Fox's "Lie To Me"