Personal Info
Birth date
1934-06-26 (91 Years)
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Also known as
M. Josef Sommer
Josef Somer
جوزف سومر
Josef Sommer
Biography
Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a German-American retired stage, television, and film actor. His best known roles are as The President in X-Men: The Last Stand, Senator Jessup in The Sum of All Fears, Peter Lassiter in The Family Man, Curtis Flemming in Shaft, Dr. Eaton in Patch Adams, Phelps Bowen in The Chamber, Clive Peoples Jr. in Nobody's Fool, Mr. Duckworth in The Mighty Ducks, Chief Paul Schaefer in Witness, Max Richter in Silkwood, Sam Taylor in Independence Day, Rothko in Dirty Harry, and narrator for the film Sophie's Choice.
Filmography
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
7.939
Overview:
In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.Law & Order
7.4
Overview:
In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.Law & Order: Criminal Intent
7.561
Overview:
The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve its crimes.Without a Trace
7.2
Overview:
The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.The West Wing
8.264
Overview:
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.Great Performances
5.5
Overview:
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.The Equalizer
7.1
Overview:
Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private crime fighting operation where he fashions himself as "The Equalizer." It is a service for victims of the system who have exhausted all possible means of seeking justice and have nowhere to go. McCall promises to even out the odds for them.Early Edition
7.3
Overview:
Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What will he do with tomorrow's news?Scarecrow and Mrs. King
6.3
Overview:
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show stars Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance, after encountering one another in a train station.Hide in Plain Sight
5.3
Overview:
True story of a man in search of his children after his ex-wife enters the Witness Protection Program.Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
6.2
Overview:
The story of Johnson Whittaker, one of the first African-American cadets admitted to West Point. Tied down and beaten by his fellow cadetsAlly McBeal
6.576
Overview:
Ally McBeal is a young lawyer working at the Boston law firm Cage and Fish. Ally's lives and loves are eccentric, humorous, dramatic with an incredibly overactive imagination that's working overtime!Shaft
6.017
Overview:
New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.The Other Guys
6.314
Overview:
Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope
NYR
Overview:
A bizarre series of events focused on young women in the village of Salem causes paranoia in the late 1600s. It ends with the lynching of the accused and subsequent releases from jail. Dark and gritty, but not frightening.Strange Days
7.006
Overview:
Former policeman Lenny Nero has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While they typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.The Family Man
6.804
Overview:
Jack's lavish, fast-paced lifestyle changes one Christmas night when he stumbles into a grocery store holdup and disarms the gunman. The next morning he wakes up in bed lying next to Kate, his college sweetheart he left in order to pursue his career, and to the horrifying discovery that his former life no longer exists. As he stumbles through this alternate suburban universe, Jack finds himself at a crossroad where he must choose between his high-power career and the woman he loves.Close Encounters of the Third Kind
7.348
Overview:
After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.Absence of Malice
6.636
Overview:
Megan Carter is a reporter duped into running an untrue story on Michael Gallagher, a suspected racketeer. He has an alibi for the time his crime was allegedly committed—but it involves an innocent party. When he tells Carter the truth and the newspaper runs it, tragedy follows, forcing Carter to face up to the responsibilities of her job when she is confronted by Gallagher.Patch Adams
7.317
Overview:
The true story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, who in the 1970s found that humor is the best medicine, and was willing to do just anything to make his patients laugh—even if it meant risking his own career.The Sum of All Fears
6.359
Overview:
When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.The Invasion
6.032
Overview:
Washington, D.C. psychologist Carol Bennell and her colleague Dr. Ben Driscoll are the only two people on Earth who are aware of an epidemic running rampant through the city. They discover an alien virus aboard a crashed space shuttle that transforms anyone who comes into contact with it into unfeeling drones while they sleep. Carol realizes her son holds the key to stopping the spread of the plague and she races to find him before it is too late.D.A.R.Y.L.
6.408
Overview:
Daryl is a normal 10-year-old boy in many ways. However, unbeknown to his foster parents and friends, Daryl is actually a government-created robot with superhuman reflexes and mental abilities. Even his name has a hidden meaning -- it's actually an acronym for Data Analyzing Robot Youth Life-form. When the organization that created him deems the "super soldier" experiment a failure and schedules Daryl to be disassembled, it is up to a few rogue scientists to help him escape.Witness
7.1
Overview:
While protecting an Amish boy – the sole witness to a brutal murder – and his mother, a detective is forced to seek refuge within their community when his own life comes under threat.Reds
6.888
Overview:
An account of the revolutionary years of the legendary American journalist John Reed, who shared his adventurous professional life with his radical commitment to the socialist revolution in Russia, his dream of spreading its principles among the members of the American working class, and his troubled romantic relationship with the writer Louise Bryant.Dirty Harry
7.452
Overview:
When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.Bloodhounds of Broadway
5.6
Overview:
This musical is based on four short stories by Damon Runyon. In one tale, gambler Feet Samuels sells his body to science just as he realizes that Hortense loves him and that he would rather live than die. In another story, Harriet's parrot is killed, and she has problems dealing with her loss. Then, there is a gambler, "Regret", who has bloodhounds on his trail when he becomes a murder suspect. Finally, "The Brain" is bleeding profusely, and his friends search for a way to save his life through a blood transfusion.Oliver's Story
4.8
Overview:
Oliver Barrett IV is emotionally devastated by the death of his wife Jenny, and, while he tries to lose himself in his work as a lawyer, the long hours don't ease his pain, especially when he finds that his leftist views conflict with those of the senior partners at the firm. Eventually, Oliver's inconsolable grief begins to alienate those around him, until he finds new love with Marcie Bonwit, the wealthy and beautiful heiress to the Bonwit Teller fortune. Despite his affection for her, Oliver finds it difficult to leave the memory of Jenny behind, which causes major problems in their relationship.Acting
2010The Other Guys as District Attorney Radford (uncredited)
2008Stop-Loss as Senator Orton Worrell
2007The Invasion as Dr. Henryk Belicec
2006X-Men: The Last Stand as The President
2006The Elephant King as Bill Hunt
2002Without a Trace (1 Episode) as Peter Ducek
2002Searching for Paradise as Carl Greenslate
2002The Sum of All Fears as Senator Jessup
2001Law & Order: Criminal Intent (1 Episode) as Spencer Durning
2000The Family Man as Peter Lassiter
2000The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Winds of Change as Woodrow Wilson
2000Shaft as Curt Flemming
2000The Next Best Thing as Richard Whittaker
1999The West Wing (1 Episode) as Steve Gaines
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 Episode) as Patrick Rumsey
1999The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer as Unknown
1999The Hunt For The Unicorn Killer (2 Episodes) as Unknown
1999Providence (1 Episode) as Thomas Wheelock
1998Patch Adams as Dr. Eaton
1998Bulworth as Doctor (uncredited)
1997Ally McBeal (1 Episode) as Henry Thompson
1996Hidden in America as Edward Millerton
1996Mistrial as Nick Mirsky
1996The Chamber as Phelps Bowen
1996Early Edition (2 Episodes) as John Dobbs
1995Strange Days as Palmer Strickland
1995Moonlight and Valentino as Thomas Trager
1995Letter to My Killer as Unknown
1995Kansas as Joseph 'Joe' Farley
1994Nobody's Fool as Clive Peoples Jr.
1994Don't Drink the Water as Ambassador Magee
1994The Enemy Within as Defence Secretary Charles Potter
1994Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker as Col. Morrow
1993Malice as Atty. Lester Adams
1992An American Story as Henry Meade
1992The Mighty Ducks as Mr. Ducksworth
1992Hostages as Tom Sutherland
1992Citizen Cohn as Albert Cohn
1991Shadows and Fog as Priest
1991A Woman Named Jackie (3 Episodes) as Joseph Kennedy Sr.
1991Before the Storm as Stewart Merriman
1991Under Cover (14 Episodes) as Stewart Merriman
1991Under Cover as Stewart Merriman
1990When Will I Be Loved? as Martin Ransil
1990William Shakespeare's Hamlet as Polonius
1990Law & Order (1, 1 Episode) as Defense Attorney Patrick Rumsey, Judge Lawrence Hellman
1990The Kennedys of Massachusetts (3 Episodes) as Franklin D. Roosevelt
1989Money, Power, Murder. as Jack Finley
1989Bloodhounds of Broadway as Waldo Winchester
1989Forced March as Richard Kline
1989Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman as Charles Estiman
1989Bridge to Silence as Al Duffield
1989Chances Are as Judge Fenwick
1988Dracula's Widow as Lannon
1988Hothouse (7 Episodes) as Dr. Sam Garrison
1987The Rosary Murders as Lieutenant Koznicki
1987A Special Friendship as General Winder
1987The Betty Ford Story as President Gerald Ford
1986Double Image as James Angleton
1985The Execution of Raymond Graham as Jim Neal
1985Target as Barney Taber
1985The Equalizer (1 Episode) as Ernest Rasher
1985D.A.R.Y.L. as Dr. Jeffrey Stewart
1985Brotherly Love as Mr. Rafferty
1985Witness as Chief Paul Schaeffer
1984Iceman as Whitman
1983Silkwood as Max Richter
1983Saigon: Year of the Cat as Jack Ockham
1983Sparkling Cyanide as George Barton
1983Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1 Episode) as Unknown
1983Independence Day as Sam Taylor
1982Sophie's Choice as Narrator (voice)
1982Still of the Night as George Bynum
1982Hanky Panky as Adrian Pruitt
1981Reds as State Department Official
1981Absence of Malice as McAdam
1981Rollover as Roy Lefcourt
1980The Henderson Monster as Dr. Martin Grossman
1980Hide in Plain Sight as Jason R. Reid
1980Doctor Franken as Mr. Parker
1979Too Far to Go as Henry Mills
1979The Scarlet Letter (4 Episodes) as Nathaniel Hawthorne
1978Oliver's Story as Dr. Dienhart
1978Mourning Becomes Electra (5 Episodes) as Ezra Mannon
1977Close Encounters of the Third Kind as Larry Butler
1977The Andros Targets (1 Episode) as Benson Fisher
1976The Front as Committee Chairman
1976Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys as Pomeroy
1975Valley Forge as Unknown
1975The Stepford Wives as Ted Van Sant
1974Man on a Swing as Pete Russell
1974Enemies as Nikolai
1972The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope as Proctor
1971Dirty Harry as Rothko
1971Great Performances (1, 1 Episode) as Nikolai, Polonius
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame (1 Episode) as Brig. Gen. Varnum