Bob Gunton
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
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Bob Gunton (born 15 November 1945; age 62) is the actor who played the vengeful Captain Benjamin Maxwell in TNG: "The Wounded". He is probably best remembered for his role as Warden Norton in the 1994 motion picture The Shawshank Redemption. William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Mark Rolston, Jude Ciccolella and Bill Bolender also starred in the film.
In 1977, Gunton stood in for Christopher Lloyd in the play Happy End during its Broadway debut. Lloyd was starring in the play as Bill Cracker but was unable to make the premiere performance due to a leg injury. Gunton went on in his place until Lloyd was able return to the role (albeit on crutches). [1] Gunton and Lloyd later co-starred together in the 1992 TV movie Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster (also featuring Bruce Gray) and the 1997 independent film Changing Habits (co-starring Teri Garr and Anne Haney).
In 1978, Gunton starred on Broadway in the musical Evita in the role of Argentine dictator Juan Perón, for which he won a Tony Award nomination in 1980. He received a second Tony nomination ten years later for playing the title role in the revival of Sweeney Todd.
One of Gunton's earliest television acting roles was Harry Gibbs in the 1982 made-for-TV movie Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal. Future Star Trek: Voyager actor Robert Picardo co-starred in the movie.
He appeared in the 1987 film The Pick-up Artist, as did DS9 guest actress Vanessa Williams. He had a role in the 1989 epic American Civil War motion picture Glory. Trek guest actors Cliff deYoung and Richard Riehle and Star Trek: Voyager actor Ethan Phillips had roles in this film. He also had roles in 1998's Patch Adams, which featured Harry Groener and Randy Oglesby, and 1999's Bats, co-starring Dina Meyer and written by John Logan.
His other feature film credits include small roles in JFK (1991, with Tony Plana and Bill Bolender) and Patriot Games (1992), and larger, supporting roles in Demolition Man (1993, with Bill Cobbs), Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), Broken Arrow (1996, with Christian Slater, Casey Biggs, Vince Deadrick, James MacDonald and Kurtwood Smith), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997, with Anne Haney, Richard Herd, and Leon Rippy), and The Perfect Storm (2000, with Christopher McDonald). More recent film credits include I Heart Huckabees, and Rendition (co-produced by Level 1 Entertainment).
He was also one of the many Star Trek performers to appear in the acclaimed 2001 HBO movie 61*. Among his co-stars were Seymour Cassel, Robert Costanzo, J.D. Cullum, Charles Esten, Robert Joy, Christopher McDonald, Bruce McGill, Michael Nouri, Dell Yount, and Star Trek: Enterprise star Connor Trinneer.
Gunton recently had a recurring role as Noah Taylor on the hit ABC drama Desperate Housewives. Starring in this series are one-time TNG guest actress Teri Hatcher, Star Trek: First Contact actress Alfre Woodard, and Voyager and Enterprise guest star Mark Moses; Gunton also worked with Steven Culp on this series before the latter's character was killed off.
In addition, Gunton starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Greg the Bunny with Sarah Silverman. His other TV credits include guest appearances on Miami Vice, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, CSI, Nip/Tuck, Monk (in an episode with Rosemary Forsyth), and Linda Park's first episode of First Wives Club. Most recently, Shearer appeared as an attorney on Boston Legal, the drama series which stars John Larroquette and William Shatner.
Gunton played Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin in three episodes of the sixth season of FOX's hit series 24. Gunton will be reprising the role of Kanin for the seventh season of 24, which will also feature John Billingsley, Jeffrey Nordling, and Annie Wersching.


