Ray Wise
Known for
Ray Wise is an American character actor with a career spanning five decades, celebrated for both villainous menace and comic unpredictability. He is widely remembered as Leland Palmer in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' and as the corrupt executive Leon Nash in the original 'RoboCop'. His prolific later career includes recurring roles in 'Criminal Minds', 'Bones' and a memorably devilish turn in 'Reaper'. He remains one of American genre television's most reliable character actors.
Ray Wise
102 Movies
70 Series
Ray Wise is an American character actor with a career spanning five decades, celebrated for both villainous menace and comic unpredictability. He is widely remembered as Leland Palmer in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' and as the corrupt executive Leon Nash in the original 'RoboCop'. His prolific later career includes recurring roles in 'Criminal Minds', 'Bones' and a memorably devilish turn in 'Reaper'. He remains one of American genre television's most reliable character actors.
Movies
Plays Leon Nash
RoboCop
1987
Plays Leland Palmer
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
1992
Plays Taggart
Jeepers Creepers 2
2003
Plays Commissioner Gordon (voice)
Batman: The Killing Joke
2016
Plays Don Hollenbeck
Good Night, and Good Luck.
2005
Plays Soap Opera Man
Cat People
1982
Plays Mr. Wallace
The Lazarus Effect
2015
Plays Perry White (voice)
Superman: Doomsday
2007
Plays Frank Harrington
Dead End
2003
Plays Leland Palmer
Twin Peaks
1989
Plays Dr. Weems (segment "Wadzilla")
Chillerama
2011
Plays Senator John Morton
Rising Sun
1993
Plays Dr. Alec Holland
Swamp Thing
1982
Plays Ted Summers
One Missed Call
2008
Plays Doctor Hayden
Peaceful Warrior
2006
Plays Dr. Aaron Stripler
Powder
1995
Plays Dalton Voss
The Chase
1994
Plays Peter Kane
God's Not Dead 2
2016
Plays Phillip Alcott
Out West
2013
Plays Head of State Thompson
Atlas Shrugged: Part II
2012
Plays Leland Palmer
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
2014
Plays Charles Pierce
The Crew
1994
Plays Mr. Johnson
SURPRISE
2026
Plays Sol Gann
The Journey of Natty Gann
1985
Plays William Van Patterson
Poolman
2024
Plays Principal Campbell
Excision
2012
Plays Robert Cox
NANOcell
2026
Plays John Wescott
Windfall
2002
Plays Bobby Stiles
The Flock
2007
Plays Captain Andy
Wrong Cops
2013
Plays Sheriff Wes Blaidek
Evasive Action
1998
Plays Bill Parker
Two Can Play That Game
2001
Plays Ethan
Infestation
2009
Plays Major Braxton Tanner
Big Ass Spider!
2013
Plays The Devil (voice)
Unholy 'Mole
2019
Plays Forest Burnett
Shattered
2017
Plays Harry Jones
AM1200
2008
Plays Mr. Pennyweight
Pennyweight
1999
Plays Brian Sanger
Landspeed
2002
Plays Chet MacGregor
Bob Roberts
1992
Plays Frank Waverly
Night of the Living Deb
2015
Plays Robbins
The Rift
1990
Plays Wade Dawkins
Darnell Dawkins: Mouth Guitar Legend
2012
Plays Peter Kane
God's Not Dead: In God We Trust
2024
Plays Bellavance
The Aggression Scale
2012
Plays Bob Baker
The Breakup Girl
2015
Plays William Dekker
Digging Up the Marrow
2015
Plays Paul
Away From Here
2014
Plays Father Father Joseph
The Bronx Bull
2016
Plays Myron
Love in the Hamptons
1976
TV Shows
Plays Marvin
Fresh Off the Boat
2015
Plays Leland Palmer
Twin Peaks
1990
Plays The Devil
Reaper
2007
Plays Vice-President Hal Gardner
24
2001
Plays Robin Scherbatsky Sr.
How I Met Your Mother
2005
Plays Ed Baxter
Mad Men
2007
Plays Buck Marshall
Farmed and Dangerous
2014
Plays Hugh Jones
Marvel's Agent Carter
2015
Plays Jack Smith
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
2016
Plays Riley
Chuck
2007
Plays Peter Westley
Psych
2006
Plays Mike Todd
Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story
1995
Plays Henry Fleming
The Secrets of Lake Success
1993
Plays Tom Blanchard
The Closer
2005
Plays D.A. Walter Platt
L.A. Law
1986
Plays Daniel Hunter
Beverly Hills, 90210
1990
Plays Grill Vogel
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007
Plays Paul Marrane
Fargo
2014
Plays Mongo the Magnificent
Tom Holland's Twisted Tales
2013
Plays Macaulay
Mr. Sunshine
2011
Plays Landlord
Holliston
2012
Plays Sheila's Father
Physical
2021
Plays J.D. Kraft
Blue Thunder
1984
Plays Frank
Home Economics
2021
Plays Grace's Dad
Relationship Status
2016
Plays Ambassador Blaine
She Spies
2002
Plays Colt St. Cloud
Wilfred
2011
Plays Frank Pierre
Infomercials
2009
Plays Evans
Sports Night
1998
Plays Mitch Langford
Numb3rs
2005
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Napa Boys
Full Filmography
SURPRISE
Mr. Johnson
2026
Film
NANOcell
Robert Cox
2026
Film
The Napa Boys
Officer Toland
2026
Film
The Wolf in the Well
Roland Carmel
2024
Film
God's Not Dead: In God We Trust
Peter Kane
2024
Film
The Blue Rose
Mr. Vallens
2024
Film
Good Grief
Dr. Gariboldi
2024
Film
Poolman
William Van Patterson
2024
Film
King Knight
Merlin
2022
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Ray Wise and where are they from?
Ray Wise is 79 years old, born on August 20, 1947 in Akron, Ohio, USA.
What are the most famous roles of Ray Wise?
Ray Wise is best known for roles in X-Men: First Class, RoboCop, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
How many movies has Ray Wise been in?
Over a 57-year career (since 1969), Ray Wise has appeared in 102 movies and 69 TV shows.
What was Ray Wise's first movie?
The career of Ray Wise began with Dare the Devil (1969).
What is Ray Wise's most recent movie or series?
Ray Wise's most recent release is SURPRISE, which premiered on July 23, 2026.
What TV shows has Ray Wise appeared in?
On television, Ray Wise has appeared in How I Met Your Mother, The Mentalist, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds.
Ray Wise
1947-08-20 · Akron, Ohio, USA
Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 20, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) and its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He has appeared in films such as Swamp Thing (1982), The Journey of Natty Gann (1985), RoboCop (1987), Bob Roberts (1992), Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), X-Men: First Class (2011) and God's Not Dead 2 (2016).