---
name: "Josef Sommer"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/josef-sommer"
fi1m_id: "josef-sommer"
imdb_id: "nm0813977"
tmdb_id: 14792
wikidata_id: "Q550928"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "26 June 1934"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-07T10:44:39.845321+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Josef Sommer

## Identity

Josef Sommer

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/josef-sommer
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** josef-sommer
- **IMDb ID:** nm0813977
- **TMDB ID:** 14792
- **Wikidata ID:** Q550928
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Sommer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q550928, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0813977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14792

Actor. Born 26 June 1934 in Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 26 June 1934, Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
- **Active:** 1971–2006
- **Also known as:** M. Josef Sommer, Josef Somer, جوزف سومر
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 80 (2), 1980s 78 (3), 1990s 47 (1), 2000s 54 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 66 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Crime 3, Action 2, Romance 2, Science Fiction 2, Thriller 2
- **Screen time:** 15 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,202m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Sommer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q550928, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0813977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14792

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Witness*](https://film.one/film/witness.md) (84)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Absence of Malice*](https://film.one/film/absence-of-malice.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Josef Sommer is a German-American actor known for supporting roles in film and television. Born Maximilian Josef Sommer on 26 June 1934 in Greifswald, Germany, he was raised in North Carolina and studied theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

He began his professional career on stage, making his Broadway debut in 1970 in Othello and later receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance in Hamlet (1991). Sommer made his film debut in Dirty Harry (1971) and appeared in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Silkwood (1983) and Witness (1985), in which he played Chief Paul Schaeffer.

Other notable film roles include the narrator in Sophie's Choice (1982), Senator Jessup in The Sum of All Fears (2002) and the President in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). He has also portrayed historical figures such as Gerald Ford and Franklin D. Roosevelt in television films.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), Fi1m 54, as The President — [page](https://film.one/film/x-men-the-last-stand.md)
- *Patch Adams* (1998), Fi1m 47, as Dr. Eaton — [page](https://film.one/film/patch-adams.md)
- *Witness* (1985), Fi1m 84, as Schaeffer — [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *Absence of Malice* (1981), Fi1m 73, as McAdam — [page](https://film.one/film/absence-of-malice.md)
- *Reds* (1981), Fi1m 77, as State Department Official — [page](https://film.one/film/reds.md)
- *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), Fi1m 85, as Larry Butler — [page](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md)
- *Dirty Harry* (1971), Fi1m 74, as Rothko — [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-harry.md)

## Complete filmography (100)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Other Guys* (2010), as District Attorney Radford (uncredited)
- *Stop-Loss* (2008), as Senator Orton Worrell
- *The Invasion* (2007), as Dr. Henryk Belicec
- *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), as The President — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/x-men-the-last-stand.md)
- *The Elephant King* (2006), as Bill Hunt
- *Without a Trace* (2002), series, as Peter Ducek
- *Searching for Paradise* (2002), as Carl Greenslate
- *The Sum of All Fears* (2002), as Senator Jessup
- *Law & Order: Criminal Intent* (2001), series, as Spencer Durning
- *The Family Man* (2000), as Peter Lassiter
- *The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Winds of Change* (2000), as Woodrow Wilson
- *Shaft* (2000), as Curt Flemming
- *The Next Best Thing* (2000), as Richard Whittaker
- *The West Wing* (1999), series, as Steve Gaines — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-west-wing.md)
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Patrick Rumsey
- *The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer* (1999), Actor
- *The Hunt For The Unicorn Killer* (1999), series, Actor
- *Providence* (1999), series, as Thomas Wheelock
- *Patch Adams* (1998), as Dr. Eaton — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/patch-adams.md)
- *Bulworth* (1998), as Doctor (uncredited)
- *The Proposition* (1998), as Dryer
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), series, as Henry Thompson — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *Hidden in America* (1996), as Edward Millerton
- *Mistrial* (1996), as Nick Mirsky
- *The Chamber* (1996), as Phelps Bowen
- *Early Edition* (1996), series, as John Dobbs
- *Strange Days* (1995), as Palmer Strickland
- *Moonlight and Valentino* (1995), as Thomas Trager
- *Letter to My Killer* (1995), Actor
- *Kansas* (1995), as Joseph 'Joe' Farley
- *Nobody's Fool* (1994), as Clive Peoples Jr.
- *Don't Drink the Water* (1994), as Ambassador Magee
- *The Enemy Within* (1994), as Defence Secretary Charles Potter
- *Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker* (1994), as Col. Morrow
- *Malice* (1993), as Atty. Lester Adams
- *An American Story* (1992), as Henry Meade
- *The Mighty Ducks* (1992), as Mr. Ducksworth
- *Hostages* (1992), as Tom Sutherland
- *Citizen Cohn* (1992), as Albert Cohn
- *Shadows and Fog* (1991), as Priest
- *A Woman Named Jackie* (1991), series, as Joseph Kennedy Sr.
- *Before the Storm* (1991), as Stewart Merriman
- *Under Cover* (1991), series, as Stewart Merriman
- *Under Cover* (1991), as Stewart Merriman
- *When Will I Be Loved?* (1990), as Martin Ransil
- *William Shakespeare's Hamlet* (1990), as Polonius
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Defense Attorney Patrick Rumsey, Judge Lawrence Hellman — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *The Kennedys of Massachusetts* (1990), series, as Franklin D. Roosevelt
- *Money, Power, Murder.* (1989), as Jack Finley
- *Bloodhounds of Broadway* (1989), as Waldo Winchester
- *Forced March* (1989), as Richard Kline
- *Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman* (1989), as Charles Estiman
- *Bridge to Silence* (1989), as Al Duffield
- *Chances Are* (1989), as Judge Fenwick
- *Dracula's Widow* (1988), as Lannon
- *Hothouse* (1988), series, as Dr. Sam Garrison
- *The Rosary Murders* (1987), as Lieutenant Koznicki
- *A Special Friendship* (1987), as General Winder
- *The Betty Ford Story* (1987), as President Gerald Ford
- *Double Image* (1986), as James Angleton
- *The Execution of Raymond Graham* (1985), as Jim Neal
- *Target* (1985), as Barney Taber
- *The Equalizer* (1985), series, as Ernest Rasher
- *D.A.R.Y.L.* (1985), as Dr. Jeffrey Stewart
- *Brotherly Love* (1985), as Mr. Rafferty
- *Witness* (1985), as Schaeffer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, as James Angleton
- *Iceman* (1984), as Whitman
- *Silkwood* (1983), as Max Richter
- *Saigon: Year of the Cat* (1983), as Jack Ockham
- *Sparkling Cyanide* (1983), as George Barton
- *Scarecrow and Mrs. King* (1983), series, Actor
- *Independence Day* (1983), as Sam Taylor
- *Sophie's Choice* (1982), as Narrator (voice)
- *Still of the Night* (1982), as George Bynum
- *Hanky Panky* (1982), as Adrian Pruitt
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, as Doc, Waldo Winchester
- *Reds* (1981), as State Department Official — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/reds.md)
- *Absence of Malice* (1981), as McAdam — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/absence-of-malice.md)
- *Rollover* (1981), as Roy Lefcourt
- *The Henderson Monster* (1980), as Dr. Martin Grossman
- *Hide in Plain Sight* (1980), as Jason R. Reid
- *Doctor Franken* (1980), as Mr. Parker
- *Too Far to Go* (1979), as Henry Mills
- *The Scarlet Letter* (1979), series, as Nathaniel Hawthorne
- *Oliver's Story* (1978), as Dr. Dienhart
- *Mourning Becomes Electra* (1978), series, as Ezra Mannon
- *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), as Larry Butler — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md)
- *The Andros Targets* (1977), series, as Benson Fisher
- *The Front* (1976), as Committee Chairman
- *Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys* (1976), as Pomeroy
- *The Adams Chronicles* (1976), series, as Charles Lee
- *Valley Forge* (1975), as Brig. Gen. Varnum
- *The Stepford Wives* (1975), as Ted Van Sant
- *Man on a Swing* (1974), as Pete Russell
- *Enemies* (1974), as Nikolai
- *The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope* (1972), as Proctor
- *Dirty Harry* (1971), as Rothko — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/dirty-harry.md)
- *Great Performances* (1971), series, as Nikolai, Polonius
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Brig. Gen. Varnum

## Gallery

- ![Josef Sommer](https://film.one/media/person/118345/gallery-b4d5c175133b.jpg) Josef Sommer — Image via TMDB
- ![Josef Sommer](https://film.one/media/person/118345/gallery-c6fb92986bd1.jpg) Josef Sommer — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/josef-sommer