---
name: "William Duell"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/william-duell"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "29 August 1923"
died: "21 December 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:19:52.862315+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."
---

# William Duell

Actor. Born 29 August 1923 in Corinth, New York, USA. Died 21 December 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 29 August 1923, Corinth, New York, USA
- **Died:** 21 December 2011
- **Also known as:** George William Duell

## Biography

William Duell, also credited as George William Duell, was an American character actor and singer. Born George William Duell on 30 August 1923 in Corinth, New York, he trained at Green Mountain College, Illinois Wesleyan University and Yale University Drama School, and served as a medic in the US Navy during the Second World War.

He appeared in numerous stage, film and television roles from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Duell is known for playing Andrew McNair in the Broadway musical *1776* (1969) and its 1972 film adaptation, Jim Sefelt in *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), and Johnny the Snitch in the series *Police Squad!* (1982). His final screen role was a cameo in *How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days* (2003). He was married to Mary Barto from 2004 until his death from respiratory failure on 22 December 2011 in Manhattan.

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

## On Fi1m (1)

- *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), Fi1m 86, as Jim Sefelt — [page](https://film.one/film/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest.md)

## Also known for

- *How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days* (2003), Old Concession Worker
- *The Hustler* (1961), Billy (uncredited)
- *In & Out* (1997), Emmett Wilson
- *Law & Order* (1990), Desk Clerk
- *Elvira: Mistress of the Dark* (1988), Lesley Meeker
- *Police Squad!* (1982), Johnny the Snitch
- *Funny Farm* (1988), Old Character
- *The Out-of-Towners* (1999), Lost Baggage Clerk

---
© 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/william-duell