Bill Smitrovich

Smitrovich was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna (née Wojna) and Stanley William Zmitrowicz, a tool and die maker. He is of Polish descent. Bill is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport (1972) and holds an MFA from Smith College (1976). He is married to Shaw Purnell from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have a son, Alexander John, and a daughter Maya Christina, four years younger. Smitrovich has starred in a number of television series. His first prominent TV series role was in the 1980s series Crime Story as Det. Sgt. Danny Krychek. He went on to star in the hit drama series Life Goes On (1989–93). Smitrovich was the lead guest star in the pilot film of the 1980s crime drama hit series Miami Vice. He also appeared in the final episode of NYPD Blue. He has also been seen in The Henry Lee Project with Danny Glover. In 1996, Smitrovich was cast as Seattle police lieutenant Bob Bletcher in Millennium, created and produced by Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the A&E series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (based on the Nero Wolfe detective stories by Rex Stout) as Inspector Cramer, and on the ABC hit series The Practice as Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Walsh and then went on to Without a Trace, where he played the recurring character of Chief Alex Olcyk. In 2010 he starred in the NBC series The Event as Vice President Raymond Jarvis. Smitrovich has also played a number of characters in military roles. These include Independence Day (1996), Air Force One (1997), Thirteen Days (2000), Fail Safe (2000), and Eagle Eye (2008).[citation needed]