Profile Text
Patton in 2012, photo by cvanwagoner /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: William Rankin Patton III
Place of Birth: Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 14, 1954
Ethnicity: Scottish, English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Irish, Welsh, German
Will Patton is an American actor and audiobook narrator. His roles include the films Desperately Seeking Susan , After Hours… , No Way Out (1987), The Rapture (1991), Romeo Is Bleeding , The Client (1994), Copycat , Fled , Inventing the Abbotts , The Postman (1997), Armageddon , Entrapment , Jesus’ Son , Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Remember the Titans , The Mothman Prophecies , The Punisher (2004), A Mighty Heart , Wendy and Lucy , The Fourth Kind , Brooklyn’s Finest , Meek’s Cutoff , The Girl (2012), The November Man , American Honey , Megan Leavey , Boarding School , Halloween (2018), and its sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends ; Minari , The Forever Purge , Janet Planet , Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 , and Train Dreams ; the series Ryan’s Hope , Search for Tomorrow , The Agency , Falling Skies , Shots Fired , Swamp Thing , Yellowstone , and Outer Range ; and the made-for-tv movies Dillinger (1991) and The Last Ride .
He is the son of Bill Patton, a playwright, acting and directing instructor, and Lutheran minister, who served as a chaplain at Duke University. Bill was raised on a farm, where his parents ran a foster home for wayward teenagers.
Bill’s paternal grandfather was William Rankin Patton (the son of Benjamin/Benjiman/Ben Franklin Patton and Melva Ancona “Cona”/Cora/Corna Morgan). William was born in Swannanoa Township, Buncombe, North Carolina. Benjamin was born in Buncombe, North Carolina, the son of John Merrill Patton and Elizabeth Adeline “Bettie” Davidson. Melva was born in Buncombe, the daughter of George Alexander Morgan and Deliah A. Watkins.
Bill’s paternal grandmother was LaNell Moye (the daughter of Malcolm Allen Moye and Ethel Rowell). LaNell was born in South Carolina. Malcolm was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, the son of Matthew Allen Moye and Sally/Sallie Ann Brabham. Ethel was born in South Carolina, the daughter of Robert Walter Dixon Rowell and Susan Adelaide/Adalaide McRoy.
Bill’s maternal grandfather was Charles Ezra McClenaghan (the son of Richard Howard McClenaghan and Laura Dick Kincaid). Charles was born in Texas. Richard was born in Marion, South Carolina, the son of Honorine Horatio McClenaghan, whose father was from Belfast, Ireland, and whose maternal grandfather was English; and of Amelia Leah James. Will’s great-grandmother Laura was born in Forney, Kaufman, Texas, the daughter of Richard Crump Kincaid and Martha R. Hornberger.
Bill’s maternal grandmother was Mamie Elise Blackwell (the daughter of William Henry Blackwell and Carolyn Isabelle Rhodes). Mamie was born in South Carolina. William was born in Darlington, South Carolina, the son of Wiley Blackwell and Mary Jane Blackwell. Carolyn was born in Swift Creek Twp, Darlington, the daughter of Henry Harmon Rhodes, whose maternal grandmother was from Southoram, Yorkshire, England; and of Margaret Ann Griggs.
Sources: https://charlestoncitypaper.com
Genealogies of Will’s parents – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Will’s father – https://yourislandnews.com
Will’s paternal grandmother, LaNell Moye, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Will’s paternal great-grandmother, Ethel (Rowell) Moye – https://www.familysearch.org