# Wilbur Fitzgerald
**Wilbur Fitzgerald** (born 1948) is an American film and television actor and attorney, known for a supporting-role career of more than four decades in Georgia-based and Hollywood productions and for his role in creating Georgia's film tax incentive law.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Wilbur T. Fitzgerald |
| Born | 1948, United States (Georgia)[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D244737.html) |
| Professions | Actor, producer, and attorney; member of the State Bar of Georgia, admitted in 1973[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald) • [3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald) |
| Screen credits | IMDb lists 115 actor credits across film and television[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/) |
| Notable recurring roles | Bruce Bennett on *Prison Break* (9 episodes, 2006–2008); district attorney Gerard Darnelle in the *In the Heat of the Night* movies[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilbur_fitzgerald) |
| Recognition | His résumé states he was awarded an Emmy in 2018 for his work creating the Georgia movie and television tax incentive law[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald) |
| Voice work | Original promo voice for MTV News; narrator of several documentaries[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/) |
## Acting career
Fitzgerald's screen work began with made-for-television movies in the 1980s, including *Murder in Coweta County*, *Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo* (CBS, 1986–87), and *Unconquered* (CBS, 1988–89)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilbur_fitzgerald) • [6](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald). His feature film career started around *Chattahoochee* (1990), a biographical drama with [Gary Oldman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-oldman) in which he played Duane; the [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) catalog lists him as "Duane" in the film, while some databases date the release to 1989[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/240518) • [3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald). Supporting parts followed through the 1990s in *[Career Opportunities](https://www.edgepedia.org/career-opportunities-film)* (1991), *Freejack* (1992), *RoboCop 3* (1993), *That Darn Cat* (1997), *The Gingerbread Man* (1998), and *The Legend of Bagger Vance* (2000)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilbur_fitzgerald) • [7](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/240518).
**Prolific supporting work.** From the mid-2000s onward he appeared steadily in wide-release films, including *Glory Road* (2006) as Wade Richardson, *We Are Marshall* (2006), *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008) as a TV reporter, *The Crazies* (2010), *Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues* (2013) as Dr. Brangley, *The Hunger Games: Catching Fire* (2013) as Cray, *The Founder* (2016) as Jerry Cullen, *Hidden Figures* (2016) as Senator Patrick, *Baby Driver* (2017) as a judge, and *The Last Full Measure* (2019)[8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/wilbur-fitzgerald/) • [2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald). Later credits include *The Best of Enemies* (2019), *Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.* (2023) as Morris Binamin, *On a Wing and a Prayer* (2023) as Joe Cabuk, *The Hill* (2023) as Josh Meyers, and *The Neon Highway* (2024) as Buck Bates, a lead role[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/) • [9](https://cinema.com/people/025/388/wilbur-fitzgerald/filmography.phtml). He appeared as Dan Daly in *[The Naked Gun](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-naked-gun-2025-film)* (2025), the [Akiva Schaffer](https://www.edgepedia.org/akiva-schaffer) reboot starring [Liam Neeson](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-neeson) and Pamela Anderson[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402138/fullcredits/).
Television has supplied much of his work. His résumé lists guest and recurring appearances on series including *Friday Night Lights*, *Drop Dead Diva*, *Elementary*, *NCIS: New Orleans*, *The Act* (as Judge Palmer, 2019), *Shooter*, *The Detour*, *11.22.63*, and *Nashville*, along with a recurring role as [Bruce Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-bennett) on *Prison Break* from 2006 to 2008[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/) • [11](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/wilbur-fitzgerald/credits/3030409570/). Television movies directed for him include *Warm Springs* (as [Al Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-smith)), *The Brooke Ellison Story* (directed by [Christopher Reeve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-reeve)), and *Coma*, a lead role for Mikael Salomon[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald).
## Law practice and Georgia film incentives
Fitzgerald is a trial lawyer and a member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia, admitted in 1973[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald) • [3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald). According to an account of Georgia's production incentives, he joined casting agent Shay Griffin and others in developing ideas to strengthen Georgia's film tax credit in a form that would appeal to Governor Sonny Perdue[12](https://www.castandcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGI1.pdf). According to his résumé, he received an Emmy in 2018 in recognition of his role in drafting Georgia's tax incentive legislation for film and television[2](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald).
## By the numbers
Aggregator profiles give a measure of his output. Metacritic counts 40 movie credits with an average career score of 51, its highest-scoring title among his credits being *Baby Driver* (Metascore 86) and the lowest *On a Wing and a Prayer* (19)[8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/wilbur-fitzgerald/). Rotten Tomatoes records the highest-rated film he appears in as *The Founder* (80 percent) and the lowest as *No Good Deed* (13 percent)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilbur_fitzgerald). NetflixMovies places his film career span at 35 years, from 1989 to 2024, with drama the dominant genre of his film work at 62 percent of his Netflix-listed films[3](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald).
## References
1. [Wilbur Fitzgerald, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D244737.html)
2. [Wilbur T Fitzgerald Resume, Actors Access](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/wilburfitzgerald)
3. [Wilbur Fitzgerald movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald)
4. [Wilbur Fitzgerald, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0280409/)
5. [Wilbur Fitzgerald Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilbur_fitzgerald)
6. [Wilbur Fitzgerald, The Filmaholic](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/wilbur-fitzgerald)
7. [Wilbur Fitzgerald, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/240518)
8. [Wilbur Fitzgerald, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/wilbur-fitzgerald/)
9. [Wilbur Fitzgerald Filmography, Cinema.com](https://cinema.com/people/025/388/wilbur-fitzgerald/filmography.phtml)
10. [The Naked Gun (2025) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402138/fullcredits/)
11. [Wilbur Fitzgerald List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/wilbur-fitzgerald/credits/3030409570/)
12. [Georgia film tax incentive history, Cast & Crew](https://www.castandcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GEORGI1.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license