Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a German-American stage and movie actor. He was born in Greifswald, Germany, and raised in North Carolina. He appeared as 38th President Gerald Ford opposite Gena Rowlands in the made-for-TV movie "The Betty Ford Story" (1987). He is known for his role as Dr. Eaton in the 1998 movie "Patch Adams".