Timothy Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in "The Monogamist", and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' "The Santaland Diaries" in 1996. He then branched out to film; in the early years of his career, he was often cast in supporting villainous roles, most notably in "Scream 2" (1997), "Go" (1999), "A Man Apart" (2003), and "The Girl Next Door" (2004). He came to the attention of a wider audience with his portrayal of Sheriff Seth Bullock in HBO's western "Deadwood" (2004–2006), later reprising the role in "" (2019). He had starring roles in such films as "Catch and Release" (2006), "Hitman" (2007), "A Perfect Getaway" (2009), and "The Crazies" (2010), and he played the main antagonist, Thomas Gabriel, in "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007). Olyphant was a recurring guest star in season two of the FX legal thriller "Damages" (2009).