This Is Us Star Chris Sullivan's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy Role, Explained
The actor returns to the small screen to play a real-life hero in the John Wayne Gacy case.
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Peacock's new dramatic limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy marks the small screen return of an actor that became beloved on another NBCUniversal series, This Is Us.
Actor Chris Sullivan, who earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his portrayal of Toby Damon on This Is Us, reunites in this limited series with his former castmate, Michael Angarano (Nicky Pearson). They play attorneys in the infamous John Wayne Gacy serial killer case that shocked the nation in 1978. The eight-episode, scripted limited series streams all episodes Thursday, October 16, exclusively on Peacock.
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Who does Chris Sullivan play in Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy?
Based on the 2021 Peacock docuseries John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise produced by NBC News Studios, the new scripted dramatic series from Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death) explores the fraught investigation into the disappearance of Illinois teenager Robert Piest, which led straight to the home of local resident John Wayne Gacy, and the horrible discovery of multiple bodies in the crawl space below.
Sullivan portrays William J. "Bill" Kunkle Jr., the chief trial prosecutor in the Gacy case. After the discovery of multiple victims in Gacy's home and in his past, Kunkle doggedly led the prosecution's case against the serial killer. In 1980, he secured the death penalty for Gacy.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy star Chris Sullivan's previous roles, including Toby in This Is Us
Born in Palm Springs, California and raised in Southern California, Sullivan earned a BFA in Theater Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He quickly relocated to Chicago, where Sullivan immersed himself into the Windy City's well-known improvisation and stage communities.
In 2010, Sullivan was part of the original Broadway cast of Lombardi, about a week in the life of famed Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi in 1965. Sullivan played Packers fullback Jim Taylor. The same year, Sullivan landed his first television movie role in Pleading Guilty.
The actor remained in New York City where he was regularly cast in locally produced series such as Elementary, The Americans, and even a role on Season 14 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
RELATED: Watch the Terrifying New Trailer for Peacock’s Limited Series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
However, Sullivan's big break came with his casting as ambulance driver Tom Cleary in the Steven Soderbergh series, The Knick. At the end of its run, Sullivan then did two episodes of Stranger Things, and was then cast as a series regular in NBC's non-linear family drama, This Is Us.
Sullivan played Toby Damon, the first husband of Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz) and the father of Hailey and Jack Damon. Sullivan's vulnerable performance as Toby turned him into an audience favorite as he battled depression, weight issues, and a heart attack. All the while, he remained a great partner and father to Chrissy and the kids. In 2019 and 2021, Sullivan was nominated for an Emmy-award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and shared two Screen Actors Guild Award wins with the This Is Us cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
All eight episodes of Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, the limited series, will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock as of October 16.
