William Oberst Jr. (born November 21, 1965) is an American stage, film and television actor of German descent.

[2] He first received recognition for his portrayals of icon and humorist Lewis Grizzard as performed in theatrical tours across the Southern United States,[3] and played the 'Facebook Stalker' in the 2011 online interactive video film and Facebook app Take This Lollipop and its 2020 sequel.

[5] Oberst has received attention for his many theatrical portrayals of historical figures, including Jesus,[1] Mark Twain,[6][7][8] Abraham Lincoln, and John F.

"[25] Dorothy Rabinowitz of The Wall Street Journal noted that the docudrama "owes much to the flinty authority of William Oberst Jr., splendid in the role of Sherman.

"[26] Of his role in Dogs of Chinatown (2008) as Vitario, the mob's second in command, Kung Fu Cinema wrote "[Oberst] is the film's best actor and with his unique looks I can see him carving out a successful dramatic career in Hollywood as a heavy, something he seems to be doing with roles in a couple upcoming horror films.

Only two years into his film career, Bill's played a variety of business and small-town sheriff types, now he lends a malicious glee and a disturbing, penetrating stare to Dismal to surprising effect",[28] and Duane L. Martin of Rogue Cinema wrote, "I don't even know how to describe how great [Oberst] was at bringing just the right personality and intensity to the role.

In describing the opening sequences, CNN wrote "A sweaty, wild-eyed man in a stained undershirt hunches over his computer in a shadowy basement.

However, most critics praised Oberst's portrayal of President Lincoln, citing it as one of the best performances ever given in an independent horror movie: Dread Central reviewer Matt Serafini wrote, "If there existed an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a B-Movie, this year's winner would easily be Bill Oberst, Jr., for his outstanding portrayal of our 16th President... it is certainly the closest thing to an award caliber performance you'll probably ever see in a movie produced by The Asylum",[32] while JoBlo's Jason Adams wrote "Oberst is legitimately great in the role and his presidential chops suggest he could actually play Lincoln in a biopic that didn't involve dismembering heads every five minutes",[33] and CHUD.com's Jared Rasic wrote that Oberst's "Lincoln is powerful, noble and pretty damn badass with a scythe", expanding "Bill Oberst Jr. is a film saver.

Each role of his I've seen, he always completely commits to the performance, whether he's playing a redneck cannibal, a cyber stalker or the 16th President of the United States... Oberst Jr. is on the cusp of becoming a very known quantity and has a very good chance at becoming America's next boogeyman".