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Hollywood is filled with fairweather fans who root for whoever’s winning. But scattered among the red carpets and studio lots are celebrities whose team loyalties run deeper than their IMDb credits. These stars bleed team colors that have nothing to do with box office success and everything to do with home.
Bills Mafia is more than a fan base. It’s a heartbeat. Through four straight Super Bowl defeats, frigid tailgates, and playoff agony, the devotion never wavers across Western New York. But the fandom extends far beyond snow-lined parking lots, reaching deep into Hollywood and even reality TV sets.
William Fichtner – The Cheektowaga Character Actor
William Fichtner, born on a military base but raised in Cheektowaga, has spent decades as one of Hollywood’s most recognizable character actors. He’s appeared in everything from Heat to The Dark Knight to Prison Break. Yet through all his success, the Maryvale High School graduate has never forgotten his Western New York roots, or his unwavering devotion to the Buffalo Bills.
Fichtner has worn his Bills loyalty like a badge of honor throughout his career. Whether narrating ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary Four Falls of Buffalo, chronicling the team’s four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1990-93, or appearing in team commercials and hype videos, he’s never hidden his allegiance. “There’s nothing like being part of Bills Mafia,” he told the team’s podcast. “It’s the best fan base in the world, no question.”
The actor’s fandom runs so deep that even while filming Crossing Lines in Prague, he made sure NFL Sunday Ticket was working on his TV so he could watch every Bills game. His son, born in New York but raised in California, has inherited the family devotion. Everything in the household revolves around Buffalo. Fichtner has passed along more than just team loyalty; he’s created a Bills Mafia legacy that spans generations. Even living abroad for years hasn’t dimmed his passion, proving that once you’re from Buffalo, geography becomes irrelevant when Sunday rolls around.
Bennett Graebner – The Reality TV Producer’s Buffalo Legacy
Bennett Graebner’s journey from Buffalo screenwriter to The Bachelor showrunner might seem unlikely, but the Vassar-educated storyteller has always understood that the best narratives come from authentic human emotion, whether scripted or reality. After 17 years guiding the franchise that made him famous, the Buffalo native is returning to his screenwriting roots while ensuring Bills Mafia gains its newest member: his son.
Graebner grew up in Buffalo and attended City Honors School before heading to Vassar College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in English literature. He later earned his MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, with dreams of becoming a screenwriter. Though he spent years writing scripts and working with major Hollywood players like Tom Cruise’s production company, financial necessity eventually led him to take what he thought would be a temporary job on The Bachelor. “My wife was like, dude, you need to get a real job,” Graebner admitted in a recent interview.
What began as a three-week gig turned into nearly two decades, during which Graebner became the creative force behind the franchise’s most successful seasons, including The Golden Bachelor. Throughout his tenure, he approached reality television with the same narrative instincts that drove his screenwriting, understanding that compelling television requires authentic characters and emotional stakes. Now, transitioning back to writing original screenplays, Graebner has made sure to pass along his most important legacy: Bills fandom. He’s brought his son into Bills Mafia, and the two have been spotted at games from Los Angeles to New Orleans, decked out in matching red, white and blue. “Sundays aren’t about roses for us,” Graebner joked. “They’re about Buffalo.” The reality TV veteran’s devotion shows the generational nature of Bills fandom, a tradition that transcends career changes, geographic moves, and even the entertainment industry’s demanding schedule.
“I just want to see the Bills win a Super Bowl before I die. And now it’s not just for me, it’s for him too.”
Christopher McDonald – Shooter McGavin’s Buffalo Heart
Christopher McDonald may be forever known as the villainous Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore, but the character actor from Romulus, New York has a heart that beats blue and red for the Buffalo Bills. Growing up in the Finger Lakes region, McDonald became a die-hard Bills fan who has remained devoted through decades of heartbreak and hope.
The friendship between McDonald and Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly exemplifies the tight-knit nature of Western New York sports culture. The two maintain regular contact, with McDonald describing their relationship as one built on shared Buffalo values and weekly football conversations. “Once you’re a Bills fan, you’re in for life,” McDonald said. “And trust me — Jim and I still talk Bills every week.”
McDonald’s Bills fandom has become legendary among fans who’ve spotted him at Highmark Stadium, fully immersed in the tailgate experience. He’s been photographed partying with Bills Mafia before games, embracing the raucous, passionate culture that defines the fan base. His commitment goes beyond casual spectatorship — McDonald participates in Jim Kelly’s annual celebrity golf tournament, which raises money for disadvantaged youth in Western New York, demonstrating how celebrity Bills fans give back to their community. Even at 70, McDonald shows no signs of cooling his Bills passion, recently reprising his Shooter McGavin role in Happy Gilmore 2 while maintaining his game-day traditions in Buffalo.
Chad Michael Murray – The One Tree Hill Bills Ambassador
Chad Michael Murray was born in Buffalo and raised in nearby Clarence, but his path to stardom took him far from Western New York. The One Tree Hill star, A Cinderella Story heartthrob, and current Sullivan’s Crossing lead has never forgotten where he came from or which team owns his football heart.
Murray’s Buffalo roots run deep, shaped by a childhood spent with his father after his mother left the family when he was just 10 years old. Those formative years in Western New York instilled values of resilience and loyalty that he’s carried throughout his Hollywood career. “So many of us Buffalonians have experienced this: I too was born into Bills Mafia,” Murray has said. “It feels like a birth right for us.”
The actor has transformed his celebrity platform into advocacy for Bills Mafia, partnering with Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed to executive produce Just One Before I Die, a docuseries celebrating the passionate Buffalo fanbase. The project, which began filming during the 2024 season, follows iconic members of Bills Mafia and chronicles their unwavering spirit as the team contends for its elusive first championship. Murray’s involvement isn’t just professional; it’s personal. He’s been spotted at games across the country, proving that distance from Buffalo doesn’t diminish the devotion. Whether he’s in Halifax filming Sullivan’s Crossing or promoting his latest Netflix projects, Murray remains a proud ambassador for Bills Mafia, carrying Buffalo’s blue-collar spirit wherever his career takes him.
Christine Baranski – The Sophisticated Superfan
Christine Baranski has built a career playing sophisticated, worldly characters. From Cybill’s sharp-tongued Maryann to The Good Wife’s brilliant Diane Lockhart to The Gilded Age’s imperious Agnes van Rhijn, she’s mastered elegant authority. But behind the polished facade lies the heart of a Buffalo girl who gets absolutely unhinged watching her beloved Bills.
Born and raised in the heavily Polish Catholic neighborhood of Cheektowaga, Baranski attended Villa Maria Academy before eventually making her way to Juilliard and Broadway stardom. Despite decades of success in New York theater and Hollywood, she’s never lost her Western New York edge, especially when football season arrives.
“Everybody thinks this is, you know, this sophisticated lady, this New York type, these characters that I play, they think that’s me,” Baranski told Stephen Colbert during a memorable late-night TV appearance. “They should be in a room alone with me when I watch the Buffalo Bills. It is loud!” The Emmy-winning actress went on to explain her deep connection to the team’s long-suffering history: “Growing up in Buffalo, you have to understand, we lived through four consecutive Super Bowl losses. So, I have a t-shirt that says, ‘Buffalo, a drinking town with a football problem.’” But Baranski sees those painful defeats as character-building experiences that define Buffalo’s identity. “If you’re from Buffalo, you know you are a survivor, you know how to endure,” she noted, praising fans who sit in sub-zero temperatures for playoff games. The contrast between her on-screen persona and her game-day intensity perfectly captures what makes Bills Mafia special: it transcends class, profession, and geography, uniting everyone under one passionate cause.
Hollywood Bills
Those who count life by IMDb credits or reality-TV episode orders don’t get a fandom pass when the goal is heartbreak or glory. Whether they’re on set in Los Angeles, in a Broadway dressing room, or between takes on a dating show, these stars carry the same hopes as the fans huddled in snow for every Josh Allen scramble, every Khalil Shakir sideline toe-tap, every Tyler Bass kick into a crosswind.
Buffalo holds an unwavering and straightforward dream: just one before we die. For these celebrity superfans, the Hollywood ending they chase is still unfolding at Highmark Stadium.
The post The Celebrity Wing of Bills Mafia: William Fichtner, Bennett Graebner, Chad M. Murray appeared first on CelebMix.