Will Zimmerman

William Zimmerman
Sanctuary character
Robin Dunne as Will Zimmerman
First appearance	Webisode 1 (web series) "Sanctuary for All" (TV series)
Last appearance	"Sanctuary for None (Part 2)" (TV series)
Created by	Damian Kindler
Portrayed by	Robin Dunne Dorien Provost (Young Will)
Information
Occupation	Forensic psychiatrist Behavioral Analysis Unit Agent of the Sanctuary Network
Family	Mary Anne Zimmerman(Mother, deceased)
Relatives	Jack Zimmerman (Deceased)
Nationality	American

Dr. William "Will" Zimmerman is a main character and male lead of the Canadian fantasy-science fiction television series Sanctuary. He is portrayed by Robin Dunne. Will is introduced in the series as an FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit forensic psychiatrist, who was recruited by Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), head of the Sanctuary Network, to become her recent protégé.

Dunne was approached to appear on the series by director Martin Wood, whom he worked with before, but was initially reluctant to appear in the original web series. The second season of the show introduced more of a darkness to the character. In the third season, Will appears in a more leadership position, and becomes instrumental in the Hollow Earth story-arc.

Critical reactions behind the character, and Dunne's portrayal, were generally positive reviews, with some television critics comparing Will to Stargate SG-1 character Daniel Jackson. Dunne's portrayal of Will earned him a Leo Award for "Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series" in 2010. He was nominated a further two Leo Awards in the same categories and a Constellation Award, in which he narrowly lost to Doctor Who actor David Tennant.

Will Zimmerman's maternal relatives are said to have come from Dublin, Ireland. One of his known ancestors was Jack Zimmerman (Dunne), who served in the United States Army and was killed in action in Normandy during D-Day in 1944. When Will was a child, he was terrorized by a violent creature who killed his mother. However, Will was saved by Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), who captured it. In the web series, he was a victim of Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl) before he worked as a butler in the Sanctuary; Bigfoot liked to scare little children. In his adult life, he worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), until he was fired for his outlandish theories. He since worked with the Old City Police Department as a forensic psychiatrist, though his co-workers do not take him seriously there either. Before the series began he had a girlfriend, Meg (Kandyse McClure), who broke up with him.