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William Walden
VPOTUS
Name: William Walden
Status: Deceased
Date of death: 2012
Nationality: Flag of the United States American
Affiliation: U.S. Government
Profession: US Politics Vice President Vice President of the United States
Marital status: Married
Spouse(s): Cynthia Walden (d. 2012)
Children: Finn Walden (d. 2012)
Played by: Jamey Sheridan
Season(s): 1, 2
Episodes: 10 appearances
First episode: "Pilot"
Last episode: "Broken Hearts"

"The president is not protecting this country, he's just riding out his term."

William Walden was the Vice President of the United States and former director of the CIA.

Biography[]

William Walden is the Vice President of the United States and a former director of the CIA. Both Brody and Abu Nazir hold him accountable for the drone strike that killed Nazir's son Issa. Walden capitalizes on Brody's political value following his return from captivity, offering him a seat in the House of Representatives in a special election.

Not long after Brody is elected to Congress, Walden launches his own presidential bid and asks Brody to be his running mate. Walden is killed during a meeting with Brody when Nazir's associates tamper with his pacemaker. Brody agrees to provide the pacemaker's serial number for Nazir in exchange for releasing Carrie as his hostage. In Walden's dying moments, Brody finally disavows him in person and refuses to save him.

About Him[]

William Walden is a very influential man. As a former director of the CIA, he was able to make many contacts, so that today he is the Vice President of the United States of America. When a member of the House of Representatives, Richard Johnson, is forced to leave office because of a scandal, it is Walden who approaches Nicholas Brody and suggests that he run for office. Walden makes sure that having a war hero like Brody at his side will benefit his own career and his candidacy for the presidency.

Walden's responsibilities also include commanding US forces. He was one of the decision-makers behind the drone attack on the village where Abu Nazir lived and organized his terrorist unit. The bomb fell on a school and killed many innocent people, including 82 children. This included Nazir's son, Issa, with whom Brody had developed a friendly relationship (novel Homeland : Saul's Game).

Issa's death is the reason why Brody and Nazir want revenge on Walden and plan an assassination on him (Crossfire).

Walden is a career man through and through, and with the public expecting certain behavior from a vice president, the entire family is under a lot of pressure. While they are great role models on the outside, it is William's son Finn in particular who tends to test his father's patience through daring actions in order to gain attention. William's wife, Cynthia, meanwhile, knows what's expected of her and doesn't just stick to her husband's politics at dinner parties and similar occasions.

As the presidential election approaches, Walden asks Brody to run alongside him for vice president. Once again, he hopes to benefit from the war hero's positive charisma and has no idea that Brody is the one Abu Nazir has put on him. Although Walden doesn't show any weakness on the outside, he has a heart condition and has had a pacemaker for years. With the help of the serial number of his pacemaker, which the pressured Brody procures, Nazir and his team manage to ensure the death of the vice president by remote control. However, it is Brody who is at Walden's side at this moment, preventing him from pressing 911.

At the CIA memorial service for Walden, a bomb attack takes place, killing Walden's family and most of the CIA employees present, including David Estes.

Novels[]

Walden is a fictional character, who appears in the novel written by Andrew Kaplan: Carrie's Run and Saul's Game

Trivia[]

Walden attended the University of Notre Dame and was an All-American football player there.

R2S42225614... Who knows what this is? Serial  on Waldenā€™s pace maker

In a 2012 episode of the TV series Homeland, Vice President William Walden is assassinated by a terrorist who hacks into his Internet-enabled heart pacemaker and accelerates his heartbeat until he has a heart attack. A flight of fancy? Not everyone thinks so. - BY DANIEL CLERY

Reviews[]

Why wasnā€™t the President of the United States in attendance at VP Waldenā€™s funeral? | ā€œThis wasnā€™t actually Waldenā€™s memorial service in a church; itā€™s the memorial service that was put on for him by his intelligence colleagues at the CIA,ā€ Gansa explained. ā€œThe president was not there for that reason.ā€ - By Matt Webb Mitovich

Quotes[]


Estes: "That's a school, sir"

Walden: "If Abu Nazir is taking refuge among children, he is putting them at risk. Not us".

Behind the Scenes[]

Appearances[]

Season 1
Pilot "Grace" "Clean Skin" "Semper I" "Blind Spot"
"The Good Soldier" "The Weekend" "Achilles Heel" "Crossfire" Representative Brody
The Vest Marine One
Season 2
The Smile Beirut is Back State of Independence New Car Smell "Q&A"
"A Gettysburg Address" The Clearing "I'll Fly Away" "Two Hats" Broken Hearts
"In Memoriam" "The Choice"

Notes[]

  • Nick jokes that he's so out of touch that he doesn't even know the Vice President's name. The character is not named in the first episode.
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