J. Patrick McNamara (October 30, 1942 – January 2, 2023) was an American character actor born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played the project leader in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Private DuBois in Spielberg's 1941, and appeared in two Brian De Palma films, Obsession and Blow Out. He was also known as Mr. Preston, the father of Bill, in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. His other credits include Gideon's Trumpet, Phantasm II, Gross Anatomy and Flight of the Intruder, as well as guest roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Knots Landing and Falcon Crest.