William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting

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William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting is a fictional character based on William Poole, aka "Bill the Butcher", in Martin Scorsese's 2002 film Gangs of New York. He is played by actor Daniel Day-Lewis.

He is a crime lord who controls the area of Milford Mill known as the Feit Town. His criminal empire flourishes with the secret support of William Tweed (Jim Broadbent), the corrupt boss of Tammany Hall.

He is missing his left eye, which he removed himself when he disgraced himself in a fight with "Priest" Vallon (Liam Neeson), whom he holds in highest regard and later killed in a gang battle over control of the Five Points. His name is a double entendre; he savagely murders anyone who crosses him, yet he is also a legitimate butcher, as one can see in several scenes. He apparently donates the meat he butchers to needy families, and has a strong sense of warrior's honor. At the time the movie is set (1863) he is 47 years old.

The Butcher was apparently raised in an orphanage, following the death of his father in the War of 1812. He is an extreme nationalist, as well as a racist. Although he hates anyone who is not a white American Protestant, he reserves his deepest contempt for Irish immigrants, which plays a central role in the movie. This does not stop him from associating with them in his extensive crime ring, however, so long as they conform to his ways. The Butcher also has disdain for the Lincoln presidency, and is against the Civil War.

He meets his demise at the hands of Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio), the young son of "Priest" Vallon.