Sam Bottoms
Encyclopedia
Samuel John "Sam" Bottoms (October 17, 1955 – December 16, 2008) was an American actor and producer.
, the third son of James "Bud" Bottoms (a sculptor and art teacher) and Betty (Chapman), both of whom survive him. He was the brother of actors Timothy Bottoms
(born 1951), Joseph Bottoms
(born 1954) and Ben Bottoms (born 1960). He died of glioblastoma multiforme
, a type of brain tumor
, on December 16, 2008.
, in which his older brother Timothy
starred, when the director Peter Bogdanovich
decided to give him a screen test. Sam ended up playing the character of Billy in the movie, who has no spoken lines, but contributes a pivotal role in the drama.
Two years later, Bottoms appeared with Clint Eastwood
in The Outlaw Josey Wales
.
He is perhaps best remembered for his role as surfer Lance Johnson, a Navy
Gunner's Mate
stationed on a river boat
in Francis Ford Coppola
's 20th century opus, Apocalypse Now
. Other notable roles include his part in Seabiscuit
and co-starring with British Chinese
-Singaporean
movie star
Ava Lyn Koh in a lesbian-assassin thriller True Files
, aka Shanghai Lily.
Personal life
Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, the third son of James "Bud" Bottoms (a sculptor and art teacher) and Betty (Chapman), both of whom survive him. He was the brother of actors Timothy Bottoms
Timothy Bottoms
-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...
(born 1951), Joseph Bottoms
Joseph Bottoms
Joseph Bottoms is an American actor who won the 1975 Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor for his role in The Dove...
(born 1954) and Ben Bottoms (born 1960). He died of glioblastoma multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans, involving glial cells and accounting for 52% of all functional tissue brain tumor cases and 20% of all intracranial tumors. Despite being the most prevalent form of primary brain tumor, GBMs...
, a type of brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, on December 16, 2008.
Career
When Bottoms was 16 years old, he was on the set of The Last Picture ShowThe Last Picture Show
The Last Picture Show is a 1971 American drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from a semi-autobiographical 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry....
, in which his older brother Timothy
Timothy Bottoms
-Early life:Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the eldest son of Betty and James "Bud" Bottoms, who is a sculptor and art teacher. He is the brother of actors Joseph Bottoms , Sam Bottoms and Ben Bottoms . In 1967, Bottoms toured Europe as part of the Santa Barbara Madrigal...
starred, when the director Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
decided to give him a screen test. Sam ended up playing the character of Billy in the movie, who has no spoken lines, but contributes a pivotal role in the drama.
Two years later, Bottoms appeared with Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
in The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
.
He is perhaps best remembered for his role as surfer Lance Johnson, a Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Gunner's Mate
Gunner's Mate
The United States Navy occupational rating of gunner's mate also known as gunsmens mate is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel to enlisted sailors who either satisfactorily complete initial Gunner's Mate "A" school training, or who "strike" for the rating as a deck seaman by...
stationed on a river boat
Patrol Boat, River
Patrol Boat, River , or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971...
in Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's 20th century opus, Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
. Other notable roles include his part in Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
and co-starring with British Chinese
British Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
-Singaporean
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
movie star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
Ava Lyn Koh in a lesbian-assassin thriller True Files
True Files
True Files is an English language television docu-drama telecast on MediaCorp Channel 5, with each episode re-enacting some major cases of crime in Singapore...
, aka Shanghai Lily.
Television
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
(2004) - My Neighbor's Daughter (1998)
- Mercenary II: Thick & Thin (1997)
- The X Files (1995)
- Zooman (1995)
- Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
(1989–1991) - 21 Jump Street21 Jump Street21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
(1990) - Island Sons (1987)
- The Witching of Ben Wagner (1987)
- Gringo mojado (1986)
- No Earthly Reason (1984)
- Return to EdenReturn to EdenReturn to Eden is an Australian television drama series starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and James Smillie. It began as a three-part mini-series, shown on Network Ten in 1983. Gilling and Smillie would reprise their roles for a 22-part weekly series screened in 1986.-Mini-series...
(1983) - Desperate LivesDesperate LivesDesperate Lives is a 1982 made-for-TV film about drug use in a high school. The film has a very strong anti-drug message.-Plot summary:The Cameron family seems, on the surface, to be the perfect family, but things are not as they seem...
(1982) - East of Eden (1981)
- The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978)
- Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978)
- Marcus Welby, M.D.Marcus Welby, M.D.Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
(1976) - Cage Without a KeyCage Without a KeyCage Without a Key is a 1975 made-for-TV movie starring Susan Dey and Sam Bottoms, with Jonelle Allen and Lani O'Grady in supporting roles. The movie appeared on the NBC television network, later repeating on The CBS Late Movie...
(1975) - Lucas TannerLucas TannerLucas Tanner is an NBC television drama that aired during the 1974-75 season. The title character, played by David Hartman, was a former baseball player and sportswriter who became an english teacher at the fictional Harry S. Truman High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis...
(1974) - SavagesSavages (1974 film)Savages is an American TV movie based on the book Deathwatch by Robb White. It stars Andy Griffith as Madec and Sam Bottoms as Ben. -Plot:A successful Los Angeles lawyer and hunter, Madec, receives a rare permit to hunt Bighorn Sheep in the nearby Mojave Desert...
(1974) - Doc Elliot (1974)
Filmography
- Finishing the GameFinishing the gameFinishing The Game, an Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival, is a 2007 mockumentary which focuses on Bruce Lee's final movie Game of Death. Lee died prior to finishing the movie, having shot only a few of the final fight scenes. However, the rest of the film was finished using a Bruce...
(2007) - SherryBabySherrybabySherrybaby is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Laurie Collyer. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2006, the film received a limited release in the United States on September 8, 2006.-Plot:...
(2006) - Winter PassingWinter PassingWinter Passing is a 2005 American drama film. It is the directorial debut of playwright Adam Rapp, also known for his work on the show The L Word. The film stars Zooey Deschanel and Ed Harris, with supporting performances by Will Ferrell and Amelia Warner...
(2005) - ShopgirlShopgirlShopgirl is a 2005 American romantic drama film directed by Anand Tucker. The screenplay by Steve Martin is based on his 2000 novella of the same name.-Plot:...
(2005) - HavocHavoc (film)Havoc is a 2005 American film about the lives of wealthy Los Angeles, California teenagers whose exposure to hip hop culture inspires them to imitate the gangster lifestyle...
(2005) - SeabiscuitSeabiscuit (film)Seabiscuit is a 2003 American biographical film based on the best-selling non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand...
(2003) - Looking Through Lillian (2002)
- True FilesTrue FilesTrue Files is an English language television docu-drama telecast on MediaCorp Channel 5, with each episode re-enacting some major cases of crime in Singapore...
(2002) - Shadow FuryShadow Fury-Plot:A discovery in the near future makes it possible to create genetically engineered and enhanced human clones. The consequence of this discovery results in bio-ethical chaos. In order to right this wrong, the World Health Organization imposes a global ban on all human cloning activity...
(2001) - The UnsaidThe UnsaidThe Unsaid is a 2001 thriller/drama film directed by Tom McLoughlin and starring Andy García that was released in 2001. It is also known under the name The Ties That Bind and its working title Sins of the Father...
(2001) - Joseph's GiftJoseph's GiftJoseph's Gift is a 1998 feature film. It is a modern-day retelling of the Biblical story of Joseph, son of Jacob.-Plot:The Keller family are the owners of a successful garment business based in Los Angeles, California. The story mainly revolves around Jacob Keller's youngest son Joseph...
(1998) - Snide and Prejudice (1997)
- Project Shadowchaser IIIProject Shadowchaser IIIProject Shadowchaser III, also known as Shadowchaser III, Project Shadowchaser 3000 and Edge Of Darkness, is a 1995 science fiction film by director John Eyres...
(1995) - Sugar HillSugar Hill (1994 film)Sugar Hill is a 1994 American crime film starring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright as brothers Roemello and Raynathan Skuggs. The film focuses on the two brothers, who are major drug dealers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.-Plot:...
(1994) - The Trust (1993)
- North of Chiang Mai (1992)
- Dolly DearestDolly DearestDolly Dearest is a 1992 direct-to-video horror film starring Denise Crosby and Rip Torn.-Synopsis:American Elliot Wade becomes the new owner of the "Dolly Dearest" factory in Mexico...
(1992) - Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's ApocalypseHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's ApocalypseHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a 1991 documentary film about the production of Apocalypse Now.-Synopsis:The title is derived from the source material for Apocalypse Now, the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness...
(1991) - Ragin' Cajun (1991)
- After School (1988)
- Gardens of StoneGardens of StoneGardens of Stone is a 1987 film by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel of the same title by Nicholas Proffitt.A drama, it stars James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones and D. B. Sweeney.-Plot:...
(1987) - Hunter's Blood (1987)
- Prime RiskPrime Risk-Plot summary:A female engineer, with the assistance of her pilot-wannabe male friend, discovers a way to rip off automated teller machines, but in doing so stumbles upon a plot to destroy the U.S. monetary system....
(1985) - Bronco BillyBronco BillyBronco Billy is a 1980 American film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.-Plot:...
(1980) - Up from the DepthsUp From the DepthsUp From the Depths is a 1979 horror film directed by Charles B. Griffith. The film, along with many monster movies of the 1970s and 1980s is very similar to Jaws.-Plot:...
(1979) - Apocalypse NowApocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
(1979) - The Outlaw Josey WalesThe Outlaw Josey WalesThe Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
(1976) - Zandy's BrideZandy's BrideZandy's Bride is a 1974 American film directed by Jan Troell. It stars Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann.The film is also known as For Better, for Worse in the USA . It was filmed on location near Big Sur, California.- Plot summary :...
(1974) - Class of '44Class of '44Class Of '44 is the 1973 sequel to Summer of '42.The film is a slice-of-life style autobiography of sorts, depicting Herman Raucher's first year in college, where he falls in love with Julie under the shadow of the growing threat of WW II...
(1973) - The Last Picture ShowThe Last Picture ShowThe Last Picture Show is a 1971 American drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from a semi-autobiographical 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry....
(1971)
External links
- AP Obituary in the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- Obituary in Arts of War on the Web, January 5, 2009