William Sanderson
Encyclopedia
William Sanderson is an American character actor
.
, to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father. He holds business (B.B.A., 1968) and law (J.D.
, 1971) degrees from the University of Memphis
(then known as Memphis State University).
Blade Runner
as J. F. Sebastian. Sanderson also portrayed a character named "Deuce" in an episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
, and later reprised the role in the television movie Babylon 5: Thirdspace
. He is also the basis and the voice for the recurring character of Dr. Karl Rossum in Batman: The Animated Series
. Sanderson starred in the controversial film Fight for Your Life
, which has a strict ban in the United Kingdom
.
As a guest, he has made appearances in television shows, and his credits include The X-Files
, Knight Rider, Married... with Children
, Babylon 5
, ER
, Walker, Texas Ranger
, and Coach
. He plays a key role in an audio dramatization of Ursula K. Le Guin
's "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" in NPR's 2000X
series. In 2001, Sanderson played a courageous bartender
named Dewey in Tom Selleck
's TNT
film Crossfire Trail
.
He portrayed "Larry" in the American TV show Newhart
from 1982 to 1990, famous for the catchphrase, "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl."
Sanderson returned to television playing E. B. Farnum
in the HBO television series Deadwood
from 2004 to 2006. His role is a tragicomic hotel
ier and first mayor
of Deadwood. In 2008, Sanderson joined the cast of True Blood
playing town Sheriff Bud Dearborne.
Sanderson portrayed "Oldham", the resident interrogation expert of the DHARMA Initiative
in the 10th episode of the fifth season of ABC's series Lost
. He appears in the Current TV
series Bar Karma
as a bartender.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Early life
Sanderson was born in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father. He holds business (B.B.A., 1968) and law (J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, 1971) degrees from the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
(then known as Memphis State University).
Career
Sanderson has appeared in many movies, and is known for his role in the 1982 classic science fiction filmScience fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
as J. F. Sebastian. Sanderson also portrayed a character named "Deuce" in an episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, and later reprised the role in the television movie Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño....
. He is also the basis and the voice for the recurring character of Dr. Karl Rossum in Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
. Sanderson starred in the controversial film Fight for Your Life
Fight For Your Life
Fight for Your Life is a 1977 action film starring William Sanderson .-Synopsis:Sanderson plays Kane, a hate-fuelled redneck who absconds from jail with his sidekicks...
, which has a strict ban in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
As a guest, he has made appearances in television shows, and his credits include The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, Knight Rider, Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
, and Coach
Coach (TV series)
Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997. The series starred Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Division I-A college football team, the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles...
. He plays a key role in an audio dramatization of Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
's "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" in NPR's 2000X
2000X
2000X is a dramatic anthology series released by National Public Radio and produced by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear. There were 49 plays of various lengths in 26 one-hour programs broadcast weekly and later released on the Internet. Plays were adaptations of futuristic stories, novels and plays...
series. In 2001, Sanderson played a courageous bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
named Dewey in Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
's TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
film Crossfire Trail
Crossfire Trail (film)
Crossfire Trail is a Turner Network Television film starring Tom Selleck in the role of Rafael "Rafe" Covington, a wanderer known for his honesty and steadfastness who keeps his word to a dying friend despite great adversity to himself. The tagline of the picture is "A hero is measured by the...
.
He portrayed "Larry" in the American TV show Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
from 1982 to 1990, famous for the catchphrase, "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl."
Sanderson returned to television playing E. B. Farnum
E. B. Farnum
Ethan Bennett Farnum was one of the first residents of Deadwood, South Dakota, who was not a miner or prospector; he was the owner of a general store. Farnum was married to Mary Farnum with three children, Sylvia, age 16, Edward, age 12, and Lyde, age 2 when he arrived in Deadwood...
in the HBO television series Deadwood
Deadwood (TV series)
Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
from 2004 to 2006. His role is a tragicomic hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
ier and first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Deadwood. In 2008, Sanderson joined the cast of True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
playing town Sheriff Bud Dearborne.
Sanderson portrayed "Oldham", the resident interrogation expert of the DHARMA Initiative
DHARMA Initiative
The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA , was a fictional research project featured in the television series Lost. It was introduced in the second season episode "Orientation". In 2008, the Dharma Initiative website was launched. Dharma's interests were directly connected with fringe science...
in the 10th episode of the fifth season of ABC's series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
. He appears in the Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
series Bar Karma
Bar Karma
Bar Karma is the first online community-developed network television series. Online users pitch their own ideas for scenes and twists online, using a tool designed by Will Wright called the Storymaker. Some are eventually chosen by the production staff, and are utilized to help create a new episode...
as a bartender.
Filmography
- Mike & MollyMike & MollyMike & Molly is an American sitcom created by Mark Roberts, which premiered on CBS on September 20, 2010. The series stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as the title characters.-Premise:...
(2011, television - CBS) - Bar KarmaBar KarmaBar Karma is the first online community-developed network television series. Online users pitch their own ideas for scenes and twists online, using a tool designed by Will Wright called the Storymaker. Some are eventually chosen by the production staff, and are utilized to help create a new episode...
(2011, television - CurrentTV) - Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2010, television - Adult Swim)
- LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
(2009, television - ABC) - True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
(2008-2010 television - HBO) - Life (2007, television - NBC)
- Painted Forrest (2005)
- DeadwoodDeadwood (TV series)Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...
(2004–2006, television - HBO) - AvatarAvatar (2004 film)Avatar , also known as Matrix Hunter , Avatar Exile , Cyber Wars is a Singaporean science fiction film directed by Kuo Jian Hong...
(2004) - Gods and GeneralsGods and Generals (film)Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
(2003) - Monkey Love (2002)
- Nice Guys Sleep Alone (1999)
- Babylon 5: ThirdspaceBabylon 5: ThirdspaceBabylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction universe. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Jesús Salvador Treviño....
(1997) (TV) - "Deuce" - AndersonvilleAndersonville (film)Andersonville is a film directed by John Frankenheimer about a group of Union soldiers during the American Civil War who are captured by the Confederates and sent to an infamous Confederate prison camp....
(1996) - The PretenderThe Pretender (TV series)The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
(1996) Season 1 - Episode 2 as Roy Abbot - Last Man StandingLast Man Standing (film)Last Man Standing is a 1996 action film written and directed by Walter Hill, starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Dern. It is a credited remake of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo.- Plot :...
(1996) - ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(1996) Season 3 - Episode 8 as Mr. Percy - The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
(1994) Season 2 - Episode 3, "BloodBlood (The X-Files)"Blood" is the third episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It first aired on September 30, 1994. It follows F.B.I. Agents Scully and Mulder's investigation into a series of killings in Franklin, Pennsylvania...
" - Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven DanceMirror, Mirror 2: Raven DanceMirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance is a 1994 low budget horror film directed by Jimmy Lifton. The film is the sequel to the 1990 horror film Mirror, Mirror. The score is by Jimmy Lifton as it was in the original too...
(1994) - Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
(1994) "GrailGrail (Babylon 5)"Grail" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:A traveler named Aldous Gajic comes to the station in search of the Holy Grail. Having sent information requests to the ambassadors prior to his arrival, he is greeted as a very important...
" - "Deuce" - Wagons EastWagons EastWagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film directed by Peter Markle and starring John Candy and Richard Lewis.-Plot:After the 1860s Wild West, a group of misfit settlers including ex-doctor Phil Taylor , prostitute Belle , and homosexual bookseller Julian Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film...
(1994) - The Client (1994)
- Man's Best Friend (1993)
- The RocketeerThe Rocketeer (film)The Rocketeer is a 1991 period superhero adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the character of the same name created by comic book writer/artist Dave Stevens. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino...
(1991) - Mirror, MirrorMirror, Mirror (1990 film)Mirror, Mirror is a 1990 horror film directed by Marina Sargenti, based on a screenplay by Annette and Gina Cascone. It stars Karen Black, Rainbow Harvest, Yvonne De Carlo and William Sanderson...
(1990) - Lonesome DoveLonesome Dove (film)Lonesome Dove is a western television miniseries based on Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, Lonesome Dove was originally broadcast by CBS on February 5, 1989, drawing a huge viewing audience, earning numerous awards, and...
(1989) - Deadly WeaponDeadly weaponA deadly weapon, sometimes dangerous weapon, is a statutory definition listing certain items which can inflict mortal or great bodily harm. In addition, deadly weapon statutes often contain "catch all" provisions which describe abilities used to designate other implements as deadly weapons.Whether...
(1989) - ThundergroundThunderground-Plot summary:A con-artist meets a tough fighter and sees him as her ticket to a better life. The two make an agreement and head off to New Orleans to arrange a match with "the man" - the mysterious king of bare-knuckled boxing...
(1989) - Last Man Standing (1987)
- Dead Aim (1987)
- Black Moon RisingBlack Moon RisingBlack Moon Rising is an action motion picture made in 1986 directed by Harley Cokeliss, written by John Carpenter and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton and Robert Vaughn...
(1986) - FletchFletch (film)Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher , who writes under the name of Jane Doe...
(1985) - Lone Wolf McQuadeLone Wolf McQuadeLone Wolf McQuade is a 1983 action film, starring Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, and Robert Beltran, and is directed by Steve Carver. The film score was written by Francesco De Masi and borrows heavily from Ennio Morricone's score for Once Upon a Time in the West...
(1983) - NightmaresNightmares (1983 film)Nightmares is a 1983 film with four tales of horror, starring Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Cristina Raines, Veronica Cartwright and Richard Masur. The film is directed by T.V. veteran Joseph Sargent and began as a television project of four horror stories. The results were deemed too strong for...
(1983) - Blade RunnerBlade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
(1982) - Savage Weekend (1981)
- NewhartNewhartNewhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
(1982–1990, television - CBS) - Coal Miner's DaughterCoal Miner's DaughterCoal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.-Background:The film was...
(1980) - The Onion FieldThe Onion Field (film)The Onion Field is a 1979 American drama film directed by Harold Becker. The screenplay by Joseph Wambaugh is based on his 1973 true crime novel of the same title...
(1979) - Fight For Your LifeFight For Your LifeFight for Your Life is a 1977 action film starring William Sanderson .-Synopsis:Sanderson plays Kane, a hate-fuelled redneck who absconds from jail with his sidekicks...
(1977)
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 9-781593-933425.
External links
- William Sanderson Official homepage