Sam Anderson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Anderson
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Anderson in 2006
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| Born | April 2, 1947 Clark, South Dakota, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of North Dakota, Antelope Valley College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Children | 2 |
Sam Anderson, born on April 2, 1947, is an actor from the United States. He is well-known for playing many different characters in TV shows and movies. Some of his most famous roles include Sam Gorpley in Perfect Strangers and Principal Willis DeWitt in Growing Pains. He also played Holland Manners in Angel and Bernard Nadler in Lost. In movies, he is remembered as the principal in Forrest Gump.
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Early Life and Education
Sam Anderson was born in Clark, South Dakota. He grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota. He studied American literature and creative writing. He earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of North Dakota and the University of Wisconsin. In the 1970s, he taught drama. He worked as a drama teacher at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California.
Acting Career Highlights
Sam Anderson has had many memorable roles throughout his acting career. He often plays characters who appear in several episodes of a TV show.
Famous TV Roles
He is widely recognized for playing Mr. Gorpley. This character was a mailroom supervisor in the TV show Perfect Strangers. He also played Principal DeWitt. This was the principal who often disagreed with Mike Seaver in Growing Pains.
Anderson also appeared as a chief of Cardiology in ER. He played the lawyer Holland Manners in the first two seasons of Angel. Another important role was Bernard in the popular show Lost. He was also Doctor Harad in an episode of Friends.
Other Notable Appearances
Sam Anderson has been a guest star on many other TV shows. He played different characters in WKRP in Cincinnati. He was also the assistant manager of the Hotel Royale in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Royale".
His guest roles include shows like Remington Steele, Hill Street Blues, and The Golden Girls. He also appeared in Murder, She Wrote, Picket Fences, and The West Wing. In 2010, he guest-starred in NCIS. He played Walter Carmichael, a middle school teacher.
Recent Work
As of 2024, Sam Anderson has continued his acting work. He is part of the new Matlock series on CBS. In this show, he plays Edwin, the husband of Kathy Bates' character, Matty Matlock.
Film and Television Appearances
Sam Anderson has appeared in many films and television shows over the years. Here are some of his roles.
Film Roles
- 1979: The Swap as Paul
- 1982: Airplane II: The Sequel as Man in white
- 1985: Movers & Shakers as Ray Berg
- 1987: La Bamba as Mr. Ludwig
- 1988: Critters 2: The Main Course as Mr. Morgan
- 1990: Dark Angel as Warren
- 1992: Memoirs of an Invisible Man as Chairman of the House Committee
- 1994: Forrest Gump as Principal
- 1994: The Puppet Masters as Culbertson
- 1997: After the Game as Jimmy Walsh
- 1998: Permanent Midnight as Dr. Olsen
- 1999: Sonic Impact as Alex Holmes
- 2000: The Independent as Ed
- 2002: Slackers as Charles Patton
- 2004: 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover as George
- 2011: Water for Elephants as Mr. Hyde
- 2012: 3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom as Dad (Chris)
- 2012: Breaking the Girls as Professor Nolan
- 2014: Devil's Due as Father Thomas
- 2016: Do You Take This Man as Steven
- 2016: Ouija: Origin of Evil as Mr. Browning
- 2018: Song of Back and Neck as Jarred Foxen
- 2021: Echoes of Violence as Conroy
- 2022: Where the Crawdads Sing as mid-70s Tate Walker
Television Roles
- 1979–1981: WKRP in Cincinnati as Various roles (4 episodes)
- 1983: Remington Steele as Store manager
- 1984: Hill Street Blues as Kenny Sterling
- 1985: Dallas as Inspector Frank Howard (2 episodes)
- 1986: The Golden Girls as Meyer
- 1986–1992: Growing Pains as Principal Willis Dewitt (13 episodes)
- 1986–1992: Perfect Strangers as Mr. Sam Gorpley / Harrison Harper (37 episodes)
- 1989: Star Trek: The Next Generation as Assistant manager (Episode: "The Royale")
- 1992–1995: Picket Fences as FBI Agent Donald Morrell (7 episodes)
- 1993–1996: Murder, She Wrote as Various roles (4 episodes)
- 1994–2007: ER as Dr. Jack Kayson (20 episodes)
- 1996: Boston Common as President Butterfield / Wesley Butterfield (7 episodes)
* 1998: Friends as Dr. Harad (Episode: "The One Hundredth")
- 2000–2001: Angel as Holland Manners (8 episodes)
- 2002: Everybody Loves Raymond as Special Agent Thomas Garfield
- 2003–2004: Married to the Kellys as Bill Kelly (21 episodes)
- 2005–2010: Lost as Bernard Nadler (21 episodes)
- 2010: NCIS as Walter Carmichael
- 2012: Hawaii Five-0 as Owen Sutherland
- 2013–2014: Justified as Lee Paxton (9 episodes)
- 2014: Castle as Principal Dunnan
- 2017: This Is Us as Judge Walter Crowder
- 2019: How to Get Away with Murder as Thomas Fitzgerald
- 2023: Painkiller as Raymond Sackler (6 episodes)
- 2024: Matlock as Edwin (18 episodes)
Awards and Recognition
Sam Anderson has been recognized for his acting talent.
- In 2019, he was nominated for an Ovation Award. This nomination was for Lead Actor in a Play. It was for his role as Ichabod Banks in The Bird and Mr. Banks.
See also
In Spanish: Sam Anderson para niños
