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 April 2, 1947) is an American actor. He is famous for playing many different characters in popular TV shows and movies. You might know him as the principal in the movie Forrest Gump. He also played Sam Gorpley in Perfect Strangers, Principal Willis DeWitt in Growing Pains, Holland Manners in Angel, and the dentist Bernard Nadler in Lost. He even appeared as Doctor Harad in Friends.
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Sam Anderson's Early Life
Sam Anderson was born in Wahpeton, North Dakota. He studied American literature and creative writing at the University of North Dakota and the University of Wisconsin. In the 1970s, he taught drama at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California.
Sam Anderson's Acting Career
Sam Anderson has had a long and busy acting career. He is well-known for his roles in many TV shows. He played Mr. Gorpley, a mailroom supervisor, on Perfect Strangers. He was also Principal DeWitt, who often disagreed with Mike Seaver, on Growing Pains.
He appeared as a chief of Cardiology on ER. Fans of Angel will remember him as the lawyer Holland Manners in the first two seasons. He also played Bernard on the popular show Lost.
Sam Anderson has been a guest star on many other shows. He played different characters on WKRP in Cincinnati. He was the assistant manager of the Hotel Royale in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called "The Royale". He also appeared as Doctor Harad in Friends.
His other guest roles include shows like Remington Steele, Hill Street Blues, The Golden Girls, Murder, She Wrote, Picket Fences, The West Wing, and Everybody Loves Raymond. In 2010, he was in NCIS as Walter Carmichael, a middle school teacher.
Recently, in 2024, Sam Anderson joined the new Matlock series on CBS. He plays Edwin, the husband of the main character, Matty Matlock, played by Kathy Bates.
Sam Anderson in Movies
Sam Anderson has also acted in several movies. One of his most famous movie roles was the school principal in the award-winning film Forrest Gump (1994). He also appeared in movies like Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), La Bamba (1987), and Critters 2: The Main Course (1988). More recently, he was in Water for Elephants (2011) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). In 2022, he played an older Tate Walker in Where the Crawdads Sing.
Awards and Nominations
Sam Anderson has been recognized for his acting.
- In 2019, he was nominated for a Ovation Award for Lead Actor in a Play. This was for his role as Ichabod Banks in The Bird and Mr. Banks, a play by the Road Theatre Company.
See also
In Spanish: Sam Anderson para niños
