Sanderson was born on January 10, 1944 in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
, U.S. to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father. He is a member of the
Pi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity is an international secret social Greek-letter college fraternity. It was founded at 47 West Range at the University of Virginia in the United States on Sunday evening, March 1 1868.-History:...
FraternityFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In English, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in North America, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He holds business (B.B.A., 1968) and law (
J.D.Juris Doctor is a first professional degree.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree...
, 1971) degrees from the
University of MemphisThe University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is a flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
(then known as Memphis State University). The Law School at Memphis State was then located just a few yards from the Theatre Building and of course the Theatre Department.
Biography
Sanderson was born on January 10, 1944 in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
, U.S. to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father. He is a member of the
Pi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity is an international secret social Greek-letter college fraternity. It was founded at 47 West Range at the University of Virginia in the United States on Sunday evening, March 1 1868.-History:...
FraternityFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In English, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in North America, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He holds business (B.B.A., 1968) and law (
J.D.Juris Doctor is a first professional degree.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree...
, 1971) degrees from the
University of MemphisThe University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is a flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
(then known as Memphis State University). The Law School at Memphis State was then located just a few yards from the Theatre Building and of course the Theatre Department. He was bit by the acting bug and started acting in college productions while at Memphis State University, where he is still today remembered as an outstanding "Bob Ewell" in "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Sanderson has appeared in many movies, and is known for his role in the 1982 classic
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
film
Blade 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 based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick...
as J. F. Sebastian. Sanderson portrayed a character named Deuce in an episode of the hit science fiction television series
Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, and later reprised the role in the television movie
Babylon 5: ThirdspaceBabylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction franchise. It was written by J...
. He is also the basis and the voice for the recurring character of Dr. Karl Rossum in
Batman: The Animated SeriesBatman: The Animated Series is an American animated series adaptation of the comic book series starring the DC Comics superhero, Batman. The series is noted for being the first to take place in the DC Animated Universe. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation.The visual style of the series is...
. He starred in the controversial film
Fight for Your LifeFight for Your Life is a 1977 action film starring William Sanderson , who plays Kane, a hate-fuelled redneck who absconds from jail with his sidekicks...
, which has a strict ban in the United Kingdom.
He has made many guest appearances on television shows, and his credits range from
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American cult science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. It first aired in September 1993 and ended in May 2002...
,
Knight Rider,
Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children or Married with Children is an American sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in Chicago that lasted 11 seasons. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, debuted on April 5, 1987, and aired its final first-run broadcast on June...
,
Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
,
ER-Medicine:* Emergency room, a department of a hospital** ER , a 1994–2009 NBC medical drama** E/R, a 1984–1985 CBS sitcom-Natural science:* Erbium, a chemical element* Relative static permittivity, a concept in chemistry represented as...
,
Walker, Texas RangerWalker, Texas Ranger is an American television police drama/Action, created by Lesie Grief and Paul Haggis. It aired on CBS with three pilot episodes followed by eight full seasons, from April 21, 1993 to May 19, 2001, was broadcast in over 100 countries, and has since spawned at least one...
, and
CoachCoach 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 GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, most notably in the genres of fantasy and science fiction...
's "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" in NPR's
2000X2000X is a dramatic anthology series released by NPR 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 by noted authors...
series. In 2001, Sanderson played a courageous
bartenderA bartender serves beverages behind a bar in a bar, pub, tavern or similar establishment...
named Dewey in
Tom SelleckThomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer, perhaps best known for his starring role on the television show Magnum, P.I., and for his recurring role as Dr...
's
TNTTNT is an American cable TV channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner which also owns Cartoon Network. However, despite the fact that it is a channel, it is seen all across the United States, much like a television...
film
Crossfire TrailCrossfire 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
NewhartNewhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and his wife who owned and operated a historic inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was populated by eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to...
from 1982 to 1990, famous for the
catch phraseA catch phrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
, "Hi, I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl."
Sanderson returned to prominence playing
E. B. FarnumEthan 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
DeadwoodDeadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and almost entirely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from 21 March 2004 to 27 August 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. Set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, the show is...
from 2004 to 2006. His role is a tragicomic
hotelierHotelier is a South Korean drama broadcast by MBC in 2001. This is the Korean version of the Japanese teledrama of the same name produced by Asahi TV. Hotelier contains a total of 20 episodes. The word "Hotelier" literally means "a person who owns or runs a hotel"...
and first
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
of Deadwood. In 2008, Sanderson joined the cast of
True BloodTrue Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. The show is broadcast on the premium cable network HBO in the United States. It is produced by HBO in association with Ball's...
playing town Sheriff Bud Dearborne.
Sanderson portrayed "Oldham", the resident interrogation expert of the
DHARMA InitiativeThe Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA , is a fictional research project featured in the television series Lost. It is introduced in the second season episode "Orientation". In 2008, the Dharma Initiative website was launched. 'Dharma' is Sanskrit and is used in Hinduism...
in the tenth episode of the fifth season of ABC's series
LostLost is an American serial drama television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia, and Los Angeles, United States, crashes somewhere in the South Pacific...
.
He lives in Burbank with his wife Sharon. He has an adult son named Andrew.
Filmography
- Lost
Lost is an American serial drama television series. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia, and Los Angeles, United States, crashes somewhere in the South Pacific...
(2009 television - ABC)
- True Blood
True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. The show is broadcast on the premium cable network HBO in the United States. It is produced by HBO in association with Ball's...
(2008 television - HBO)
- Painted Forrest (2005)
- Deadwood
Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and almost entirely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from 21 March 2004 to 27 August 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. Set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, the show is...
(2004-2006 television - HBO)
- Avatar
Avatar, also known as Matrix Hunter , Avatar Exile , Cyber Wars is a Singaporean science fiction film directed by Kuo Jian Hong, released in 2004.-Story:...
(2004)
- Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals is a novel which serves as a prequel to Michael Shaara's 1974 Pulitzer Prize-winning work about the Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels. Written by Jeffrey Shaara after his father Michael's death in 1988, the novel relates events from 1858 through 1863 during the American...
(2003)
- Monkey Love (2002)
- Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Babylon 5: Thirdspace is a made-for-television film that is part of the Babylon 5 science fiction franchise. It was written by J...
(1997) (TV)
- Last Man Standing
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, and after Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars was the second remake of the Japanese film, itself a...
(1996)
- ER
-Medicine:* Emergency room, a department of a hospital** ER , a 1994–2009 NBC medical drama** E/R, a 1984–1985 CBS sitcom-Natural science:* Erbium, a chemical element* Relative static permittivity, a concept in chemistry represented as...
(1996) Season 3 - Episode 8 as Mr Percy
- Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance
Mirror, 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)
- Wagons East
Wagons 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 an ex-doctor Phil Taylor , a prostitute Belle , and homosexual bookseller Julian Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy...
(1994)
- Man's Best Friend
Man's Best Friend is a 1993 American horror movie starring Ally Sheedy and Lance Henriksen and directed by John Lafia.-Plot:Max is a Tibetan Mastiff who was genetically altered by a disgraced scientist called Dr. Jarret , who performs experiments on animals, including several endangered species...
(1993)
- The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is a 1991 period adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and based on the character of the same name created by comic book writer/artist Dave Stevens, who also served as a co-producer. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin,...
(1991)
- Mirror, Mirror
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 Dove
Lonesome Dove, written by Larry McMurtry, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning western novel and the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series...
(1989)
- Black Moon Rising
Black Moon Rising, is an action film directed by Harley Cokeliss, written by John Carpenter and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton and Robert Vaughn...
(1986)
- Fletch (1985)
- Lone Wolf McQuade
Lone 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.-Plot:...
(1983)
- Nightmares
Nightmares is a film with four tales of horror, starring Emilio Estevez and Lance Henriksen. 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 the small screen...
(1983)
- 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 based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick...
(1982)
- Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and his wife who owned and operated a historic inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was populated by eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to...
(1982-1990 Television)
- Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter is an American 1980 biographical film which tells the story of country music performer 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...
(1980)
- The Onion Field
The Onion Field is a 1979 film adapted by Joseph Wambaugh from his book of the same name, and directed by Harold Becker. The Onion Field is rated R by the MPAA....
(1979)
- Fight For Your Life
Fight for Your Life is a 1977 action film starring William Sanderson , who 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.