Michael J. Anderson (born October 31, 1953) is a retired American actor known for his roles as
The Man from Another Place
The Man from Another Place (played by Michael J. Anderson), also known as The Arm, is a character from the television series ''Twin Peaks'', created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. He is an inhabitant of the Black Lodge, a realm of pure evil. He w ...
in
David Lynch's television series ''
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...
'',
the
prequel film for the series, ''
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'',
[ and as Samson Leonhart on the HBO series '' Carnivàle''.
]
Early life and career
He has the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may b ...
, a disease that leads to frequent breaks in long bones and improper healing, leaving him with a shortened stature of tall.
Prior to his acting career, Anderson worked as a computer technician for Martin Marietta. He was part of the ground support system for NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
's Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
.
Acting career
Anderson appeared in four episodes of ''Twin Peaks''. The Man from Another Place is attired in a red suit and speaks in an unusual manner. Anderson used phonetically reversed speaking as a secret language with his junior high school friends and then played a character in ''Twin Peaks'' where he used the same method of speaking, which was recorded and played backwards. Anderson then synced his lips to the reversed recording for film. He first appears in Special Agent Dale Cooper
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ABC's and Showtime's television series ''Twin Peaks''. He also plays a supporting role in ...
's cryptic dream about the murder of Laura Palmer, set in a red room. Anderson also appears as the Man from Another Place in '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', the prequel to ''Twin Peaks''.
Anderson portrayed a man of average height in Lynch's ''Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. The western rural portion in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties is nam ...
'', using a prosthetic
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
body.The Man from Another Place
The Man from Another Place (played by Michael J. Anderson), also known as The Arm, is a character from the television series ''Twin Peaks'', created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. He is an inhabitant of the Black Lodge, a realm of pure evil. He w ...
for ''Twin Peaks third season but declined.
Filmography
Television
Film
Video games
Anderson portrayed "Punt" in the PlayStation video game '' Road Rash: Jailbreak''.
Music appearances
* (1989) "Turtle Song", music promo video by alternative band Hugo Largo
* (2000
Lodge Anathema
(wit
The Nether-Carols
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Michael J.
1953 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Colorado
People with osteogenesis imperfecta