Sam Anderson (born c. 1946/1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his character roles such as Sam Gorpley on '' Perfect Strangers'', Principal Willis DeWitt on '' Growing Pains'', Holland Manners on ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', dentist Bernard Nadler on '' Lost'', Doctor Harad in ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', and in film, as the principal in '' Forrest Gump''.

Early life

Anderson was born in Clark, South Dakota and grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota. He received a Master of Arts degree in American literature and creative writing at the University of North Dakota and the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. During the 1970s, he taught drama at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California.

Career

Anderson is best known for his roles as mailroom supervisor Mr. Gorpley on '' Perfect Strangers'', Mike Seaver's adversarial Principal DeWitt on '' Growing Pains'', a chief of Cardiology on '' ER'', the lawyer Holland Manners on the first two seasons of ''

'' and as Bernard on '' Lost''. In addition, he was one of the recurring actors on various episodes of '' WKRP in Cincinnati'', playing various roles, including an immigration officer in the episode "The Americanization of Ivan". In film, he notably played the school principal in '' Forrest Gump''. Anderson is also known as the assistant manager of the Hotel Royale in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " The Royale", and as Doctor Harad in ''

''. His other guest-starring roles include '' Remington Steele'', '' Hill Street Blues'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...

'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', '' Picket Fences'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'', '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', and many other shows. Anderson guest-starred in Season 8 of '' NCIS'' as Walter Carmichael, a middle school teacher whose classroom becomes a crime scene where one of his students is kidnapped. Anderson's most recent (2024) role is being a part of the reboot of the '' Matlock'' series on CBS. He plays the husband (Edwin) of

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...

character Matty Matlock.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards * 2019: Nominated for Lead Actor in a Play for the role of Ichabod Banks in the Road Theatre Company production of ''The Bird and Mr. Banks''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Sam 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Antelope Valley College alumni Educators from South Dakota Living people Male actors from South Dakota People from Clark, South Dakota University of North Dakota alumni 1947 births