By Gabrielle Maxey
You may not know his name, but you鈥檝e likely seen his face with the puppy-dog-sad eyes and heard his distinctive moonshine-and-molasses Tennessee twang. Chances are you would recognize William Sanderson instantly from his many notable acting roles.
You might know him as Larry, the chatty member of a trio of brothers (the others being
Darryl and Darryl) on the classic 鈥�80s sitcom Newhart, a role that planted him firmly in pop-culture consciousness. Or as E.B. Farnum in
the Emmy-nominated Deadwood, Sheriff Bud Dearborne in the vampire series True Blood, J.F. Sebastian in the science fiction masterpiece Blade Runner or a moonshiner in the Loretta Lynn biopic Coal Miner鈥檚 Daughter.
In his recently published book Yes, I鈥檓 That Guy: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Character Actor, the two-time UofM alumnus details five decades of work in hundreds of feature films, made-for-TV movies and series, plays, commercials and voiceovers.
The versatile and prolific actor鈥檚 success is even more remarkable considering his apparent determination to torpedo his career. He鈥檚 very open about his past tendency to drink too much, triggering a quick temper and leading to a spate of arrests and forcible ejections from bars.
Sanderson was born in 糖心Vlog传媒, living in the attic of a boarding house when he was
young.
He was a teenager when Elvis rocketed to fame and became obsessed with the singer鈥檚 music, style and aura. Through a music contact, Sanderson was even able to crash some of Elvis鈥� parties, including pickup football games in Whitehaven and late-night trips to the 糖心Vlog传媒 Fairgrounds to ride bumper cars and the Zippin Pippin.
鈥淚t was great to be able to be around him,鈥� Sanderson remembered. 鈥淗e was always polite and generous to fans. He sparked dreams in so many people.鈥�
There were a few bumps in the road. A youthful arrest for hotwiring a car and taking it for a joyride earned him a few days in juvenile hall. After high school, he joined the Army and trained as a medic.
Sanderson graduated from the UofM in 1968 with a degree in business administration and set his sights on law school, also at the UofM. About halfway through, he realized his heart wasn鈥檛 in it.
鈥淚 had to work pretty hard. I had a job bartending, and I spent more time at my job than on my studies.鈥�
Nonetheless, he persevered and earned his law degree. That was about the time he was bitten by the acting bug.
鈥淚 did three plays my last year, one at Circuit Playhouse,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 never came close to taking the bar exam. I decided I wanted to do something easier. I wanted to have fun after college and the Army.鈥�
Sanderson moved to New York and lived the life of a struggling actor, often tending bar to get by. He got stage work regularly playing street bums and ne鈥檈r-do-wells.
A break came when he was cast as one of a trio of bumbling backwoods brothers 鈥� the only one who spoke 鈥� on Newhart.
鈥淚t was supposed to be a one-time shot, but we were lucky that the audience applauded,鈥� said Sanderson. 鈥淚鈥檒l always be grateful to the studio audience.鈥�
The brothers were brought back for additional episodes and their escapades became a favorite with fans. The show ended up running for eight seasons.
鈥淚t was great to have a regular job,鈥� Sanderson said. 鈥淚t was such great writing.鈥�
There was some talk of a spinoff for the brothers, something MTM Enterprises wouldn鈥檛 allow. The role did lead to a lucrative job as a corporate spokesman for A&W Root Beer.
Life changed again when he was cast as J.F. Sebastian in Blade Runner, the 1982 film adapted from the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. His character is a genetic engineer with a premature aging syndrome. The film came to be regarded as one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
鈥淚t was great being in a film with Harrison Ford, you couldn鈥檛 get much bigger at the time,鈥� Sanderson said. 鈥淚 got to play a more sympathetic character. I play a lot of idiots, I don鈥檛 know if there鈥檚 a reason for that.鈥�
Fans of the HBO hit Deadwood will recognize Sanderson as E.B. Farnum, the town鈥檚 hotel proprietor and first mayor.
The rowdy, profane Western, known for its torrent crude language, won 12 Emmys, including
Best Drama Series and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series.
鈥淚t was a challenge to learn those lines,鈥� said Sanderson. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud that they put me in all the shows. Ian McShane and I were the only ones in every episode. It was a joy to work on.鈥�
Not long after Deadwood wrapped, he was cast in the as Sheriff Deaborne in the HBO vampire drama True Blood, where he had the chance to work with Oscar winner Anna Paquin. In 2019, Sanderson got to reprise his role as E.B. Farnum in Deadwood: The Movie.
Over his decades-long career, Sanderson has had the chance to work with such talents as Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Angelina Jolie, Robin Williams, Jon Voight, Bruce Willis, Octavia Spencer, Gary Sinise and John Candy.
He had parts in Lonesome Dove, The Client, Wallace and The Rocketeer. You can spot him in TV guest spots, movies and miniseries like Mike and Molly, The X-Files, ER, Married 鈥� With Children and George Wallace.
How does Sanderson account for finding work in so many high-quality projects?
鈥淭here are many variables in show business aside from working hard, but a big part of it is just sticking it out, endurance and being in the right place at the right time. And, a little luck helps too.鈥�
A turning point came when he met his wife, Sharon. They now live in her home state of Pennsylvania.
鈥淪he has always been there to help and protect me from myself,鈥� Sanderson admitted, 鈥渨hich is a hard job.鈥�
Sanderson as J.F. Sebastian in Blade Runner