William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film Blade Runner (1982), and had regular roles on several television series, playing Larry on Newhart (1982–1990), E. B. Farnum on Deadwood (2004–2006, 2019), and Sheriff Bud Dearborne on True Blood (2008–2010, 2012).
Early life
Sanderson was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 10, 1944 to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father. He is a graduate of Memphis Central High School.
Sanderson volunteered for the U.S. Army when he was 18 years old in 1962. After his discharge, he attended college using the G.I. Bill, first at Southern Methodist University for a year, then at Memphis State University. He earned B.B.A. (1968) and J.D. (1971) degrees there, though he did not take the bar exam.
In a 1972 episode of To Tell the Truth, Sanderson described himself as "a full-time bartender ... and a part-time actor."
Career
Sanderson appeared in many science fiction films, as one of the mechanics and regulars of the diner in The Rocketeer, who defies Nazi agents looking for the top secret rocket pack. As a single episode character, Deuce, in the television show Babylon 5 later reprising the role in Babylon 5: Thirdspace. Sanderson voiced Dr. Karl Rossum in Batman: The Animated Series.
Sanderson starred in the 1977 blacksploitation thriller Fight for Your Life, which is banned in the United Kingdom. He played the key supporting role of timid, genius inventor J. F. Sebastian in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi-noir film Blade Runner.
As a guest, he made appearances in many television shows, his credits include The Pretender, The X-Files, Knight Rider, Married... with Children, Babylon 5, ER, Coach, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He plays a key role in an audio dramatization of Ursula K. Le Guin's Vaster than Empires and More Slow in NPR's 2000X series. In 2001, Sanderson played the courageous bartender Dewey in the TNT film Crossfire Trail.
Sanderson's fame peaked in a comic-relief role, as the soiled, societally-awkward, backwoodsman Larry in Newhart from 1982 to 1990, famous for the absurd catchphrase, "Hi. I'm Larry. This is my brother Darryl. This is my other brother Darryl" – a reoccurring character until the end of the second season, when he and his brothers purchased the cafe next to the Stratford Inn.
Sanderson had a minor role as the abusive and cruel junkyard dealer Ray in Man's Best Friend.
He returned to television playing E. B. Farnum in the HBO television series Deadwood from 2004 to 2006, later reprising the role in its film continuation. In 2008, Sanderson joined the cast of True Blood, playing Sheriff Bud Dearborne. He played Oldham, the resident interrogation expert of the DHARMA Initiative in an episode of the fifth season of the ABC series Lost.
In May 2019, Sanderson released an autobiography about his career, Yes, I'm That Guy: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Character Actor. Following the release of his book, Sanderson and Nick "Saucey" Katsouros released a six-episode limited-run podcast, Sanderson Says, to discuss and expound on the autobiography.
Sanderson announced his retirement from acting on his Facebook page on May 13, 2020.
Personal life
Sanderson lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his wife. He has one son, Andrew Sanderson, and two grandchildren, William and Jaxon Sanderson who live in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1977
| Fight for Your Life
| Jessie Lee Kane
|
|-
| 1977
| Proof of the Man
| Gun Dealer
|
|-
| 1978
| Blue Nude
| Guy In Next Cell
| Uncredited
|-
| 1979
| The Onion Field
| Young Con
|
|-
| 1979
| Savage Weekend
| Otis
|
|-
| 1980
| Coal Miner's Daughter
| Lee Dollarhide
|
|-
| 1980
| Seed of Innocence
| Randy Webb
|
|-
| 1981
| Death Hunt
| Ned Warren
|
|-
| 1981
| Raggedy Man
| Calvin
|
|-
| 1982
| The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
| Cowboy
|
|-
| 1982
| Blade Runner
| J.F. Sebastian
|
|-
| 1983
| Lone Wolf McQuade
| "Snow"
|
|-
| 1983
| Nightmares
| Gas Station Attendant
| Segment: "Terror in Topanga"; uncredited
|-
| 1984
| City Heat
| Lonnie Ash
|
|-
| 1985
| Fletch
| Jim Swarthout
|
|-
| 1986
| Black Moon Rising
| Tyke Thayden
|
|-
| 1987
| Last Man Standing
| Casper
|
|-
| 1987
| Dead Aim
| Brennan
|
|-
| 1989
| Thunderground
| "Ratman"
|
|-
| 1989
| Deadly Weapon
| Reverend Smith
|
|-
| 1990
| Mirror, Mirror
| Mr. Veze
|
|-
| 1991
| The Giant of Thunder Mountain
| Percey Crow
|
|-
| 1991
| The Rocketeer
| "Skeets"
|
|-
| 1993
| Skeeter
| Gordon Perry
|
|-
| 1993
| Man's Best Friend
| Ray
|
|-
| 1994
| Mirror, Mirror II: Raven Dance
| Roger
|
|-
| 1994
| The Client
| FBI Agent Wally Boxx
|
|-
| 1994
| Wagons East
| Zeke
|
|-
| 1995
| Hologram Man
| Manny "Giggles" O'Donnell
|
|-
| 1995
| Phoenix
| Miro
|
|-
| 1996
| Last Man Standing
| Joe Monday, The Bartender
|
|-
| 1996
| Forest Warrior
| Paul Carpio
|
|-
| 1996
| The Utilizer
| Leek
|
|-
| 1997
| Critics and Other Freaks
| Chef Bernie
|
|-
| 1999
| Nice Guys Sleep Alone
| Rufus
|
|-
| 2000
| Stanley's Gig
| Stanley Myer
|
|-
| 2000
| Stageghost
| Jack Butler
|
|-
| 2001
| Dying on the Edge
| Tommy
|
|-
| 2002
| Monkey Love
| Bradley Chalmers
|
|-
| 2002
| Never Get Outta the Boat
| Clarence
|
|-
| 2003
| Gods and Generals
| General A. P. Hill
|
|-
| 2003
| The Low Budget Time Machine
| The Prospector
|
|-
| 2004
| Promised Land
| Clark
|
|-
| 2004
| Avatar
| Riley
|
|-
| 2005
| Wit's End
| Jedediah Cross
|
|-
| 2006
| Disappearances
| Muskrat "Rat" Kinneson
|
|-
| 2006
| Beyond the Wall of Sleep
| Joe Slaader
|
|-
| 2006
| The Treasure of Painted Forest
| Paul
|
|-
| 2008
| Pretty Ugly People
| Sam
|
|-
| 2014
| A Merry Friggin' Christmas
| Father Juge
|
|-
| 2018
| The Griddle House
| Gus
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1976
| The Other Side of Victory
| Oakley
| Television film
|-
| 1979
| Starsky & Hutch
| "Weirdo"
| Episode: "Starsky vs. Hutch"
|-
| 1980
| Scared Straight! Another Story
| Harlan
| Television film
|-
| 1980
| The Dukes of Hazzard
| Russ Collins
| Episode: "Mrs. Roscoe P. Coltrane"
|-
| 1980–1981
| Palmerstown, U.S.A.
| Merwin Noon / Henry Redmond
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1981
| Walking Tall
| Stacy
| Episode: "The Protectors of the People"
|-
| 1982–1990
| Newhart
| Larry
| 91 episodes
|-
| 1982
| Bret Maverick
| Kenneth Broomick
| Episode: "Hallie"
|-
| 1982
| Quincy, M.E.
| Willie McCracken
| Episode: "Guns Don't Die"
|-
| 1982
| The Executioner's Song
| Gibbs
| Television film; uncredited
|-
| 1982
| Knight Rider
| The Reverend
| Episode: "Trust Doesn't Rust"
|-
| 1983
| Who Will Love My Children?
| Cleve Shelby
| Television film
|-
| 1983
| It Takes Two
| Earl
| Episode: "Instinct"
|-
| 1983
| Women of San Quentin
| "Countee"
| Television film
|-
| 1985
| Streets of Justice
| "Weasel"
| Television film
|-
| 1986
| The Defiant Ones
| Mason
| Television film
|-
| 1986
| Dalton: Code of Vengeance II
| Bobby Fuller
| Television film
|-
| 1987
| The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains
| Trump
| Television film
|-
| 1988
| The Twilight Zone
| Norman Blane
| Episode: "The Call"
|-
| 1989
| Lonesome Dove
| "Lippy" Jones
| Miniseries; 4 episodes
|-
| 1991
| Sometimes They Come Back
| Carl Mueller (age 44)
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| Married... with Children
| Cousin Eb
| Episode: "Buck Has a Belly Ache"
|-
| 1992
| Dangerous Curves
| Bobby Havens
| Episode: "Auld Lang Syne"
|-
| 1992
| Mann & Machine
| Dr. William Unzer
| Episode: "Cold, Cold Heart"
|-
| 1992
| The Young Riders
| Emmett Barnett
| Episode: "The Debt"
|-
| 1992–1994
| Batman: The Animated Series
| Dr. Karl Rossum
| Voice, 4 episodes
|-
| 1993
| Sirens
| Male Store Owner
| Episode: "Keeping the Peace"
|-
| 1993
| Ned Blessing: The Story of My Life and Times
| Unknown
| Episode: "The Smink Brothers"
|-
| 1993
| Return to Lonesome Dove
| "Lippy" Jones
| Miniseries; 4 episodes
|-
| 1994
| Matlock
| Mickey Sanders
| Episode: "The Crook"
|-
| 1994
| Babylon 5
| "Deuce"
| Episode: "Grail"
|-
| 1994
| The X-Files
| Edward Funsch
| Episode: "Blood"
|-
| 1995
| Siringo
| Tully
| Television film
|-
| 1995
| The Marshal
| Philbrick
| Episode: "The Heartbreak Kid"
|-
| 1995
| Santo Bugito
| Clem
| Voice, episode: "My Name Is Revenge"