Will Sampson
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| Will Sampson | |
|---|---|
| File:Willsamson.jpg | |
| Born | Will Sampson September 27, 1933 Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | painter, actor |
| Years active | 1975–1987 |
Will Sampson (September 27, 1933 – June 3, 1987) was a Native American painter, actor, and rodeo performer.
Contents
Life and career
William Sampson, Jr., a full blooded Muscogee (Creek), was born in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma.[1] Sampson is the father of Sam and Lumhe "Micco" Sampson of the Sampson Brothers Duo.[2] They are known for their traditional fancy and grass dances, and often perform with Frank Waln, a notable Lakota hip-hop artist.
Rodeo performer
Sampson competed in rodeos (his specialty being bronco busting), for about twenty years. He was on the rodeo circuit when producers Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas—of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest—were looking for a large Native American to play the role of Chief Bromden. Sampson stood an imposing 6' 5" (1.96 m) tall. Rodeo announcer Mel Lambert mentioned Sampson to them, and after lengthy efforts to find him, hired him on the strength of an interview. He had never acted before.[3]
Actor
Sampson's most notable roles were as "Chief Bromden" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as "Taylor the Medicine Man" in the horror film Poltergeist II. He had a recurring role on the TV series Vega$, as Harlon Twoleaf, and starred in the movies Fish Hawk, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Orca. Sampson appeared in the production of Black Elk Speaks with the American Indian Theater Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where David Carradine and other Native American actors (such as Wes Studi and Randolph Mantooth) have appeared in stage productions.
Artist
Sampson was an artist. His large painting depicting the Ribbon Dance of the Muscogee (Creek) is in the collection of the Creek Council House Museum in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His artwork has been shown at the Gilcrease Museum and the Philbrook Museum of Art.[1] In 1983 he founded and served on the board of directors of the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts.
Death
Sampson suffered from scleroderma, a chronic degenerative condition that affected his heart, lungs, and skin. During his lengthy illness, his weight fell from 260 pounds to 140 pounds, causing complications related to malnutrition. After undergoing a heart and lung transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, he died on June 3, 1987, of post-operative kidney failure. Sampson was 53 years old.[4] Sampson was interred at Graves Creek Cemetery in Hitchita, Oklahoma.
Legacy
Will Sampson Road, in Okmulgee County (east of Highway 75 near Preston, Oklahoma), is named for him.
Filmography
| Film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes | ||
| 1975 | Crazy Mama | Indian at Trading | Uncredited Role | ||
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Chief Bromden | ||||
| 1976 | Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson | The Interpreter/William Halsey | |||
| The Outlaw Josey Wales | Ten Bears | ||||
| 1977 | Cowboysan | Indian Chief | Short film | ||
| The White Buffalo | Crazy Horse/Worm | ||||
| Orca | Umilak | ||||
| 1979 | Fish Hawk | Fish Hawk | |||
| 1985 | Insignificance | Elevator Attendant | |||
| 1986 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Taylor | |||
| Firewalker | Tall Eagle | ||||
| Television | |||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
| 1977 | Relentless | Sam Watchman | CBS TV-Movie | ||
| The Hunted Lady | Uncle George | NBC TV-Movie | |||
| 1978 | Standing Tall | Lonny Moon | NBC TV-Movie | ||
| 1978–1979 | Vega$ | Harlon Two-Leaf | 6 episodes | ||
| 1979 | From Here to Eternity | Sgt. Cheney | Not to be confused with the 1980 spinoff | ||
| 1980 | Alcatraz: The White Shocking Story | Clarence's Father | NBC TV-Movie | ||
| 1982 | Born to the Wind | Painted Bear | |||
| 1983–1984 | The Yellow Rose | John Strongheart | 7 episodes | ||
| 1984 | The Mystic Warrior | Evan Freed | ABC Miniseries | ||
| 1985 | Wildside | Fake Sitting Bull | Episode: Buffalo Who? | ||
| 1986 | Roanoak | Wingina | Miniseries | ||
| Tall Tales & Legends | Chief | Episode: Johnny Appleseed | |||
| 1987 | The Gunfighters | Train Passenger | TV-Movie | ||
Awards and nominations
- 1980: Nominated, "Best Performance by a Foreign Actor" - Fish Hawk
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Actor Will Sampson to be Honored at Checotah Art Market; April 23, 2015; Cathy Spaulding, Phoenix Staff Writer; Muskogee Phoenix; retrieved November 2015
- ↑ Sampson Brothers; official webpage; retrieved November 2015
- ↑ Dick Kleiner, Will Sampson's Acting was Instinctive In 'Cuckoo's Nest' ; by Newspaper Enterprise Association; [in the Ocala Star-Banner ]; August 29, 1976.
- ↑ Will Dies After Transplant Herald-Journal; June 4, 1987; retrieved November 5, 2012.
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with hCards
- 1933 births
- 1987 deaths
- People from Okmulgee, Oklahoma
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Native American male actors
- Native American painters
- Male actors from Oklahoma
- Muscogee people
- Deaths from renal failure
- Artists from Oklahoma
- 20th-century American male actors
