Sam Bottoms

Samuel John "Sam" Bottoms (October 17, 1955 – December 16, 2008) was an American actor and producer.

Personal life

Bottoms was born in Santa Barbara, California, the third son of James "Bud" Bottoms (a sculptor and art teacher) and Betty (Chapman), both of whom survive him. He was the brother of actors Timothy Bottoms (born 1951), Joseph Bottoms (born 1954) and Ben Bottoms (born 1960).^[1][2]

Career

One of Bottoms's first appearances was with Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as surfer Lance Johnson, a Navy Gunner's Mate stationed on a river boat in Francis Ford Coppola's 20th century opus, Apocalypse Now. Other notable roles include his part in Seabiscuit and co-starring with British Chinese-Singaporean movie star Ava Lyn Koh in a lesbian-assassin thriller True Files, aka Shanghai Lily.

When he was 16, he was on the set of The Last Picture Show, in which his older brother Timothy starred, and Peter Bogdanovich decided to give him a screen test. Sam ended up getting the part of Billy in the movie.

Death

He died of glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain tumor, on December 16, 2008.^[3]

Television

• NYPD Blue (2004)
• My Neighbor's Daughter (1998)
• Mercenary II: Thick & Thin (1997)
• The X Files (1995)
• Zooman (1995)
• Murder, She Wrote (1989-1991)
• 21 Jump Street (1990)
• Island Sons (1987)
• The Witching of Ben Wagner (1987)
• Gringo mojado (1986)
• No Earthly Reason (1984)
• Return to Eden (1983)
• Desperate Lives (1982)
• East of Eden (1981)
• The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978)
• Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978)
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1976)
• Cage Without a Key (1975)
• Lucas Tanner (1974)
• Savages (1974)
• Doc Elliot (1974)

Filmography

• Finishing the Game (2007)
• SherryBaby (2006)
• Winter Passing (2005)
• Shopgirl (2005)
• Havoc (2005)
• Seabiscuit (2003)
• Looking Through Lillian (2002)
• True Files (2002)
• Shadow Fury (2001)
• The Unsaid (2001)
• Joseph's Gift (1998)
• Snide and Prejudice (1997)
• Project Shadowchaser III (1995)
• Sugar Hill (1994)
• The Trust (1993)
• North of Chiang Mai (1992)
• Dolly Dearest (1992)
• Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
• Ragin' Cajun (1991)
• After School (1988)
• Gardens of Stone (1987)
• Hunter's Blood (1987)
• Prime Risk (1985)
• Bronco Billy (1980)
• Up from the Depths (1979)
• Apocalypse Now (1979)
• The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
• Zandy's Bride (1974)
• Class of '44 (1973)
• The Last Picture Show (1971)

Producer

• Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas (1991)

References

External links

• Sam Bottoms at the Internet Movie Database
• Samuel Bottoms at Allmovie
• AP Obituary in the Los Angeles Times