By Gabrielle Maxey

You may not know his name, but you’ve 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 ’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’s Daughter.

In his recently published book Yes, I’m 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’s success is even more remarkable considering his apparent determination to torpedo his career. He’s 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 Memphis, 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’s music, style and aura. Through a music contact, Sanderson was even able to crash some of Elvis’ parties, including pickup football games in Whitehaven and late-night trips to the Memphis Fairgrounds to ride bumper cars and the Zippin Pippin.

“It was great to be able to be around him,” Sanderson remembered. “He was always polite and generous to fans. He sparked dreams in so many people.”

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’t in it.

“I had to work pretty hard. I had a job bartending, and I spent more time at my job than on my studies.”

Nonetheless, he persevered and earned his law degree. That was about the time he was bitten by the acting bug.

“I did three plays my last year, one at Circuit Playhouse,” he recalled. “I 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.”

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’er-do-wells.

A break came when he was cast as one of a trio of bumbling backwoods brothers — the only one who spoke — on Newhart.

“It was supposed to be a one-time shot, but we were lucky that the audience applauded,” said Sanderson. “I’ll always be grateful to the studio audience.”

The brothers were brought back for additional episodes and their escapades became a favorite with fans. The show ended up running for eight seasons.

“It was great to have a regular job,” Sanderson said. “It was such great writing.”

There was some talk of a spinoff for the brothers, something MTM Enterprises wouldn’t 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.

“It was great being in a film with Harrison Ford, you couldn’t get much bigger at the time,” Sanderson said. “I got to play a more sympathetic character. I play a lot of idiots, I don’t know if there’s a reason for that.”

Fans of the HBO hit Deadwood will recognize Sanderson as E.B. Farnum, the town’s 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.

“It was a challenge to learn those lines,” said Sanderson. “I’m 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.”

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 … With Children and George Wallace.

How does Sanderson account for finding work in so many high-quality projects?

“There 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.”

A turning point came when he met his wife, Sharon. They now live in her home state of Pennsylvania.

“She has always been there to help and protect me from myself,” Sanderson admitted, “which is a hard job.”

Sanderson as J.F. Sebastian in Blade Runner