Sam Bottoms
Sam Bottoms grew up in a family of actors. All three of his brothers have tried their hand at the craft, with brother Timothy ("Johnny Got His Gun," "The Last Picture Show") the most well known. Sam's career, however, was distinguished by Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic "Apocalypse Now," in which he played the California surfer turned riverboat gunner, Lance B. Johnson. The role of a So-Cal surfer was not far from Bottoms' real-life background; he had grown up as a surfer in Santa Barbara. Bottoms portrayed Johnson as a wide-eyed, eager-to-please greenhorn whose innocence seems to serve as his protection in the hostile jungle. Bottoms got his first acting job when he followed his brother down to the set of "The Last Picture Show." He was spotted hanging around, and wound up in the picture as Billy, the speech-impaired street sweeper. Bottoms also appeared in a couple of Clint Eastwood Westerns, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and "Bronco Billy." He never really got to work on another film at the level of "Apocalypse Now," but he did have a solid career that, in later years, centered on television. He played Cal Trask in the TV miniseries version of "East of Eden" and guest-starred on episodes of "21 Jump Street," "Murder, She Wrote," and "NYPD Blue," among others. He died of a brain tumor at the age of 53.
Photos
Sam Bottoms
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
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76% |
|
Sherrybaby | Bob Swanson Sr. (Character) | $198.4K | 2006 |
40% |
|
Winter Passing | Brian (Character) | $106.6K | 2005 |
45% |
|
Havoc | Lt. Maris (Character) | - | 2005 |
61% |
|
Shopgirl | Dan Butterfield (Character) | $10.3M | 2005 |
60% | No Score Yet | Looking Through Lillian | Gene (Character) | - | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Unsaid | Joseph Caffey (Character) | - | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
Shadow Fury | Mitchell Madsen (Character) | - | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Joseph's Gift | Robert Keller (Character) | - | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
My Neighbor's Daughter | Dennis Cromwell (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Snide & Prejudice | Therapist Schaub (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Project Shadowchaser III | Kody (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Trust | James Baker (Character) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet |
|
Dolly Dearest | Elliot Wade (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | North of Chiang Mai | Unknown (Character) | - | 1992 |
100% |
|
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse | Unknown (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas | Producer | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ragin' Cajun | Legs (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Witching of Ben Wagner | Mr. George `'Dad'` Wagner (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
After School | Father Michael McCarren (Character) | - | 1988 |
44% |
|
Gardens of Stone | Lt. Webber (Character) | $4.4M | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Island Sons | Sam Faraday (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hunter's Blood | David Rand (Character) | - | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In 'n' Out | Murray Lewis Jr. (Character) | - | 1986 |
No Score Yet |
|
Prime Risk | Bill Yeoman (Character) | - | 1985 |
75% |
|
Bronco Billy | Leonard James (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet |
|
Up From the Depths | Greg Oliver (Character) | - | 1979 |
90% |
|
Apocalypse Now | Lance (Character) | $78.8M | 1979 |
93% |
|
Apocalypse Now Redux | Lance Johnson (Character) | - | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stories of the Bible | Joseph (Character) | - | 1978 |
91% |
|
The Outlaw Josey Wales | Jamie (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cage Without a Key | Buddy Goleta (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Zandy's Bride | Mel Allan (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Savages | Ben Campbell (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet |
|
Class of '44 | Marty (Character) | - | 1973 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
83% | 95% | NYPD Blue | David Lewis (Guest Star) | 2004 |
No Score Yet | 89% | Murder, She Wrote | Sgt. Joe Rice (Guest Star) | 1989 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 21 Jump Street | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | East of Eden | Unknown (Character) | 1981 |