Jay O. Sanders

Born: 1953-04-16 in Austin, Texas, USA

Known For: Acting

Biography

Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in plays off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. He has received a Drama Desk Award and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. Sanders made his off-Broadway debut in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Henry V in 1976. He originated the role of Bradley in Sam Shepard's Buried Child (1978). He made his Broadway debut in the play Loose Ends (1979). He returned to Broadway in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983), Saint Joan (1993), Pygmalion (2007), Girl from the North Country (2020), and Purlie Victorious (2023). He made his feature film debut in the comedy Starting Over (1979). He had notable roles in films such as Cross Creek (1983), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Glory (1989), JFK (1991), Hostages (1992), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Music of the Heart (1999), Tumbleweeds (1999), and Revolutionary Road (2008). He took recurring roles in television series including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Good Wife, Person of Interest, Blindspot, and Sneaky Pete. He has served as the narrator for the shows Wide Angle, Nova, and Secrets of the Dead. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jay O. Sanders, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

2020

Stars in the House as Self
The Assistant as Boss (voice)
Sorry as Richard Apple
Regular Singing as Richard Apple
Tapes
What Do We Need to Talk About? as Richard Apple
Sweet and Sad as Richard Apple
That Hopey Changey Thing as Richard Apple
And So We Come Forth as Richard Apple
Incidental Moments of the Day as Richard Apple

2019

DC Noir as Sgt. Peters
Uncle Vanya as Vanya
NOVA: Decoding da Vinci as Narrator (voice)
The Violin Alone as Narrator (voice)
Secrets of the Dead: The Nero Files as Narrator (voice)
Saving the Dead Sea

2018

Vice as Governor
NOVA: First Face of America as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Prediction by the Numbers as Narrator (voice)
Broken Places as Narrator (voice)

2017

Manhunt as Jack Bryant
The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Three: Women of a Certain Age as George Gabriel
NOVA: Secrets of the Sky Tombs as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Why Trains Crash as Narrator (voice)
Ghosts of Stonehenge as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Holocaust Escape Tunnel as Narrator (voice)
The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Two: What Did You Expect? as George Gabriel
The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play One: Hungry as George Gabriel

2016

Catfight as Angry Guy
NOVA: Life's Rocky Start as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Iceman Reborn as Narrator (voice)
Secrets of the Dead: Graveyard of the Giant Beasts as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Mystery Beneath the Ice as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Secret Tunnel Warfare as Narrator (voice)

2015

Chicago Med as Cray
Blindspot as Bill Weller
Sneaky Pete as Sam
Northern Borders as Agent Sanders
NOVA: The Great Math Mystery as Narrator (voice)
Dawn of Humanity as Narrator (voice)
Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Secrets of Noah's Ark as Narrator (voice)
Secrets of the Dead: The Real Trojan Horse as Narrator (voice)

2014

True Detective as Billy Lee Tuttle
The Gathering Swarms as Narrator (voice)
The Mystery of Mona Lisa as Narrator (voice)

2013

The River as Phil
NOVA: Cold Case JFK as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby? as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Ground Zero Supertower as Self - Narrator (voice)

2012

The Man Who Saved the World as Narrator (voice)
NOVA: Secrets of the Viking Sword as Narrator (voice)
Earth from Space as Narrator (voice)

2011

Person of Interest as Special Counsel
Unforgettable as Jonathan Hedstrom
Body of Proof as Harvey Brady
Green Lantern as Carl Ferris
Pan Am as Douglas Vanderway
The Jewel as Mr. Rothman
A Novel Romance as Walter Evans
Adventures in Plymptoons! as Self
I'm Coming Over as Walter
Hunting the Edge of Space ... (Presenter)

2010

Blue Bloods as Jimmy Reagan
Edge of Darkness as Whitehouse
Riddles of the Sphinx as Narrator (voice)
Secrets of Stonehenge as Narrator (voice)

2009

The Good Wife as Judge Hal Ferris
I Hate Valentine's Day as Tim the Delivery Guy
The Undying as Dr. Russell Lassiter

2008

Revolutionary Road as Bart Pollock
Cadillac Records as Mr. Feder
Kill the Day as Dr. Susskind
The Dissection of Thanksgiving as Cliff
NOVA: Arctic Dinosaurs as Narrator (voice)

2007

The Valley of Light as Howard
Greetings from the Shore as Commodore Callaghan
Happenstance as Bob
NOVA: Judgement Day - Intelligent Design on Trial as Narrator (voice)

2006

Half Nelson as Russ Dunne
Wedding Daze as Sheriff

2004

The Day After Tomorrow as Frank Harris
Hair High as Football Announcer (voice)

2003

Abby Singer as Kevin's Father
D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear as Douglas Duncan

2002

Salem Witch Trials as Thomas Putnam
Widows as Detective John Maynard

2001

Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Harry Rowan, Sr.
Along Came a Spider as Kyle Craig
My Husband's Double Life as Patrick Hennessy Welsh
Boss of Bosses as Joseph O'Brien
The Last Brickmaker in America as Mike Potter
Dead Dog as Frank Edmonds

2000

Picnic as Howard Bevens
Secrets of the Dead as Narrator (voice)
Wonderland as Ed Butowski
Wild Costa Rica as Narrator

1999

Tumbleweeds as Dan Miller
The Confession as Jack Renoble
Earthly Possessions as Zack Emery
The Jack Bull as Atty. Gen. Metcalfe
ATF as Sam Sinclair
Music of the Heart as Dan Paxton
The Secret Life of Girls

1998

The Odd Couple II as Leroy
Wrestling with Alligators as Rick

1997

The Matchmaker as Senator John McGlory
Kiss the Girls as FBI Agent Kyle Craig
For Richer or Poorer as Samuel Yoder

1996

Daylight as Steven Crighton
The Prosecutors as DA Alan Baker

1995

The Outer Limits as Ed Barkley
The Big Green as Jay Huffer
Three Wishes as Coach Schramka
Kiss of Death as Federal Agent
Silver Strand as Lucas Hughes
Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years as Xander
Down Came a Blackbird as Jan Talbeck

1994

New York Undercover as Howard
Angels in the Outfield as Ranch Wilder
State of Emergency as Dr. Jeffrey Forrest
Nobody's Children as Joe Stevens

1993

Rio Shannon as John Cleary
My Boyfriend's Back as Sheriff McCloud

1992

Hostages as Terry Anderson

1991

JFK as Lou Ivon
Meeting Venus as Stephen Taylor
V.I. Warshawski as Murray Ryerson
Defenseless as Bull Dozer

1990

Law & Order as Nick Taska / Bill Fallon
Northern Exposure as Dr. John Summer
Mr. Destiny as Jackie Earle
Revealing Evidence - Stalking the Honolulu Strangler as Tom Marshall

1989

Glory as Gen. George Crockett Strong
Booker as Gordon Rudd
Just Like in the Movies as Ryan Legrand
Cold Sassy Tree as Clayton McAllister

1988

Tucker: The Man and His Dream as Kirby
Roseanne as Ziggy
The Prince of Pennsylvania as Trooper Joe

1987

The Misfit Brigade as Tiny

1986

L.A. Law as Detective Michael Phillips
Crime Story as Steve Kordo

1985

Spenser: For Hire as Father Crawford

1984

Miami Vice as Det. Tim Duryea
Kate & Allie as Tim Merr
A Doctor's Story as Dr. Curtis

1983

Cross Creek as Charles Rawlings
Eddie Macon's Run as Rudy Potts
Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story as Dick Willey

1982

Nature as Narrator (voice)
Hanky Panky as Katz

1981

Starstruck as Mr. Miller

1980

Texas as Seth
The Day Christ Died as Peter

1979

The Scarlet Letter as Robert Salter
Starting Over as Larry

1974

NOVA as Self - Narrator (voice)

1972

ABC Afterschool Special as Mr. Miller

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Howard