Michael J. Anderson

Michael J. Anderson (born October 31, 1953) is an American actor known for his roles as The Man from Another Place in David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks, the epilogue and prologue film of the series, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and Samson Leonhart on the HBO series, Carnivàle. While many people assume Anderson is a dwarf, he actually has the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta. This disease leads to frequent breaks in long bones and improper healing, leaving him with a shortened stature of 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m) tall.

Prior to his acting career, Anderson worked as a computer technician for Martin Marietta, working on the ground support system for NASA's space shuttle. He appeared as himself in a 1984 documentary called Little Mike: A Videoportrait of Michael Anderson.

Anderson appeared in four episodes of Twin Peaks. The Man from Another Place is attired in a red suit and speaks in an unusual manner. Anderson used phonetically reversed speaking as a secret language with his junior high school friends and then played a character in Twin Peaks where he used the same method of speaking, which was recorded and played backwards, Anderson then synced his lips to the reversed recording for film. He first appears in Special Agent Dale Cooper's cryptic dream about the murder of Laura Palmer, set in a red room. Anderson's Man also materializes in the film prequel to Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

Michael J. Anderson in Mulholland Drive as Mr. Roque.

Anderson portrayed a man of average height in Lynch's Mulholland Drive, using a prosthetic body. From 2003 to 2005, Anderson was a cast member of the TV series Carnivàle.

Television

Anderson at CarneyCon, 2006

Filmography

Video games

Anderson portrayed "Punt" in the PlayStation video game Road Rash: Jailbreak.

• (1989) "Turtle Song", music promo video by alternative band Hugo Largo
• (2000) Lodge Anathema (with The Nether-Carols)