Quick Facts
Biography
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.
Acting career
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.
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
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1991 | Twin Peaks | The Man from Another Place | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Picket Fences | Peeter Dreeb | Episode "Mr. Dreeb comes to Town" |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Rumpelstiltskin | Episode "If Wishes Were Horses" |
| 1994 | Loadstar: The Legend of Tully Bodine | Bartender #1 | |
| 1995 | The X-Files | Mr. Nutt | Episode "Humbug" |
| 1998 | Maggie | Episode "Ka-Boom" | |
| 1998 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Omar | Episode "Honey, I've Joined the Bigtop" |
| 1999 | The Phantom Eye | Doll Man/Carl | |
| 1999 | Port Charles | Peter Zorin | |
| 2001 | Black Scorpion | Episode "Crime Time" | |
| 2001 | Snow White: The Fairest of Them All | Sunday (Violet) | |
| 2005 | Carnivàle | Samson | 24 episodes |
| 2006 | Charmed | O'Brian the Leprechaun | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Cold Case | Nathaniel "Biggie" Jones | Episode "Metamorphosis" |
| 2011 | Adventure Time | Gummy (voice) | Episode "The Silent King" |
| 2012 | Transactions | Appeared with Jerry Seinfeld in a commercial for Acura ("Last Living Munchkin") | Aired during the 2012 Super Bowl. |
| 2013 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Dancing Man (voice) and as Professor Horatio Kharon (voice) | Episodes "Stand and Deliver", "Nightmare In Red" |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Buddies | |
| 1984 | Little Mike: A Videoportrait of Michael Anderson | Himself |
| 1987 | The Great Land of Small | Fritz/The King |
| 1989 | Suffering Bastards | Little Elvis |
| 1989 | No Such Thing as Gravity | Botanist |
| 1990 | Whatever Happened to Mason Reese | Sushi chef |
| 1990 | Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted | Lightman |
| 1991 | Mannequin Two: On the Move | Jewel box bearer |
| 1992 | Fool's Fire | Hop-Frog |
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | The Man from Another Place |
| 1993 | Night Trap | Police officer |
| 1994 | Murder too Sweet | Harry the Huckster |
| 1995 | Caged Hearts | John |
| 1996 | Street Gun | Lamar |
| 1997 | Warriors of Virtue | Mudlap |
| 1998 | Club Vampire | Kiddo |
| 1999 | Minimum Wage | Zeke Bleak |
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | Mr. Roque |
| 2001 | Snow White: The Fairest of Them All | Sunday |
| 2003 | Sticky Fingers | Irate Man |
| 2003 | Tiptoes | Bruno |
| 2004 | Big Time | Henri Blunderbore |
Video games
Anderson portrayed "Punt" in the PlayStation video game Road Rash: Jailbreak.
Music appearances
- (1989) "Turtle Song", music promo video by alternative band Hugo Largo
- (2000) Lodge Anathema (with The Nether-Carols)