Quick Facts
Biography
Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American character actor who has worked in theatre, film, and TV. He frequently appears in plays at The Public Theatre in New York City.
Early life and education
Sanders was born on April 16, 1953 in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae (née Aden) and James Olcutt Sanders. After attending the acting conservatory at SUNY Purchase, Sanders made his Off-Broadway debut in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Henry V in 1976. He played Bradley in the first New York production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child in 1978.
Career
Sanders has had a long career in film and television. He is perhaps most recognized for his work in the blockbuster films The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Green Lantern (2011). He has appeared in many other notable films, however, including Glory (1989), JFK (1991), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Half Nelson (2006), and Revolutionary Road (2008).
On television, Sanders is also noted for playing Mob lawyer character Steven Kordo in the 1986–88 NBC detective series Crime Story. He has also played recurring characters on shows such as Person of Interest and True Detective. He is additionally known as the narrator for the PBS series Wide Angle from 2002–2009 and has served as narrator for a number of Nova episodes starting in 2007.
On stage, Sanders has appeared on Broadway in Loose Ends (1979), The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983), Saint Joan (1993), and Pygmalion (2007). Off-Broadway, he appeared as George W. Bush in David Hare's Stuff Happens in 2006and the title role in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus in 2011.
Sanders appeared in the Richard Nelson Apple Family Plays, a series of plays which ran Off-Broadway at the Public Theatre in 2010 (That Hopey Changey Thing), 2011 (Sweet and Sad), 2012 (Sorry), and 2013 (Regular Singing).
He has appeared in more shows at the Delacourte theater (Shakespeare in Central Park) than any other actor to date.
In 2015, Sanders debuted his first play, Unexplored Interior, about the Rwandan Genocide, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Dawn of Humanity | Narrator | 1 episode |
| 2014 | True Detective | Billy Lee Tuttle | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Hostages | Lynn Shipley | 1 episode |
| 2011–2013 | Person of Interest | Special Counsel | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Blue Bloods | Jimmy Reagan | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Captain Joseph Hannah | 8 episodes |
| The Good Wife | Judge Hal Ferris | 1 episode | |
| Green Lantern | Carl Ferris | ||
| The Jewel | Mr. Rothman | ||
| The Undying | Dr. Richard Lassiter | ||
| 2010 | Edge of Darkness | Det. Whitehouse | |
| Red Dead Redemption | D.S. MacKenna, Mr. Philmore | (Video game) | |
| Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare | D.S. MacKenna | (Video game) | |
| Zenith | Doug Oberts | ||
| 2008 | Revolutionary Road | Bart Pollock | |
| Cadillac Records | Mr. Feder | ||
| Poundcake | Cliff | ||
| 2007 | Greetings from the Shore | Commodore Callaghan | |
| Manhunt 2 | The Pervs | (Video game) | |
| 2006 | Half Nelson | Russ Dunne | |
| Wedding Daze | Police Officer | ||
| 2004 | The Day After Tomorrow | Frank Harris | |
| 2003 | D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear | Douglas Duncan | Television film |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Harry Rowan | |
| 2001 | Along Came a Spider | FBI Agent Kyle Craig | |
| 1999 | Music of the Heart | Dan Paxton | |
| Earthly Possessions | Jack Emery | Television film | |
| A.T.F. | Sam Sinclair | Television film | |
| The Jack Bull | Atty. Gen. Metcalfe | Television film | |
| Tumbleweeds | Dan Miller | ||
| 1998 | The Odd Couple II | Leroy | |
| 1997 | For Richer or Poorer | Samuel Yoder | |
| The Matchmaker | Senator John McGlory | ||
| Kiss the Girls | FBI Agent Kyle Craig | ||
| 1996 | Daylight | Steven Crighton | |
| 1995 | The Big Green | Coach Jay Huffer | |
| Kiss of Death | Federal Agent | (uncredited) | |
| 1994 | Angels in the Outfield | Ranch Wilder | |
| 1993 | My Boyfriend's Back | Sheriff McCloud | |
| 1991 | JFK | Lou Ivon | |
| V.I. Warshawski | Murray Ryerson | ||
| 1990 | Mr. Destiny | Jackie Earle 'Cement Head' Bumpers | |
| 1989 | Booker | Gordon Rudd | 1 episode |
| Glory | Gen. George Crockett Strong | ||
| Roseanne | Norbert "Ziggy" Walsh | 2 episodes | |
| Kate & Allie | Tim Mayer | ||
| 1988 | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | Kirby, Tucker's Attorney | |
| 1987 | The Misfit Brigade | Tiny | |
| 1986–1988 | Crime Story | Steven Kordo | 12 episodes |
| 1983 | Cross Creek | Charles Rawlings | |
| AfterMASH | Dr. Gene Pfeiffer | ||
| Living Proof: The Hank Williams, Jr. Story | Dick Willey | Television film | |
| 1982 | Hanky Panky | Katz | |
| 1979 | Starting Over | Larry (as Jay Sanders) |