Michael J. Anderson
| Michael J. Anderson | |
|---|---|
 Michael J. Anderson, October 2006 | |
| Born |
October 31, 1953 Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for |
The Man from Another Place Twin Peaks |
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,[1] the epilogue and prologue film of the series, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,[1] 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.[2][3] He appeared as himself in a 1984 documentary called Little Mike: A Videoportrait of Michael Anderson.[2]
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[4] and then played a character in Twin Peaks where he used the same method of speaking. He first appears in Special Agent Dale Cooper's cryptic dream about the murder of Laura Palmer, set in a red room.[5] 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.[6] 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 | 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)
References
- 1 2 "Michael J. Anderson". The New York Times.
- 1 2 O'Connor, John J. (September 19, 1984). "TV Review; 'Highway To Heaven' With Landon". The New York Times.
- ↑ "The Halloween Interview with Michael J. Anderson!". brad d studios. October 30, 2011.
- ↑ Triplo.com Archived April 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Riches, Simon. "Intuition and Investigation into Another Place". The Philosophy of David Lynch. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3396-6.
- ↑ Rodley, Chris (ed.) (2005). Lynch on Lynch (Rev. ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-571-22018-2.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael J. Anderson. |
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