Sam Witwer | |
|---|---|
 Witwer atGalaxyCon San Jose in 2024 | |
| Born | (1977-10-20)October 20, 1977 (age 48) |
| Education | Juilliard School |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor, musician |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977)[2] is an Americanactor andvoice actor. He is known for his roles asCrashdown inBattlestar Galactica,Davis Bloome inSmallville, Aidan Waite inBeing Human,Mr. Hyde inOnce Upon a Time,Ben Lockwood inSupergirl, and Rupert Chipping inRiverdale.
Witwer has worked on numerous projects in theStar Wars franchise, having first provided his voice and likeness for Starkiller in theStar Wars: The Force Unleashed video game series. He later notably voicedDarth Maul in the television seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars andStar Wars Rebels, as well as the filmSolo: A Star Wars Story. He has also voiced the Son inThe Clone Wars andEmperor Palpatine inRebels and various other projects respectively. Witwer portrayed protagonist Deacon St. John throughmotion capture for the video gameDays Gone byBend Studio.
Witwer was born on October 20, 1977,[2] and grew up inGlenview,Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. Ever since he was a child, Witwer showed enthusiasm in other pursuits he enjoyed more than school. He spent his free time huddled over a computer, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or making music.
He attendedGlenbrook South High School, during which time he was involved in drama and theater classes, as well as being the lead singer of a high school band called "Love Plumber". After barely graduating high school, his parents made him apply to drama departments of various schools, until he was finally accepted to theJuilliard School. When he was 18 he became friends with fellow actorGlenn Howerton.[3]
After two years atJuilliard, Witwer got kicked out of school as he didn't take it seriously enough.[3] He finally made the decision to pursue acting after asking actorBruce Campbell for advice on theAOL website.[3]
Witwer's first on-screen credit was that of aChicago Bulls commercial. He soon found himself in speaking roles on hit television series, such asER.
Witwer's first major recurring role came in the form of portraying raptor pilot'Crashdown' (his call sign) onBattlestar Galactica,[4] although he has credited much of his current success to his role as Neil Perry on theShowtime seriesDexter.[5] Witwer also appeared as Private Wayne Jessup in the filmThe Mist.[6]
From 2008 to 2009, Witwer appeared inseason 8 ofSmallville as Davis Bloome, the human form ofDoomsday. Witwer played Davis while Doomsday was played by stuntman Dario Delacio. Witwer's performance inSmallville was well-received, and he has stated that his experience on the show had opened more opportunities for him in the future of acting. Witwer's contract gave him the option to return inseason 9 asZod, though he ultimately declined. Though he considered his time on the show enjoyable and was flattered by the offer to stay on, he passed on the role as he felt it would be difficult for both the characters and audience to accept.[7]
Witwer made a cameo appearance inThe Walking Dead as a dead zombie soldier in a tank in theseason 1 episode "Days Gone Bye" which reunited him with directorFrank Darabont fromThe Mist.[8] Coincidentally, in 2019 he went on to portray the main protagonist (both voice and motion capture) of a video game calledDays Gone, which also tackles the topic of zombie apocalypse.
From 2011 to 2014, Witwer starred in the North Americanremake ofBeing Human. He played the lead role of vampire Aidan Waite.[9] The show, as well as his performance, was well received and lasted 4 seasons.[10]
He voicedOcean Master in the animated filmJustice League: Throne of Atlantis for theDC Universe Animated Original Movies series,[11] replacing fellowStar Wars actorSteve Blum fromJustice League: War.
In 2016, Witwer played Edward Hyde onOnce Upon a Time, recurring for part of its sixth season after debuting at the end of the fifth season.[12]
In 2018, Witwer joined the main cast ofThe CW drama seriesSupergirl, portraying thefourth season's main antagonistBen Lockwood / Agent Liberty.[13]
Sam is an avid player of both pen-and-paper and video role-playing games. This is a hobby that he has engaged in for years. He has been a frequent guest on the PodcastOrder 66 and has expressed a love for all iterations ofStar Wars role-playing gamesStar Wars: The Roleplaying Game (byWest End Games) toStar Wars Roleplaying Game (byWizards of the Coast) and to the series ofcross-compatibleStar Wars roleplaying games byFantasy Flight Games.[14]
Sam appeared in episode 19 ofGeek and Sundry'sTabletop playing theDragon Age role-playing game,[15] and episodes 29[16] and 55 of Dice Camera Action asMordenkainen.[17]
In January 2017, he appeared as a guest on a play-through of ScratchPad Publishing's Dusk City Outlaws, alongside Elisa Teague, Tom Lommel, Spencer Crittenden, and game designer Rodney Thompson.[18]
A lifelongStar Wars superfan, Witwer provided both his voice and likeness for lead character Galen Marek / Starkiller (Darth Vader's secret apprentice) in the 2008 video gameStar Wars: The Force Unleashed and 2010 sequelStar Wars: The Force Unleashed II. He also voicedDarth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) in the first game, and reprised it for the gamesDisney Infinity 3.0 andBattlefront and for the original season 2 premiere ofStar Wars Rebels;[19] however, in 2019, the role was re-dubbed byIan McDiarmid who portrayed Palpatine in the films and inRebels season 4.[20]
ForStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Witwer had also vocally performed the Son in a three episode story arc (known as the Mortis trilogy) in season 3 as well as the iconic former SithMaul in the season 4 finale episodes, four episodes of season 5, and the "Siege of Mandalore" arc in season 7. He also lent his voice for Maul in other projects such as theStar Wars: Episode I Brisk commercial as well as the Cartoon Network specialLego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, and again forStar Wars Rebels.[21] On September 27, 2012, a feature-length "director's cut" of Witwer's season 4 finale episodes ofThe Clone Wars were released as adirect-to-video film,Darth Maul Returns, initially made available exclusively atTarget.[22]
Witwer attendedThe Clone Wars season 5 Red Carpet Premiere inOrlando, Florida on August 24, 2012, duringCelebration VI along with some of his co-starsMatt Lanter,James Arnold Taylor,Dee Bradley Baker,Tom Kane,Daniel Logan,Stephen Stanton andAshley Eckstein, as well as Supervising DirectorDave Filoni. During Celebration VI, he also had his own panel called: Sam Witwer "The Maul Within" on August 26, 2012.[23] In 2013, he attended for the first time the annual event, Star Wars Weekends atDisney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida for a three-day weekend[24] and fans praised him for his roles inThe Force Unleashed games and onThe Clone Wars. During the live show "Behind the Force", Sam showed his acting skills by saying one or two lines of the characters that he's played in theStar Wars universe.
Witwer has also voiced an alien as well as aFirst Orderstormtrooper during the siege ofMaz Kanata's palace inStar Wars: The Force Awakens.[25]
In 2018, Witwer reprised his portrayal as Maul and performed the voice acting role for the character inSolo: A Star Wars Story, marking the sixth project for which Witwer voices Maul, and the first live-action performance.[26]
In 2020, Witwer was cast as an unidentified dark side character in the StarWarsKids.com and YouTube game showStar Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, which premiered on June 3, 2020.[27][28]
In 2024, Witwer appeared in theStar Trek concept video "765874 – Unification", where he played the role ofJames T. Kirk along withWilliam Shatner.[29] The role involved the use of "digital prosthetic" technology, where Shatner's facial features were overlaid onto Witwer's, as Witwer portrayed Kirk in three different timelines. Discovering Shatner's lack of "inner monologue", as the actor has described in an autobiography, greatly informed Witwer's performance. Not only in words, he said, but in action and presence. Witwer made the discovery when he viewed his performance in one take and was unhappy with how "un-Kirklike" it seemed. "Shatner would never passively walk into a scene," Witwer said in an interview. "He leads us into a scene. He takes the audience with him and they go on a story." With that, Witwer adjusted his performance and was much happier with it.[30]
Witwer serves as the front-man for the band The Crashtones, whose first studio albumColorful of the Stereo was released February 15, 2006.[31] Witwer released a new album on May 7, 2019, entitledRevenge of the Crashtones.[32]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Crank | Shootout Henchman | |
| 2007 | The Mist | Private Jessup | |
| 2008 | Pathology | Party Boy | |
| 2009 | Gamer | Social Worker | |
| 2010 | The United Monster Talent Agency | Dracula | Short film |
| No God, No Master | Eugenio Ravarini | ||
| 2011 | The Return of Joe Rich | Joe Neiderman | |
| 2012 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Darth Maul Returns | Maul[22] | Voice |
| 2014 | Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon | Kazbek | Voice; English dub |
| 2015 | Tales of Halloween | Hank | Short film |
| Justice League: Throne of Atlantis | Ocean Master[33][34] | Voice; Direct-to-video | |
| Wrestling Isn't Wrestling | Chyna | Short film | |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Alien,Stormtrooper, Additional Characters[34] | Voices | |
| 2016 | Rogue One | Stormtrooper, Additional Characters[34] | |
| Officer Downe | Burnham | ||
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Additional voices | |
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Maul | Voice; cameo[35] |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Additional voices | |
| 2024 | 765874 – Unification | James T. Kirk | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ER | Tommy | Episode: "Fear of Commitment" |
| 2001, 2003 | JAG | Beasley, Sonar Operator | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Arliss | Mourner | Episode: "Of Cabbages and Kings" |
| 2002 | Dark Angel | Marrow | Episode: "Love in Vein" |
| She Spies | Jason | Episode: "Daddy's Girl" | |
| 2003 | Angel | John Stoler | Episode: "Shiny Happy People" |
| The Lyon's Den | Bryce Cherot / Chucke Porter | Episode: "Duty to Save" | |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | Sloth #3 | Episode: "The Shipment" | |
| 2004 | Cold Case | James Creighton | Episode: "The Plan" |
| NCIS | Staff Sgt. Rafael | Episode: "Split Decision" | |
| Star Trek: New Voyages | Guardian's Voice | Episode: "In Harm's Way" | |
| 2004–2005 | Battlestar Galactica | Crashdown | 11 episodes |
| 2006 | Dexter | Neil Perry | 3 episodes |
| Bones | Mitchell Downs | Episode: "The Titan on the Tracks" | |
| 2007 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Muscular Guy in Store | Episode: "Dennis and Dee's Mom Is Dead" |
| Shark | Richard Lee Franco | Episode: "Every Breath You Take" | |
| 2007–2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Officer Casella | 2 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | Smallville | Davis Bloome | Main role (Season 8), 12 episodes |
| 2010 | The Walking Dead | Tank Soldier | Uncredited; Episode: "Days Gone Bye" |
| 2011–2014 | Being Human | Aidan Waite | 52 episodes Nominated–Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role |
| 2011–2014, 2020 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Maul, The Son | Voices; 14 episodes Nominated–Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program |
| 2012 | Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out | Maul, Emperor Palpatine | Voices; Television special |
| 2014 | Grimm | Max Robbins | Episode: "The Show Must Go On" |
| 2015–2018 | Star Wars Rebels | Maul, Emperor Palpatine | Voices; 7 episodes |
| 2015 | Stalker | Jamie Tolliver | Episode: "Love Kills" |
| Rosewood | Heath Casablanca | Episode: "Aortic Atresia and Art Installations" | |
| 2016 | Once Upon a Time | Mr. Hyde | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Electric Dreams | Chris | Episode: "Real Life" |
| 2018–2020 | Supergirl | Benjamin Lockwood / Agent Liberty | 18 episodes |
| Star Wars Resistance | Hugh Sion | Voice; 3 episodes | |
| 2019–2020 | Riverdale | Rupert Chipping | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | DC Universe All Star Games | Himself / Host | 6 episodes |
| Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge | Dark Side agent | ||
| 2021 | Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales | Maul / Trudgen | |
| 2021–2022 | The Book of Boba Fett | Rodian, sous-chef droid | Voice; uncredited; 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Andor | Shoretrooper | Voice; uncredited; Episode: "Announcement"[36] |
| Mythic Quest | Ian's father | Episode: "Sarian"[37] | |
| 2024 | 765874 – Unification[38] | Capt. James T. Kirk | |
| 2025 | Leverage: Redemption | Peter Luna | Episode: "The Scared Stiff Job" |
| 2026 | Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord† | Maul[39] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Starkiller, Emperor Palpatine | Also likeness[34][40] |
| Soulcalibur IV | Starkiller | English version[34] | |
| 2010 | Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II | Starkiller, Emperor Palpatine | Also likeness[40][34] |
| 2012 | Kinect Star Wars | Emperor Palpatine | [34] |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | Darth Maul, Emperor Palpatine | |
| Star Wars Battlefront | Emperor Palpatine | ||
| 2016 | Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens | ||
| 2017 | Star Wars Battlefront II | Maul, Emperor Palpatine | |
| 2019 | Days Gone | Deacon St John | Also likeness and motion capture[40] |
| Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Emperor Palpatine | Cameo | |
| 2020 | Star Wars: Squadrons | Walla actor | |
| 2021 | Star Trek Online | Tenavik | [41] |
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Maul, Emperor Palpatine | [42] |
| The Callisto Protocol | Captain Leon Ferris | Also likeness[43] | |
| 2023 | Horizon Forbidden West | Walter Londra | Burning Shores downloadable content, also likeness |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
