Jay O. Sanders
Sanders in 2009
Born	Jay Olcutt Sanders (1953-04-16)April 16, 1953 (age 72) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Education	State University of New York, Purchase (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Maryann Plunkett ​ ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	1

Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in playsoff-Broadway atThe Public Theatre.^[1] He has received aDrama Desk Award and aNew York Drama Critics' Circle Award.^[2]

Sanders made his off-Broadway debut in aShakespeare in the Park production ofHenry V in 1976. He originated the role of Bradley inSam Shepard'sBuried Child (1978).^[3] He made hisBroadway debut in the playLoose Ends (1979). He returned to Broadway inThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983),Saint Joan (1993),Pygmalion (2007),Girl from the North Country (2020), andPurlie Victorious (2023).

He made his feature film debut in the comedyStarting Over (1979). He had notable roles in films such asCross Creek (1983),Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988),Glory (1989),JFK (1991),Hostages (1992),Angels in the Outfield (1994),Music of the Heart (1999),Tumbleweeds (1999), andRevolutionary Road (2008). He took recurring roles in television series includingLaw & Order: Criminal Intent,The Good Wife,Person of Interest,Blindspot, andSneaky Pete. He has served as the narrator for the showsWide Angle,Nova, andSecrets of the Dead.

Sanders was born on April 16, 1953 inAustin, Texas to James Olcutt Sanders, an arts organization executive and violinist (1917-1983), and Phyllis Rae née Aden. His parents wereQuakers.^[4][5] He attended the acting conservatory atSUNY Purchase.

Sanders made his off-Broadway debut in aShakespeare in the Park production ofHenry V in 1976.^[6] He played Bradley in the first New York production ofSam Shepard'sBuried Child in 1978.^[7]

Sanders has had a long career in film and television. He is perhaps most recognized for his work in the filmsThe Day After Tomorrow (2004),Green Lantern (2011),^[8] and theAlex Cross films starringMorgan Freeman. He has appeared in many other notable films, includingGlory (1989),Mr. Destiny (1990),JFK (1991),Angels in the Outfield (1994),The Big Green (1995),Daylight,Tumbleweeds (1999),Music of the Heart (1999),Half Nelson (2006),Cadillac Records (2008), andRevolutionary Road (2008).^[9] On television, Sanders played mob lawyer Steven Kordo in the 1986–88NBC detective seriesCrime Story, Norbert "Ziggy" Walsh on two episodes ofRoseanne, and recurring characters on shows such asPerson of Interest andTrue Detective.^[10] He is the narrator for thePBS seriesWide Angle from 2002 to 2009, and has served as narrator for a number ofNova episodes starting in 2007.^[11]

On stage, Sanders has appeared onBroadway inLoose Ends (1979),^[12]The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983),^[13]Saint Joan (1993),^[14]Pygmalion (2007),^[15][16]Girl from the North Country (2020), andPurlie Victorious (2023). Off-Broadway, he appeared asGeorge W. Bush in SirDavid Hare'sStuff Happens in 2006.^[17][18] He played in a number of Shakespearean plays:A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bottom, 2007),Hamlet (Ghost of Hamlet's Father/Player King/Gravedigger, 2008),Twelfth Night (as Sir Toby Belch, 2009), and the title role in Shakespeare'sTitus Andronicus (2011).^[19]

Sanders appeared in theApple Family Plays, a series of plays written byRichard Nelson which ranoff-Broadway at the Public Theatre in 2010 (That Hopey Changey Thing), 2011 (Sweet and Sad), 2012 (Sorry), and 2013 (Regular Singing).^[20] Sanders has appeared in more plays at theDelacorte Theatre (Shakespeare in Central Park) than any other actor to date.^[21] His first play,Unexplored Interior, about theRwandan genocide debuted in November 2015 at theAtlas Performing Arts Center inWashington D.C. He had been working on it for more than a decade.^[22]

Sanders marriedMaryann Plunkett in 1991.^[33] They met while acting on the television seriesA Man Called Hawk. They have a son, Jamie.^[34]

He received the 2018 Joe A. Callaway Award, presented by the Actors’ Equity Foundation for "best performance in a professional production of a classic play", for his performance in Chekhov'sUncle Vanya.^[35] He also received the Drama Desk Award for 2019 for Actor in a Play forUncle Vanya. In 2024, he received anOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play for his performance inPrimary Trust.^[36]

• Jay O. Sanders atIMDb
• Jay O. Sanders at theInternet Broadway Database
• Jay O. Sanders at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• Jay O. Sanders Audiography
• eBooks and/or Audio Books by Jay O. Sanders

• 1953 births
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male writers
• American male dramatists and playwrights
• American male film actors
• American male Shakespearean actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• Audiobook narrators
• Living people
• Male actors from Austin, Texas
• State University of New York at Purchase alumni
• Writers from Austin, Texas

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