Sam Bottoms
Sam Bottoms inApocalypse Now
Born	Samuel John Bottoms (1955-10-17)October 17, 1955 Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Died	December 16, 2008(2008-12-16) (aged 53) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor film producer
Years active	1971–2007
Spouses	Susan Arnold ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1987)​ Laura Bickford ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2
Relatives	Timothy Bottoms (brother) Joseph Bottoms (brother)

Samuel John Bottoms (October 17, 1955 – December 16, 2008) was an American actor and producer.

Bottoms was born inSanta Barbara, California in 1955, the third son of James "Bud" Bottoms (a sculptor and art teacher) and Betty (Chapman), both of whom outlived him. He was the brother of actorsTimothy Bottoms (born 1951),Joseph Bottoms (born 1954) andBen Bottoms (born 1960).^[1][2]

When Bottoms was 16 years old, he was on the set ofThe Last Picture Show, in which his older brotherTimothy starred, when the directorPeter Bogdanovich decided to give him a screen test. He ended up in the movie as the character of Billy, who has no spoken lines but plays a pivotal role in the drama. Five years later, Bottoms appeared withClint Eastwood inThe Outlaw Josey Wales.

Bottoms may be best remembered for his role as surfer Lance B. Johnson, aNavyGunner's Mate stationed on ariver boat inFrancis Ford Coppola'sApocalypse Now. Bottoms acquiredhookworm during the chaotic production in thePhilippines, and the parasite "wrecked his liver".^[3]

At age 53, Bottoms died ofglioblastoma multiforme, a type ofbrain tumor, on December 16, 2008.^[4] He was cremated and his ashes given to his widow.^[5] He had 2 children.

• Doc Elliot (1974) as Gary Basquin
• Savages (1974) as Ben Campbell
• Lucas Tanner (1974) as Ron Gibbons
• Cage Without a Key (1975) as Buddy Goleta
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1976) as Ed
• Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978) as Joseph
• The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978) as Harlan Fields
• East of Eden (1981) as Cal Trask
• Desperate Lives (1982) as Ken Baynes
• Return to Eden (1983)
• No Earthly Reason (1984) as Coley
• Island Sons (1987) as Sam Faraday
• The Witching of Ben Wagner (1987) as Mr. George 'Dad' Wagner
• Murder, She Wrote (1989–1991) as Joe Hellinger / Sgt. Joe Rice
• 21 Jump Street (1990) as Robert Johnson
• Zooman (1995) as Policeman
• The X Files (1995) as Michael Kryder
• My Neighbor's Daughter (1998) as Dennis Cromwell
• Mercenary II: Thick & Thin (1997) as Camera Man
• NYPD Blue (2004) as David Lewis

• Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas (1991)

• Sam Bottoms atIMDb
• AP Obituary in theLos Angeles Times
• Obituary inArts of War on the Web, January 5, 2009

• 1955 births
• 2008 deaths
• American male television actors
• American male film actors
• Deaths from brain cancer in California
• Male actors from Santa Barbara, California
• 20th-century American male actors

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