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Will Sampson

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Will Sampson
Will Sampson

Will Sampson

🎂 Sep 26, 1933 — 🕯️ Jun 3, 1987 (53 years) Okmulgee, Oklahoma, USA
Working since the 1970s, Will Sampson is an actor from Okmulgee, Oklahoma, USA. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest remains one of their most celebrated performances, playing Chief Bromden. Their work further includes The Outlaw Josey Wales and Poltergeist II: The Other Side. They have 20 films and 9 TV productions to their name, working mainly across genres like horror, thriller.
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53 R.I.P.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Will Sampson still alive?
Will Sampson passed away on June 3, 1987 at age 53.
What are the most famous roles of Will Sampson?
Will Sampson is best known for roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Poltergeist II: The Other Side.
How many movies has Will Sampson been in?
Over a 12-year career (since 1975), Will Sampson has appeared in 20 movies and 9 TV shows.
What was Will Sampson's first movie?
The career of Will Sampson began with Crazy Mama (1975).
What is Will Sampson's most recent movie or series?
Will Sampson's most recent release is That's Insignificance, which premiered on June 14, 2011.
What TV shows has Will Sampson appeared in?
On television, Will Sampson has appeared in Tall Tales & Legends, From Here to Eternity, The Yellow Rose, From Here to Eternity.
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Will Sampson
Will Sampson
1933-09-26 · Okmulgee, Oklahoma, USA

Will Sampson (September 27, 1933 – June 3, 1987) was a Native-American businessman, entrepreneur, rodeo performer, actor and painter/artist. He was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma and was an imposing 6' 7" (2.01 m) tall and also wore size 18 4E shoes. Sampson's most notable roles were as "Chief Bromden" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and as "Taylor the Medicine Man" in the horror film Poltergeist II. He had a recurring role on the TV series Vega$, as Harlon Twoleaf and starred in the movies Fish Hawk, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Orca.

Mr. Sampson appeared in the production of Black Elk Speaks with the American Indian Theater Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where David Carradine and other Native-American actors like Wes Studi and Randolph Mantooth starred in stage productions.

Mr. Sampson competed in rodeos, his speciality riding bucking broncos, for about twenty years. He was on the rodeo circuit when the producers of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas, were looking for a large Native American man to play the role of Chief Bromden a 6’8”, 300 lb, Native-American/European-American man. A rodeo announcer told them about Sampson, and after lengthy efforts to find him, they hired him on the strength of an interview. He had never acted before.

Mr. Sampson was also an artist. His large painting depicting the Ribbon Dance of his Muscogee people is in the collection of the Creek Council House Museum in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His artwork is currently displayed online by The Kvskvnv (“kuskuna”) Association.

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