Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is an
American television and film
actor,
producer and
composer. He began his television career in 1976 as
Dr. Jeff Webber in the American
soap opera series
General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the
television series MacGyver (1985–1992). Anderson later appeared in films, including
Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992),
Pandora's Clock (1996) and
Firehouse (1997).
In 1997, Anderson returned to television as the
lead actor of the series
Stargate SG-1, a
spin-off of the 1994 film
Stargate, directed by
Roland Emmerich. He played the lead from 1997-2005 and had a recurring role from 2005-07. He was also featured as a
guest actor in the American animation show,
The Simpsons in the episode "
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore". Since 1997, the only film Anderson has starred in is
Stargate: Continuum released in 2008 as a spin-off film after
Stargate SG-1 was cancelled in 2007. He also appears in the follow-up Stargate series
Stargate: Atlantis and
Stargate: Universe (as
Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill).
Biography
Early life and career
Anderson was born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota to Stuart Jay Anderson (died in 2003) and Jocelyn Rhae Carter and was the oldest of four brothers.
He has
Scottish,
German, and
Norwegian ancestry. He grew up in
Roseville, Minnesota and attended
Ramsey High School. As a kid, Anderson wanted to become a professional
hockey player; this dream was shattered when he broke both his arms. Anderson developed an early interest in
music,
art and
acting. For a short time he tried to become a
jazz musician.
Eventually he studied to become an actor at
Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and later at
St. Cloud State University in Minnesota but dropped out before he received his degree because he felt "listless". Right after his junior year in high school, Anderson participated with friends in a cross-country bike ride from Minnesota to Alaska. He then moved to
San Francisco, then
New York, then moved permanently to
Los Angeles. At the start he was making a living with
juggling among other things.
