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.
Anderson's first role was in the American
soap opera,
General Hospital as
Dr. Jeff Webber from 1976 to 1981. In 1982-1983 He starred as Adam in the CBS television series
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (based very loosely on the movie of the same name). In the 1983-1984 season, he played Lieutenant Simon Adams on the 22-week
Dennis Weaver series
Emerald Point N.A.S. on CBS, stealing away Celia Warren (
Susan Dey), the wife of naval
lawyer Jack Warren (
Charles Frank).
Anderson then played Tony Kaiser in the acclaimed TV movie
Ordinary Heroes, which aired in 1986.
Anderson came to fame in the lead role of
Angus MacGyver in the hit television series
MacGyver, which lasted from 1985 to 1992 and was highly successful throughout its 7-year run.
He would go on to
produce two follow-up movies to
MacGyver, in 1994.
After the cancellation of
MacGyver, Anderson stated "
MacGyver was seven years of being in virtually every frame that was shot and having absolutely no life at all."
In 1995 he co-starred with
John de Lancie in
Legend, a comic series of only twelve episodes about a
dime novel writer within the Wild West who against his will has to play the role of his own fictional character. Originally written as a TV movie, with the decision to make
Legend a series, the original teleplay became the two-hour pilot episode. Anderson was applauded for his roles as
Ernest Pratt and
Nicodemus Legend by many critics, most notably
John Connor from
The New York Times.
Two episodes of
MacGyver released in 1990 ("Serenity" (Season 5, Episode 12) and "MacGyver's Women" (Season 6, Episode 8) ) featured Wild Wild West storylines with a style foreshadowing that of the quirky
Legend.
Later career
From 1997 to 2005, Anderson starred as
Jack O'Neill in
Stargate SG-1, based on the movie
Stargate starring
Kurt Russell and
James Spader.
president of
Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer (MGM) called Anderson himself and asked him if he wanted a part in the series. Anderson watched the
Stargate film over and over again and came to the conclusion that the film had "great potential" and signed a contract with the
Stargate producers.
Anderson agreed to become involved with the project if his character was allowed significantly more comedic leeway than
Kurt Russell's character in the feature film. He also requested
Stargate SG-1 to be more of an ensemble show, so that he would not be carrying the plot alone as on
MacGyver.
In
season eight, he chose to have his character "promoted" to base commander at
Don S. Davis' advisement.
[www.selmak.org/pages/136/] This enabled the late Davis to retire from acting due to his ailing health, and Anderson to take over the smaller role which involved far less on-location shooting so that he could spend more time with his young daughter.
[Gibson 2003, p. 66, p. 117.] The following
season, Anderson terminated his status as star and producer of
Stargate SG-1 opting to make several guest appearances per season instead, allowing his sizable role to be filled by veteran actors
Ben Browder (replacing Anderson as field commander),
Claudia Black (replacing Anderson as the comic relief) and Emmy nominee
Beau Bridges (replacing Anderson as Base commander).
At the
Air Force Association's 57th Annual Air Force Anniversary Dinner in
Washington, D.C., on September 14, 2004, then-
Air Force Chief-of-Staff,
General John P. Jumper.
presented Anderson with an award because of his role as star and executive producer of
Stargate SG-1, a series which portrayed the Air Force in a positive light from its premiere.
Anderson was also made an honorary Air Force
brigadier general.
A great fan of the television show
The Simpsons, which he had continually referenced during his time on
SG-1, Anderson was invited in 2005 to guest star on the show. He voiced himself in an episode called "
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" in which he is kidnapped by
Selma and
Patty Bouvier,
Marge Simpson's sisters, his MacGyver character having been their longstanding heartthrob.
, the voice actor who portrays
Homer Simpson (among other characters), made a guest appearance on
Stargate SG-1 ("
Citizen Joe") and, in describing his unnatural ability to see the life events of Jack O'Neill, made reference to O'Neill's fondness for
The Simpsons.
Anderson briefly reprised his role as
Angus MacGyver in 2006 when he appeared in a
MasterCard commercial during
Super Bowl XL. While the plot follows the "MacGyver Formula", it is somewhat
satirical of the series, showing unlikely if not impossible solutions to the obstacles faced by Anderson's character (in one shot, he cuts through a thick rope with a
pine-scented air freshener).
The official MasterCard website for the commercial refers to it as "the Return of MacGyver".
Lee David Zlotoff the creator of
MacGyver, announced on May 3, 2008, that a
MacGyver film was in production.
Anderson has expressed interest in revisiting his role, however there is no word on who will be playing the role of
MacGyver in the film.
Anderson cameoed as Angus MacGyver in what seemed to be a
Saturday Night Live advertisement parody featuring the show's recurring character
MacGruber (portrayed by
Will Forte), but was rather a real commercial for both
Saturday Night Live and
Pepsi, in which the titular character becomes obsessed with the soft drink. This aired three times during the January 31, 2009 SNL broadcast, and the second part aired again during
Super Bowl XLIII on the following day.
Anderson has also played the role of General Jack O'Neill in
Stargate Atlantis and
Stargate Universe which first aired in October 2009.
Producer and composer career
Anderson
composed a song for a
soundtrack for
MacGyver. He has served as an executive producer only in the five shows in which he has acted himself:
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis,
MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday,
Stargate SG-1,
Firehouse and
From Stargate to Atlantis: Sci Fi Lowdown. Anderson composed the song "Eau d'Leo" for the
MacGyver episode "The Negotiator".
Together with
Michael Greenburg, Anderson created the
Gekko Film Corporation. The company was involved with
Stargate SG-1, producing every episode from 1997-2007 with the exception of 2006. The company itself has served as Anderson backing agency.
Personal life
Anderson has divided time between
Vancouver,
Los Angeles, and northern
Minnesota.
Never
married, Anderson has one child with Apryl Prose, who gave birth to their daughter Wylie Quinn Annarose Anderson, on August 2 1998. They split a few years later. Anderson left
Stargate SG-1 because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter:
Anderson has supported
Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization trying to stop water
pollution.
Anderson is a member of the Board of Trustees for
Challengers Boys and Girls Club, a
youth organization established in 1968 with the help of
MacGyver producer Stephen Downing. He received the 1995 Celebrity Award from the
Make-a-Wish Foundation because of his commitment to the
foundation. He is also a supporter for various
Sclerosis Society non-profit organizations and has done several
public service announcements to show his support for the various organizations. Anderson is an avid supporter of the
Special Olympics and was one of many speakers at the 1991 opening ceremonies. In recent years, he has helped several
environmental organizations around the world. He is a member of Board of Directors of the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and has worked with the members of
Earth Rivers Expeditions to Produce River Project.
Filmography
Starring roles
Guest-starring roles
| Year | Title | Role | Episode
|
| 1981 | The Facts of Life | Brian Parker | 2.16 "Brian and Sylvia"
|
| Today's F.B.I. | Andy McFey | "The Fugitive"
|
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Carter Randall | 5.24 "Isaac Gets Physical/She Brought Her Mother Along/Cold Feet"
|
| 1990 | The Arsenio Hall Show | Himself |
|
| The Joan Rivers Show | Himself |
|
| 1991 | The Joan Rivers Show | Himself |
|
| The Arsenio Hall Show | Himself |
|
| 1992 | The Arsenio Hall Show | Himself |
|
| 1996 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself |
|
| 1997 | Newton's Apple | Himself |
|
| 1998 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself |
|
| 2000 | Donny & Marie | Himself |
|
| The Martin Short Show | Himself |
|
| National Geographic Explorer | Himself | "North America's Last True Wilderness"
|
| 2004 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Himself |
|
| Stargate Atlantis | Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 1.1 "Rising (Part 1)"
|
| 2005 | Stargate SG-1 | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 9.1 "Avalon (Part 1)"
|
| Stargate SG-1 | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | z9.3 "Origin"
|
| 2006 | The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | 17.17 "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore"
|
| Stargate SG-1 | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 10.6 "200"
|
| Stargate Atlantis | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 3.6 "The Real World"
|
| Stargate Atlantis | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 3.10/3.11 "The Return"
|
| 2007 | Stargate SG-1 | Major General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 10.14 "The Shroud"
|
| 2009 | Stargate Universe | Lt. General Jack O'Neill, USAF | 1.01 "Air", 1.07 "Earth"
|
Producer
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes
|
| 1994 | MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis | Executive Producer | TV
|
| MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday | Executive Producer | TV
|
| 1997 | Stargate SG-1 | Executive Producer | TV Series
|
| Firehouse | Executive Producer | TV
|
| 2004 | From Stargate to Atlantis: Sci Fi Lowdown | Executive Producer | TV
|
Composer
| Year | Title | Other notes
|
| 1988 | MacGyver | TV Series (song "Eau d'Leo" in episode "The Negotiator")
|
