Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell was born on November 5, 1968, in San Mateo, California, the only child of two actors, Pete Rockwell and Penny Hess. The family moved to New York when he was two years old, living first in the Bronx and later in Manhattan. When Sam was five years old, his parents separated, at which point he and his father moved to San Francisco, where he subsequently grew up, while summers and other times were spent with his mother in New York. He made his acting debut when he was ten years old, alongside his mother, and later attended J Eugene McAteer High School in a program called SOTA. While still in high school, he got his first big break when he appeared in the independent film Clownhouse (1989). The plot revolved around three escaped mental patients who dressed up as clowns and terrorized three brothers home alone--Sam played the eldest of the brothers. His next big break was supposed to have come when he was slated to star in a short-lived NBC TV-series called Dream Street (1989), but he was soon fired. After graduating from high school, Sam returned to New York for good and for two years he had private training at the William Esper Acting Studio. During this period he appeared in a variety of roles, such as the ABC Afterschool Specials (1972): Over the Limit (1990) (TV) and HBO's Lifestories: Families in Crisis (1992): Dead Drunk: The Kevin Tunell Story (Season 1 Episode 7: 15 March 1993); the head thug in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990); and a guest-star turn in an Emmy Award-winning episode of Law & Order (1990), while working a string of regular day jobs and performing in plays. His performances in The Green Mile (1999) and Galaxy Quest (1999) wowed audiences and critics alike with his chameleon-like performances as a crazed killer in the former and a goofy actor in the latter. More recently, he appeared in another string of mainstream films, most notably as Eric Knox in Charlie's Angels (2000) and as Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), while continuing to perform in smaller independent movies. After more than ten years in the business, Sam has earned his success. In 2018, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as a troubled police deputy in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
Galaxy Quest
(Guy Fleegman)
The Green Mile
('Wild Bill' Wharton)
Iron Man 2
(Justin Hammer)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
(Head Thug)
Charlie's Angels
(Eric Knox)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
(Charley Ford)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
(Chuck Barris)
Heist
(Jimmy Silk)
Gentlemen Broncos
(Bronco / Brutus)
Joshua
(Brad Cairn)
Happy Hell Night
(Young Henry Collins)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(Zaphod Beeblebrox)
Box of Moonlight
(The Kid)
Frost/Nixon
(James Reston Jr.)
Matchstick Men
(Frank Mercer)
Untitled Martin McDonagh Project
Celebrity
(Darrow Entourage)
Last Exit to Brooklyn
(Al)
Welcome to Collinwood
(Pero)
Glory Daze
(Rob)
Everybody's Fine
(Robert)
Lawn Dogs
(Trent Burns)
Choke
(Victor Mancini)
Snow Angels
(Glenn Marchand)
Light Sleeper
(Jealous)
The Winning Season
(Bill)
Safe Men
(Samuel)
Conviction
(Kenny Waters)
Strictly Business
(Gary)
Moon
(Sam Bell)
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Piccadilly Jim
(Jim Crocker)
Cowboys & Aliens
(Doc)
G-Force
(Darwin the Guinea Pig (voice))
Jerry and Tom
(Jerry)
The Sitter
(Karl)
Gettysburg
(Narrator)
Seven Psychopaths
(Billy Bickle)
Mercy
(Matty)
Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile
(Self (uncredited))
Drunks
(Tony)
The Way Way Back
(Owen)
Better Living Through Chemistry
(Douglas Varney)
A Single Shot
(John Moon)
IF
(Guardian Dog (voice))
Robin's Big Date
(The Bat-Man)
A Case of You
(Gary)
Trust Me
(Aldo)
Schooled: The Price of College Sports
(Narrator (voice))
Poltergeist
(Eric Bowen)
Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King
(Justin Hammer)
Maraschino Ruby
(Wolf (voice))
Loitering with Intent
(Wayne)
Showing Up
(Self)
A Guy Walks Into a Bar
The Bad Guys 2
(Mr. Wolf (voice))
The Search for One-eye Jimmy
(One-eye Jimmy)
Digging for Fire
(Ray)
Basquiat
(Thug)
Don Verdean
(Don Verdean)
Stuntnuts: The Movie
Mr. Right
(Mr. Right)
Laggies
(Craig Hunter)
Woman In Burka
(Sam)
Walking the Mile
(Self (archive footage))
BigLove
(Nate)
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(Francis Flute)
In the Soup
(Pauli)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
(Jason Dixon)
Over The Limit
(Jason)
The Assassination of Jesse James: Death of an Outlaw
(Self)
Woman Walks Ahead
(Silas Groves)
I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale
(Self)
Arresting Gena
(Sonny)
Mute
(Sam Bell)
The Best of Enemies
(Claiborne Paul Ellis)
The Dark of Night
(Officer Witt)
Nobody Wants Your Film
(Self)
Jack and His Friends
(Louie)
Blue Iguana
(Eddie)
13 Moons
(Rick)
Vice
(George W. Bush)
Inside 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
(Self)
Blaze
(Oilman 3)
The One and Only Ivan
(Ivan (voice))
Jojo Rabbit
(Captain Klenzendorf)
Trolls World Tour
(Hickory (voice))
The Adventures of Drunky
(Drunky)
The Origins of Ebbing
(Self)
Made
(Hotel Clerk (uncredited))
The Heart
Subway Stories
(Man Eating (segment "Sax Cantor Riff"))
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary
(Self)
Axis
(Himself)
F--k
(Sam)
Richard Jewell
(Watson Bryant)
Clownhouse
(Randy Collins)
See How They Run
(Inspector Stoppard)
The Bad Guys
(Wolf (voice))
Argylle
(Aidan Wilde)
Somebody to Love
(Polish Guy)
Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
(Self)
Prince Street
Drunk History
(Bugsy Siegal)
The Late Late Show with James Corden
(Self)
ABC Afterschool Special
(Jason)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
(Self)
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
(Westley)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
(Self)
Law & Order
(Officer Weddeker)
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
(Self)
What If...?
(Justin Hammer (voice))
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Host)
Fosse/Verdon
(Bob Fosse)
The Last Movie Stars
(Stuart Rosenberg (voice))
The Last Movie Stars
(Self)
NYPD Blue
(Billy)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
(Self - Guest)
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
(Self)
The Oscars
(Self - Presenter)
Off Camera with Sam Jones
(Self)
Law & Order
(Randy Borland)
The Equalizer
(Slick)
Unscripted
(Self)
No Longer Suitable For Use
(Executive Producer)
A Single Shot
(Executive Producer)
A Guy Walks Into a Bar
(Producer)
The Smack
(Producer)
Take Care
(Thanks)
Sweet Thing
(Executive Producer)
Don Verdean
(Executive Producer)
Domino
(Thanks)
Blue Iguana
(Executive Producer)
The Winning Season
(Executive Producer)
Fosse/Verdon
(Executive Producer)