
Jay O. Sanders
Known for Acting · 173 credits
- Born
- 1953-04-16 (age 73)
- Place of birth
- Austin, Texas, USA
- Also known as
- Jay Sanders · Jay Olcutt Sanders · جی او. ساندرس
Biography
Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in plays off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. He has received a Drama Desk Award and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award.
Sanders made his off-Broadway debut in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Henry V in 1976. He originated the role of Bradley in Sam Shepard's Buried Child (1978). He made his Broadway debut in the play Loose Ends (1979). He returned to Broadway in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983), Saint Joan (1993), Pygmalion (2007), Girl from the North Country (2020), and Purlie Victorious (2023).
He made his feature film debut in the comedy Starting Over (1979). He had notable roles in films such as Cross Creek (1983), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Glory (1989), JFK (1991), Hostages (1992), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Music of the Heart (1999), Tumbleweeds (1999), and Revolutionary Road (2008). He took recurring roles in television series including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Good Wife, Person of Interest, Blindspot, and Sneaky Pete. He has served as the narrator for the shows Wide Angle, Nova, and Secrets of the Dead.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Jay O. Sanders, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (37)

Law & Order
1990
as Nick Taska / Bill Fallon / Defense Attorney Alan Fenwick

Blue Bloods
2010
as Jimmy Reagan

Chicago Med
2015
as Cray

Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Harry Rowan, Sr. / Joseph Hannah

Person of Interest
2011
as Special Counsel

The Good Wife
2009
as Judge Hal Ferris

NOVA
1974
as Self - Narrator (voice)

True Detective
2014
as Billy Lee Tuttle

Miami Vice
1984
as Det. Tim Duryea

Blindspot
2015
as Bill Weller

L.A. Law
1986
as Detective Michael Phillips

Unforgettable
2011
as Jonathan Hedstrom

Damages
2007
as Calder Security Executive

Nature
1982
as Narrator (voice)

Northern Exposure
1990
as Dr. John Summer

The Outer Limits
1995
as Ed Barkley

Body of Proof
2011
as Harvey Brady

New York Undercover
1994
as Howard

Stars in the House
2020
as Self

Sneaky Pete
2015
as Sam

Crime Story
1986
as Steve Kordo

Kate & Allie
1984
as Tim Merr

ABC Afterschool Special
1972
as Mr. Miller

Spenser: For Hire
1985
as Father Crawford

Manhunt
2017
as Jack Bryant

Booker
1989
as Gordon Rudd

Texas
1980
as Seth

Pan Am
2011
as Douglas Vanderway

Secrets of the Dead
2000
as Narrator (voice)

Roseanne
1988
as Ziggy

Wonderland
2000
as Ed Butowski

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Howard

Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years
1995
as Xander

Widows
2002
as Detective John Maynard

The Scarlet Letter
1979
as Robert Salter

Salem Witch Trials
2003
as Thomas Putnam

Decoding the Universe
2024
as Narrator
Movies (136)

The Day After Tomorrow
2004
as Frank Harris

Green Lantern
2011
as Carl Ferris

Glory
1989
as Gen. George Crockett Strong

Daylight
1996
as Steven Crighton

Revolutionary Road
2008
as Bart Pollock

JFK
1991
as Lou Ivon

Edge of Darkness
2010
as Whitehouse

Kiss the Girls
1997
as FBI Agent Kyle Craig

Catfight
2017
as Angry Guy

Along Came a Spider
2001
as Kyle Craig

The Valley of Light
2007
as Howard

Wedding Daze
2006
as Sheriff

Cadillac Records
2008
as Mr. Feder

Angels in the Outfield
1994
as Ranch Wilder

The Assistant
2020
as Boss (voice)

Half Nelson
2006
as Russ Dunne

Starting Over
1979
as Larry

Picnic
2000
as Howard Bevens

Tucker: The Man and His Dream
1988
as Kirby

For Richer or Poorer
1997
as Samuel Yoder

Kiss of Death
1995
as Federal Agent

My Husband's Double Life
2001
as Patrick Hennessy Welsh

Remain
2027

The Matchmaker
1997
as Senator John McGlory

Music of the Heart
1999
as Dan Paxton

When You Finish Saving the World
2023
as Roger

Mr. Destiny
1990
as Jackie Earle

Cross Creek
1983
as Charles Rawlings

My Boyfriend's Back
1993
as Sheriff McCloud

The Odd Couple II
1998
as Leroy
Vice
2018
as Governor

The Last Brickmaker in America
2001
as Mike Potter

The Jack Bull
1999
as Atty. Gen. Metcalfe

The Misfit Brigade
1987
as Tiny

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
2022
as Ambassador Jones

Starstruck
1981
as Mr. Miller

ATF
1999
as Sam Sinclair
Adventures in Plymptoons!
2011
as Self

V.I. Warshawski
1991
as Murray Ryerson

His Three Daughters
2024
as Vincent

Hair High
2004
as Football Announcer (voice)

Secrets of the Dead: The Real Trojan Horse
2015
as Narrator (voice)

Boss of Bosses
2001
as Joseph O'Brien

The Big Green
1995
as Jay Huffer

Hanky Panky
1982
as Katz

Northern Borders
2015
as Agent Sanders

The Confession
1999
as Jack Renoble

Three Wishes
1995
as Coach Schramka

Outrage
2023
as Frank Brand

D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear
2003
as Douglas Duncan

A Novel Romance
2011
as Walter Evans

I Hate Valentine's Day
2009
as Tim the Delivery Guy

The Jewel
2011
as Mr. Rothman

The Prince of Pennsylvania
1988
as Trooper Joe

Secrets of the Dead: Graveyard of the Giant Beasts
2016
as Narrator (voice)

Tapes
2020

Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler
1990
as Tom Marshall

Cold Sassy Tree
1989
as Clayton McAllister

The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play One: Hungry
2017
as George Gabriel

Tumbleweeds
1999
as Dan Miller

Eddie Macon's Run
1983
as Rudy Potts

Defenseless
1991
as Bull Dozer

Greetings from the Shore
2007
as Commodore Callaghan

Abby Singer
2003
as Kevin's Father

Salem Witch Trials
2002
as Thomas Putnam

NOVA: Mystery Beneath the Ice
2016
as Narrator (voice)

Girl From the North Country
2024
as Nick Laine

Earthly Possessions
1999
as Zack Emery

Silver Strand
1995
as Lucas Hughes

DC Noir
2019
as Sgt. Peters

Rio Shannon
1993
as John Cleary

Hostages
1992
as Terry Anderson

The Secret Life of Girls
1999

Wrestling with Alligators
1998
as Rick

Meeting Venus
1991
as Stephen Taylor
The River
2013
as Phil

And So We Come Forth
2020
as Richard Apple

State of Emergency
1994
as Dr. Jeffrey Forrest

Happenstance
2007
as Bob

Sorry
2020
as Richard Apple

That Hopey Changey Thing
2020
as Richard Apple

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
2024
as Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee

Sweet and Sad
2020
as Richard Apple

Dead Dog
2001
as Frank Edmonds

Regular Singing
2020
as Richard Apple

Broken Places
2018
as Narrator (voice)

A Doctor's Story
1984
as Dr. Curtis

The Undying
2009
as Dr. Russell Lassiter

NOVA: The Great Math Mystery
2015
as Narrator (voice)

Down Came a Blackbird
1995
as Jan Talbeck

Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story
1983
as Dick Willey

The Prosecutors
1996
as DA Alan Baker

The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
2025
as Narration

The Road to Galena
2022
as John Baird

The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Two: What Did You Expect?
2017
as George Gabriel

The Day Christ Died
1980
as Peter

Uncle Vanya
2019
as Vanya

Saving the Dead Sea
2019

NOVA: Judgement Day - Intelligent Design on Trial
2007
as Narrator (voice)

Ghosts of Stonehenge
2017
as Narrator (voice)

Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time
2015
as Narrator (voice)
I'm Coming Over
2011
as Walter

NOVA: Arctic Dinosaurs
2008
as Narrator (voice)

NOVA: Secrets of the Viking Sword
2012
as Narrator (voice)

The Man Who Saved the World
2012
as Narrator (voice)

Just Like in the Movies
1989
as Ryan Legrand

What Do We Need to Talk About?
2020
as Richard Apple

NOVA: Decoding da Vinci
2019
as Narrator (voice)
The Revolt of Mother
1988
as Adam Penn

The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Three: Women of a Certain Age
2017
as George Gabriel

Holocaust Escape Tunnel
2017
as Narrator (voice)

Wild Costa Rica
2000
as Narrator

Incidental Moments of the Day
2020
as Richard Apple

The Dissection of Thanksgiving
2008
as Cliff

Nobody's Children
1994
as Joe Stevens

The Mystery of Mona Lisa
2014
as Narrator (voice)

NOVA: Life's Rocky Start
2016
as Narrator (voice)

NOVA: Cold Case JFK
2013
as Narrator (voice)

Secrets of Stonehenge
2010
as Narrator (voice)

NOVA: First Face of America
2018
as Narrator (voice)
About Jay O. Sanders
Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in plays off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. He has received a Drama Desk Award and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. Sanders made his off-Broadway debut in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Henry V in 1976. He originated the role of Bradley in Sam Shepard's Buried Child (1978). He made his Broadway debut in the play Loose Ends (1979). He returned to Broadway in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1983), Sain… With 173 credits spanning from 1951 to 2027, Jay O. Sanders has appeared in 136 films and 37 TV shows.
Fans searching for Jay O. Sanders movies, Jay O. Sanders filmography, or the latest projects starring Jay O. Sanders can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Jay O. Sanders Movies
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004) — as Frank Harris
- Green Lantern (2011) — as Carl Ferris
- Glory (1989) — as Gen. George Crockett Strong
- Daylight (1996) — as Steven Crighton
- Revolutionary Road (2008) — as Bart Pollock
Where to Watch Jay O. Sanders Films
Most Jay O. Sanders movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Jay O. Sanders, check our movies catalogue and browse page.