- Name: Will Sampson
- Date of Birth: September 27, 1933
- Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Mini-bio:
A supporting Native American actor of the Creek Tribe, Sampson was first known and most remembered for his role in the Oscar-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) opposite Jack Nicholson...( read more)
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Will Sampson mini-bio: A supporting Native American actor of the Creek Tribe, Sampson was first known and most remembered for his role in the Oscar-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) opposite Jack Nicholson. He was also known for his portrayal of an Indian chief co-starring with Clint Eastwood in the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). His other supportive roles included Orca (1977), The White Buffalo (1977) and Fish Hawk (1979). In 1986, he co-starred in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) - he played a Native American witch doctor and during the filming of the movie, he would frequently say the set was haunted and he blessed it, much like how the original Poltergeist (1982) was. Will Sampson became what was part of a "Poltergeist Curse" when he died after its release during a strange incident during open heart surgery.
Trivia
Father of Tim Sampson.
Was a member of the Creek tribe.
Founder of the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts.
According to an episode of "The Yellow Rose" (1983), he was 6' 7".
Is said to be the third victim of the "Poltergeist Curse". Sampson strangely died during heart surgery one year after he starred in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). The first victim was Dominique Dunne who was murdered after the release of the first film, Poltergeist (1982). Julian Beck died during filming of Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), then Sampson died and Heather O'Rourke died during Poltergeist III (1988).
He is buried on the Creek Indian Reservation. Craig T. Nelson, Poltergeist co-star, happened to be passing through the area and wanted to pay his respects. He drove around for 4 or 5 hours trying to find the cemetery when he finally stopped at a corner store and asked where Will Sampson was buried. As it turned out, the man standing next to Nelson in the store was Sampson's cousin, and told Nelson he'd show him the spot. It was cicada season, and Nelson remembers the buzzing was overwhelming. He approached Sampson's grave and said something to the effect of "Hey Will, its Craig". Within three or four seconds, Nelson recalls, the sound of the cicadas tapered off and stopped entirely.
In 1977, appeared in two movies that set man against beast, both very reminiscent of Jaws (1975): Orca (1977) and The White Buffalo (1977).
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Comments
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sandralehmann11posted 553 days ago -
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my father knew will sampson and i went to church with will wen i was a young kid
posted 804 days ago -
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