Jay O. Sanders
Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American actor. He is noted for his TV roles as Bill Weller on Blindspot, Jack Bryant on Manhunt, Chief Tom Lidell on The Sinner, Det. John Maynard on Widows, Capt. Joseph Hannah on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and mob lawyer Steven Kordo in NBC's detective series Crime Story (1986-1988), as well as his film roles on The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Green Lantern (2011), and the Alex Cross films starring Morgan Freeman. He has appeared in many other notable films, including Glory (1989), Mr. Destiny (1990), JFK (1991), Angels in the Outfield (1994), The Big Green (1995), Daylight (1996), The Matchmaker (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997), Tumbleweeds (1999), Music of the Heart (1999), Half Nelson (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), and Revolutionary Road (2008). He is also known as the narrator for the PBS series Wide Angle from 2002–2009 and has served as narrator for a number of Nova episodes and documentary specials starting in 2007. He is the voice of D.S. McKenna in the Red Dead Redemption video game series.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · Girl From the North Country as Nick Laine
- 2024 · His Three Daughters as Vincent
- 2024 · Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch as Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee
- 2024 · Decoding the Universe as Narrator
- 2023 · Outrage as Frank Brand
- 2023 · When You Finish Saving the World as Roger
- 2022 · BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths as Ambassador Jones
- 2022 · The Road to Galena as John Baird
- 2020 · Incidental Moments of the Day as Richard Apple
- 2020 · And So We Come Forth as Richard Apple
- 2020 · Tapes as
- 2020 · What Do We Need to Talk About? as Richard Apple
- 2020 · Regular Singing as Richard Apple
- 2020 · Sorry as Richard Apple
- 2020 · Sweet and Sad as Richard Apple
- 2020 · That Hopey Changey Thing as Richard Apple
- 2020 · Stars in the House as Self
- 2020 · The Assistant as Boss (voice)
- 2019 · NOVA: Decoding da Vinci as Narrator (voice)
- 2019 · Uncle Vanya as Vanya
- 2019 · DC Noir as Sgt. Peters
- 2019 · Saving the Dead Sea as
- 2019 · Secrets of the Dead: The Nero Files as Narrator (voice)
- 2019 · The Violin Alone as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · Broken Places as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · NOVA: Prediction by the Numbers as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · NOVA: First Face of America as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · Vice as Governor
- 2017 · Ghosts of Stonehenge as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Manhunt as Jack Bryant
- 2017 · NOVA: Holocaust Escape Tunnel as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Leonardo: The Man Who Saved Science as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Women of a Certain Age as George Gabriel
- 2017 · What Did You Expect? as George Gabriel
- 2017 · Hungry as George Gabriel
- 2017 · NOVA: Why Trains Crash as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · NOVA: Secrets of the Sky Tombs as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Secrets of the Dead: Graveyard of the Giant Beasts as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Catfight as Angry Guy
- 2016 · NOVA: Iceman Reborn as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · NOVA: Mystery Beneath the Ice as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · NOVA: Life's Rocky Start as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · NOVA: Secret Tunnel Warfare as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Chicago Med as Cray
- 2015 · Secrets of the Dead: The Real Trojan Horse as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · NOVA: Secrets of Noah's Ark as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Blindspot as Bill Weller
- 2015 · Dawn of Humanity as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Sneaky Pete as Sam
- 2015 · NOVA: The Great Math Mystery as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Northern Borders as Agent Sanders
- 2014 · The Mystery of Mona Lisa as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · The Gathering Swarms as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · True Detective as Billy Lee Tuttle
- 2013 · NOVA: Cold Case JFK as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · NOVA: Ground Zero Supertower as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · The River as Phil
- 2013 · NOVA: Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby? as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Earth from Space as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · The Man Who Saved the World as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · NOVA: Secrets of the Viking Sword as Narrator (voice)
- 2011 · A Novel Romance as Walter Evans
- 2011 · Pan Am as Douglas Vanderway
- 2011 · Person of Interest as Special Counsel
- 2011 · Unforgettable as Jonathan Hedstrom
- 2011 · I'm Coming Over as Walter
- 2011 · Green Lantern as Carl Ferris
- 2011 · Adventures in Plymptoons! as Himself
- 2011 · Body of Proof as Harvey Brady
- 2011 · The Jewel as Mr. Rothman
- 2010 · Blue Bloods as Jimmy Reagan
- 2010 · Edge of Darkness as Whitehouse
- 2010 · Riddles of the Sphinx as Narrator (voice)
- 2010 · Secrets of Stonehenge as Narrator (voice)
- 2009 · The Good Wife as Judge Hal Ferris
- 2009 · I Hate Valentine's Day as Tim the Delivery Guy
- 2009 · The Undying as Dr. Russell Lassiter
- 2008 · Revolutionary Road as Bart Pollock
- 2008 · Cadillac Records as Mr. Feder
- 2008 · NOVA: Arctic Dinosaurs as Narrator (voice)
- 2008 · The Dissection of Thanksgiving as Cliff
- 2008 · Greetings from the Shore as Commodore Callaghan
- 2007 · NOVA: Judgement Day - Intelligent Design on Trial as Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Happenstance as Bob
- 2007 · The Valley of Light as Howard
- 2006 · Wedding Daze as Sheriff
- 2006 · Half Nelson as Russ Dunne
- 2004 · The Day After Tomorrow as Frank Harris
- 2004 · Hair High as Football Announcer (voice)
- 2003 · Abby Singer as Kevin's Father
- 2003 · D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear as Douglas Duncan
- 2002 · Salem Witch Trials as Thomas Putnam
- 2002 · Widows as Detective John Maynard
- 2001 · Dead Dog as Frank Edmonds
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Harry Rowan, Sr.
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Joseph Hannah
- 2001 · The Last Brickmaker in America as Mike Potter
- 2001 · Boss of Bosses as Joseph O'Brien
- 2001 · Along Came a Spider as Kyle Craig
- 2001 · My Husband's Double Life as Patrick Hennessy Welsh
- 2001 · My Husband's Double Life as Timothy Michael Kingsbury
- 2000 · Secrets of the Dead as Narrator (voice)
- 2000 · Picnic as Howard Bevens
- 2000 · Wonderland as Ed Butowski
- 2000 · Wild Costa Rica as Narrator
- 1999 · Tumbleweeds as Dan Miller
- 1999 · Music of the Heart as Dan Paxton
- 1999 · ATF as Sam Sinclair
- 1999 · The Secret Life of Girls as
- 1999 · The Jack Bull as Atty. Gen. Metcalfe
- 1999 · The Confession as Jack Renoble
- 1999 · Earthly Possessions as Zack Emery
- 1998 · The Odd Couple II as Leroy
- 1998 · Wrestling with Alligators as Rick
- 1997 · For Richer or Poorer as Samuel Yoder
- 1997 · The Matchmaker as Senator John McGlory
- 1997 · Kiss the Girls as FBI Agent Kyle Craig
- 1996 · Daylight as Steven Crighton
- 1996 · The Prosecutors as DA Alan Baker
- 1995 · Silver Strand as Lucas Hughes
- 1995 · Three Wishes as Coach Schramka
- 1995 · Down Came a Blackbird as Jan Talbeck
- 1995 · The Big Green as Jay Huffer
- 1995 · Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years as Xander
- 1995 · Kiss of Death as Federal Agent
- 1995 · The Outer Limits as Ed Barkley
- 1994 · New York Undercover as Howard
- 1994 · Angels in the Outfield as Ranch Wilder
- 1994 · Nobody's Children as Joe Stevens
- 1994 · State of Emergency as Dr. Jeffrey Forrest
- 1993 · Rio Shannon as John Cleary
- 1993 · My Boyfriend's Back as Sheriff McCloud
- 1992 · Hostages as Terry Anderson
- 1991 · JFK as Lou Ivon
- 1991 · Meeting Venus as Stephen Taylor
- 1991 · Defenseless as Bull Dozer
- 1991 · V.I. Warshawski as Murray Ryerson
- 1990 · Mr. Destiny as Jackie Earle
- 1990 · Law & Order as Nick Taska / Bill Fallon
- 1990 · Law & Order as Defense Attorney Alan Fenwick
- 1990 · Northern Exposure as Dr. John Summer
- 1990 · Revealing Evidence - Stalking the Honolulu Strangler as Tom Marshall
- 1989 · Glory as Gen. George Crockett Strong
- 1989 · Cold Sassy Tree as Clayton McAllister
- 1989 · Just Like in the Movies as Ryan Legrand
- 1989 · Booker as Gordon Rudd
- 1988 · Roseanne as Ziggy
- 1988 · The Prince of Pennsylvania as Trooper Joe
- 1988 · Tucker: The Man and His Dream as Kirby
- 1987 · The Misfit Brigade as Tiny
- 1986 · Crime Story as Steve Kordo
- 1986 · L.A. Law as Detective Michael Phillips
- 1985 · Spenser: For Hire as Father Crawford
- 1984 · Miami Vice as Det. Tim Duryea
- 1984 · A Doctor's Story as Dr. Curtis
- 1984 · Kate & Allie as Tim Merr
- 1983 · AfterMASH as Dr. Gene Pfeiffer
- 1983 · Cross Creek as Charles Rawlings
- 1983 · Eddie Macon's Run as Rudy Potts
- 1983 · Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story as Dick Willey
- 1982 · Nature as Narrator (voice)
- 1982 · Hanky Panky as Katz
- 1981 · Starstruck as Mr. Miller
- 1980 · Texas as Seth
- 1980 · The Day Christ Died as Peter
- 1979 · Starting Over as Larry
- 1979 · The Scarlet Letter as Robert Salter
- 1974 · NOVA as Narrator (voice)
- 1972 · ABC Afterschool Special as Mr. Miller
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Howard