Sonny Landham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sonny Landham | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | February 11, 1941 Canton, Georgia |
William M. "Sonny" Landham (born February 11, 1941) is an American movie actor and political candidate.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Acting career
At the beginning of his acting career, Landham was an actor in pornographic films.[1][2] He then became a mainstream movie actor, and appeared in a number of popular Hollywood films, including Southern Comfort, Predator, 48 Hours, Action Jackson and The Warriors.
[edit] Personal and political life
Landham was born in Canton, Georgia. He is a descendant of the Cherokee and Seminole nations.
Landham suffered a number of legal setbacks after his acting career ended. He was involved in a protracted and bitter child custody dispute with his ex-wife, and was convicted in 1998 of three counts of making threatening telephone calls to her. After 31 months in federal prison, Landham's conviction was quashed on appeal. He later sued the Federal government alleging false imprisonment. Landham also pursued a (finally unsuccessful) lawsuit against toymaker Galoob for royalties on the Predator related action figure that depicted his character.
In 2003 Landham ran in the Republican Party primary election for the post of Governor of Kentucky, hoping to repeat the success of his Predator castmates Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He based his candidacy on opposition to an amendment which endorsed the Kentucky Family Court, saying his bad experiences at the hands of the family court had convinced him that it was run for the benefit of lawyers rather than families or children. He was unsuccessful in gaining the party's nomination. He ran briefly as an independent candidate, but withdrew on June 18 and endorsed the Republican slate.
In January 2004, Landham announced his candidacy for the 27th State Senate District.
In the Spring of 2006, Landham also accepted a bid as an honorary member of Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Chi Chapter at American University.
On September 19, 2006, Landham was injured in a four-car accident in Ashland, Kentucky.[3]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Abigail Leslie is Back in Town | Bo |
| 1979 | The Warriors | Cop |
| 1981 | Southern Comfort | Hunter |
| 1982 | 48 Hrs. | Billy Bear |
| Poltergeist | Pool Worker #2 | |
| 1984 | Fleshburn | Calvin Daggai |
| 1986 | Firewalker | El Coyote |
| 1987 | Predator | Billy |
| 1988 | Action Jackson | Mr.Quick |
| 1989 | Lock Up | Chink Weber |
| 1992 | Maximum Force | Pimp |
| 1993 | Best of the Best 2 | James |
| 1994 | Savage Land | Lassiter |
| 1995 | Fatal Choice | Brick |
| Guns & Lipstick | Albino | |
| 1996 | Carnival of Wolves | Bodyguard #4 |
| Billy Lone Bear | Billy Lone Bear |
[edit] Television
| Year | Television | Episode | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The A-Team | The Island | Ryker |
| 1985 | The Dirty Dozen:The Next Mission | Sam Sixkiller | |
| Hardcastle and McCormick | You Don't Hear the One that Gets You | Sheriff Billy Blackstone | |
| 1986 | The Fall Guy | War of the Wheel | Jake |
| North Star | Becker | ||
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Viking Bikers from Hell | Toad |
| 1991 | 3 Days to Kill | Pepe |
[edit] References
- ^ "Ex-Porn Star Enters Kentucky Governor's Race", WKMB / local6.com, July 3, 2002. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ^ Crowley, Patrick. "Porn on candidate's resume", The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 30, 2002. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
- ^ Daily Independent (Ashland, KY) - Actor injured in 4-car chain-reaction wreck
[edit] External links
- Sonny Landham's website
- Sonny Landham at the Internet Movie Database
- The US court of appeal's finding overturning Landham's convictions
- Landham's lawsuit against Galoob
- Alpha Sigma Phi, Beta Chi Chapter
- Tribute page
- Kinney, Courtney. "Fancy Farm picnic leftovers still pretty juicy", The Kentucky Post, E. W. Scripps Company, 2002-08-10. Archived from the original on 2007-05-31.
