Richard Dean Anderson
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Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as the eponymous hero of the popular television series MacGyver and, more recently, as Jack O'Neill in the long-running science fiction series Stargate SG-1.
Biography
Early Life
Anderson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Stuart Jay Anderson and Jocelyn Rhae Carter, and has Irish, Swedish, Norwegian and Mohawk Native American ancestry. He grew up in Roseville, Minnesota and attended Ohio University and St. Cloud State University.Career
He started his acting career in soap opera (appearing on General Hospital as Dr. Jeff Webber from 1976 to 1981). He also starred as Adam in the television series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (based very loosely on the movie of the same name).
Anderson came to fame with the hit television series MacGyver which lasted from 1985 to 1992 and was highly successful throughout its entire run.
From 1997 to 2005, he starred as Colonel/Brigadier General Jack O'Neill in Stargate SG-1, based on the movie Stargate starring Kurt Russell and James Spader. In Season Six, he opted to have a reduced role in the series due to his desire to spend more time with his daughter. His role was continually reduced until he left as a regular cast member in Season Nine, preferring instead to make a few guest appearances. [Gateworld] recently reported that he will be in five episodes of the upcoming Season Ten of SG-1, a significant increase over his role in Season Nine.
He was presented with an award at the Air Force Association's 57th Annual Air Force Anniversary Dinner in Washington, D.C. on September 14, 2004 because of his role as star and executive producer of Stargate SG-1, a series which has portrayed the Air Force in a positive light since it first premiered. It was presented by the then-Air Force Chief-of-Staff, General John P. Jumper. The last recipient of the award was James Stewart in 1987. At the same dinner, Anderson was made an honorary Brigadier General.
Anderson has always been a great fan of the television show The Simpsons and finally in 2005 he was invited to guest star on the show, which he had continually referenced during his time on SG-1. He voices 'himself' in an episode called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore (season 17 episode 17, air date April 9, 2006) in which he is kidnapped by Selma and Patty Bouvier; Anderson's MacGyver character is a longstanding heartthrob for the sisters of Marge Simpson. Dan Castellaneta, the voice actor who portrays Homer Simpson, made a guest appearance on Stargate SG-1 ("Citizen Joe") and, in describing his unnatural ability to see the life events of Jack O'Neill, made reference to O'Neill's fondness for The Simpsons.
He also appears in the 1997 PC game Fallout as the voice of Killian Darkwater, who was the clever head of the city made entirely of post-nuclear junk (Junktown).
Anderson reprised his role as MacGyver in 2006 when he appeared in a Mastercard commercial during Super Bowl XL.
Private Life
Anderson has never married. He has a daughter named Wylie Quinn Annarose who was born in 1998 by his ex-partner, Apryl Prose. He has also dated the famous German ice-skater Katarina Witt, Teri Hatcher, Sela Ward and Lara Flynn Boyle.He is also an avid ice hockey player and skier and is so much of a fan of the sports that he has deliberately appeared playing these sports in several of his TV shows, including MacGyver.
Filmography
Starring Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2006 | Mastercard Superbowl XL Commercial | MacGyver | TV Commercial |
| 2005 | Stargate SG-1: The Alliance (Unofficially Cancelled) | AF Brigadier General Jack O'Neill (voice) | Video Game |
| 1997 | Stargate SG-1 | Colonel/Brigadier General Jack O'Neill | (1997-2005) TV Series |
| 1997 | Firehouse | Lt. Michael Brooks | TV |
| 1997 | Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game | Mayor Killian Darkwater (voice) | Video Game |
| 1996 | Pandora's Clock | Capt. James Holland | TV |
| 1995 | Past the Bleachers | Bill Parish | TV |
| 1995 | Legend | Ernest Pratt/Nicodemus Legend | TV Series |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday | Angus MacGyver | TV |
| 1994 | Beyond Betrayal | Bradley Matthews | TV |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis | Angus MacGyver | TV |
| 1992 | Through the Eyes of a Killer | Ray Bellano | TV |
| 1992 | In the Eyes of a Stranger | Jack Rourke | TV |
| 1986 | Odd Jobs | Spud | |
| 1986 | Ordinary Heroes | Tony Kaiser | |
| 1985 | "MacGyver" | MacGyver | (1985-1992) TV Series |
| 1983 | "Emerald Point N.A.S." | Navy Lt. Simon Adams | TV Series |
| 1982 | "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" | Adam McFadden | (1982-1983) TV Series |
| 1982 | "Young Doctors in Love | Drug Dealer | (uncredited) |
| 1976 | "General Hospital" | Dr. Jeff Webber | (1976-1981) TV Series |
Guest-starring Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
| 2006 | "The Simpsons" | Himself (voice) | "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" |
| 2004 | "Stargate Atlantis" | Brigadier Jack O'Neill USAF | 1.1 "Rising: Part 1" |
| 2004 | "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" | Himself | |
| 2000 | "National Geographic Explorer" | Himself | "North America's Last True Wilderness" |
| 2000 | "The Martin Short Show" | Himself | |
| 2000 | "Donny & Marie" | Himself | |
| 1998 | "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" | Himself | |
| 1997 | "Newton's Apple" | Himself | |
| 1996 | "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" | Himself | |
| 1992 | "The Arsenio Hall Show" | Himself | |
| 1991 | "The Arsenio Hall Show" | Himself | |
| 1991 | "The Joan Rivers Show" | Himself | |
| 1990 | "The Joan Rivers Show" | Himself | |
| 1990 | "The Arsenio Hall Show" | Himself | |
| 1982 | "The Love Boat" | Carter Randall | 5.24 "Isaac Gets Physical/She Brought Her Mother Along/Cold Feet" |
| 1981 | "Today's F.B.I." | Andy McFey | "The Fugitive" |
| 1981 | "The Facts of Life" | Brian Parker | 2.16 "Brian and Sylvia" |
Producer
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2004 | From Stargate to Atlantis: Sci Fi Lowdown | Executive Producer | TV |
| 1997 | Firehouse | Executive Producer | TV |
| 1997 | "Stargate SG-1" | Executive Producer | TV Series |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday | Executive Producer | TV |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis | Executive Producer | TV |
Composer
| Year | Title | Other notes |
| 1988 | "MacGyver" | TV Series (song "Eau d'Leo" in episode "The Negotiator") |
External links
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