A lot happened in the year 1987, including the debut of a family-friendly TV sitcom set in San Francisco. The name of the show was Full House, and we’ll be doing a deep dive into this popular comedy over the coming weeks.
But first, to get a sense of the times and trends that helped shape this series, here’s a notable obituary from 1987 — Will Sampson.
Will Sampson was a Muscogee painter, actor, and rodeo performer. He is best known for his performance as the apparently deaf and mute Chief Bromden, the title role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and as Crazy Horse in the 1977 western The White Buffalo, as well as his roles as Taylor in Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Ten Bears in 1976’s The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Sampson competed in rodeos for about 20 years. His specialty was bronco busting, and he was on the rodeo circuit when producers Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas — of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — were looking for a large Native American to play the role of Chief Bromden. Sampson stood an imposing 6’7″ (2.01 m) tall. Rodeo announcer Mel Lambert mentioned Sampson to them, and after lengthy efforts to find him, they hired him on the strength of an interview although had never acted before.
Sampson’s most notable roles were as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and as Taylor the Medicine Man in the horror film Poltergeist II. He had a recurring role on the TV series Vega$ as Harlon Two Leaf, and starred in the movies Fish Hawk, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Orca. Sampson appeared in the production of Black Elk Speaks with the American Indian Theater Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where David Carradine and other Native American actors (such as Wes Studi and Randolph Mantooth) have appeared in stage productions. He also played Crazy Horse in The White Buffalo with Charles Bronson and the archetypal Elevator Attendant in Nicolas Roeg’s 1985 film, Insignificance. In 1980 Sampson was nominated for a Genie Award for “Best Performance by a Foreign Actor” for his role in Fish Hawk.
Sampson was a visual artist. His large painting depicting the Ribbon Dance of the Muscogee (Creek) is in the collection of the Creek Council House Museum in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His artwork has been shown at the Gilcrease Museum and the Philbrook Museum of Art.
Sampson suffered from scleroderma, a chronic degenerative condition that affected his heart, lungs, and skin. During his lengthy illness, his weight fell from 260 lb (120 kg) to 140 lb (64 kg), causing complications related to malnutrition. After undergoing a heart and lung transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, he died on June 3, 1987, of post-operative kidney failure. Sampson was 53 years old. Sampson was interred at Graves Creek Cemetery in Hitchita, Oklahoma. Will Sampson Road, in Okmulgee County (east of Highway 75 near Preston, Oklahoma), is named after him.
During the filming of The White Buffalo, Sampson halted production by refusing to act when he discovered that producers had hired white actors to portray Native Americans for the film. In 1983, with assistance from his personal secretary Zoe Escobar, Sampson founded the “American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts” for Native American actors. He also served on the registry’s Board of Directors. Sampson’s son Tim Sampson appeared on the FX Show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 4 episode 10 titled “Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack”. The episode pays homage to Will Sampson and his work as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Tim Sampson plays “Tonto” after Frank (Danny DeVito) is mistaken as mentally incompetent and placed within a facility.
SCREEN TIME WITH SAM 