Photo: Jay Dobkin / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sam Robards is one of those actors who quietly earns your respect every time he shows up on screen. Born into Hollywood royalty — son of Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall — he could have coasted on the family name, but instead he went to Sarah Lawrence and actually put in the craft work, picking up a Clarence Derwent Award for his stage work and a Tony nomination for his Broadway turn in The Man Who Had All the Luck. Most people know him from American Beauty, where he played the neighbor with the unsettling calm, or from A.I. Artificial Intelligence as the earnest, conflicted father figure. He never became a household name, but that almost feels like a choice — there's a quiet precision to his performances that suits the work over the spotlight, and honestly that's pretty rare in an industry that rewards the loudest voice in the room.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sam Robards
- Name (Japanese)
- サム・ロバーズ
- Reading
- さむ・ろばーず
- Born
- December 16, 1961 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Ox
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / stage actor / film producer / actor
2. Background
- University
- Sarah Lawrence College
Awards & achievements
- Clarence Derwent Awards
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Sam Robards born?
Born December 16, 1961 (age 64).
Where is Sam Robards from?
Sam Robards is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Sam Robards do?
Sam Robards works as television actor, film actor, stage actor, film producer, actor.
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.