Sam Hennings is an American actor and writer. He was born in Georgia with German, English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. Deciding in the early 1980s to pursue acting as a full-time profession, Sam moved to Los Angeles where he studied at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse in prominent acting teacher, Milton Katselas' Master Class. In 1984, with encouragement from his teacher, Sam launched his theatrical stage career, a medium he fell in love with and continues to return to whenever possible. In 1985, Sam made his professional acting debut on the ABC series Moonlighting (pilot episode) starring Bruce Willis. Over the next few years Sam continued to improve his craft through study and stage work and landed several TV guest-starring roles including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dallas and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 1989, Sam had his first big break when director Randy Roberts, who had directed Sam earlier in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, invited Sam to co-star with Lou Gossett Jr., in the acclaimed ABC TV - Movie, Gideon Oliver - The Last Plane from Coramaya. His performance as a photojournalist in wartime Central America was received with an abundance of critical praise. The 90's brought Sam more substantial television roles and well deserved exposure. In 1991, Sam made his feature film debut as a hard-nosed, Texas sheriff in the 1960s era film Shout, starring John Travolta and Heather Graham. Shout earned mixed reviews from critics, but even so, Sam earned praise for his performance. Opening the doors for Sam to play Loyola Marymount basketball Coach, David Spencer, alongside veteran actor George Kennedy, in an emotionally driven performance in the biographical television drama, Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story. In 1992-93, Sam landed his first series regular role on television in the short lived series Secrets, and NBC's series Trade Winds. He was then cast as the lead in the film, Seasons of the Heart, playing a weary, Civil War-era man on the cold plains of Oregon whose children are dying of cholera. Sam continued to be adamant against being pigeonholed as a handsome, good guy or a so-called, bad guy. And in 1994, director John Badham cast Sam as a rogue, skydiving, DEA agent opposite Gary Busey in Paramount Studios film Drop Zone, also starring Wesley Snipes. CBS then cast Sam as a charming, but dark murderer, in the western series, The Magnificent Seven, with Ron Perlman and Robert Vaughn. That same year he was cast as Linda Hamilton's love interest in the CBS MOW: Point Last Seen, starring Linda Hamilton, Mary Kay Place and Sam. He finished the decade with recurring roles on the CBS series, Pensacola: Wings of Gold as James Brolin's hot-headed brother and the popular military drama series, JAG, as the Captain of an Aircraft Carrier in the Indian Ocean. Sam's star continued to rise in the early 2000s as he continued to pour on his magic in every role he accepted. In 2002, NBC cast him as a charming, CIA operative in the long running series ER and in 2004, he accepted the lead role as Ben Steed in the trilogy (2004-2006) film series, The Work And The Glory. Later that year, Martin Scorsese cast him in The Aviator, with Leonardo DiCaprio. 2005 Sam was cast in the film, Havoc, as Bijou Phillips' father, starring Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Raymond Cruz. TNT cast him in a recurring role as Holly Hunter's brother in the series, Saving Grace. In 2009, Sam was cast in the film, Stolen, with Jon Hamm and Jessica Chastain. Finishing out the year, Sam accepted guest starring roles in television shows such as Eleventh Hour, Dollhouse, Cold Case, CSI Miami and CSI Crime Scene Investigation.