Sam Trammell

Sam Trammell Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: January 29, 1969

Age: 55 years old

Birth Place: New Orleans, Louisiana

A Tony-nominated stage-trained actor, Sam Trammell is best known as the sexy shapeshifter Sam Merlotte on "True Blood" (HBO, 2008-14). Besides an impressive theater résumé, Trammell also appeared in "Autumn in New York" (2000) with Winona Ryder and Richard Gere, co-starred on the cross-country road trip comedy "Going to California" (Showtime, 2001-02), and earned guest-starring credits on everything from "House" (FOX, 2004-12) to "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006-13). His talent - and buff physique - were on full display, however, on "True Blood," where he quickly became a breakout character on the Southern-fried vampire cult smash, able to transform into a collie (or anything else) to protect Anna Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse. With his star on the rise, fans hoped that he would continue to land high-profile jobs so they could see more of him - in human form or otherwise.

Born May 15, 1971 in New Orleans to Betsy, an artist, and Willis Trammell, a surgeon, Trammell spent most of his childhood in Charleston, WV. He was not involved with the arts until his senior year at Brown University, where he became interested in acting after originally wanting to be an astrophysicist. He made inroads on the New York stage while getting the occasional film or TV role, often in independent projects. He made his primetime debut with a featured role in the 1996 CBS/Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation "Harvest of Fire," in which he married fellow Charleston native Jennifer Garner, and won some attention as a man who has an affair with the mother of a friend in "Childhood's End" (1996).

Trammell garnered attention and good reviews for a trio of stage performances: he was a compulsive gambler in his off-Broadway debut "Dealer's Choice," a gay man in "My Night With Reg," and in 1998, earned a Tony nomination as the authorial stand-in in the Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's comedy "Ah, Wilderness!" Within months of capturing the esteem of New York audiences, the actor reached a wider constituency as the fast-talking ex-con Sonny Dupree in the quirky comedy-drama "Maximum Bob" (ABC, 1998). Later that year, Trammell was briefly seen as the youngest son in a large Irish Catholic family on "Trinity" (NBC, 1998-99).

Trammell returned to the stage in 1999, playing the troubled offspring of an award-winning TV actress (Elizabeth Ashley) in the unsuccessful drama "If Memory Serves." The following year proved better as the actor had a supporting role as a male hustler in the Sundance-screened "Beat" (2000), which co-starred Kiefer Sutherland and Courtney Love. In the affecting drama "Followers" (2000), he played a would-be pledge to a fraternity and portrayed twins in the dramatic road movie "Fear of Fiction" (2000). Besides a supporting role in the Winona Ryder/Richard Gere romantic drama "Autumn in New York (2000), Trammell rounded out the year garnering rave reviews for his turn as the title character's male lover in the off-Broadway play "Kit Marlowe," about the Elizabethan playwright.

Trammell landed a starring role in the wistful road trip comedy series "Going to California" (Showtime, 2001-02). After the show's cancellation, he continued to juggle movie projects with TV roles, and he appeared on many respected series, including "House" (FOX, 2004-12), "Strong Medicine" (Lifetime, 2000-06), "Judging Amy" (CBS, 1999-2005), "Bones" (FOX, 2005- ), "CSI: New York" (CBS, 2004-13), "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006-13) and "Medium" (NBC, 2005-09; CBS, 2009-11). He reached a new level of success when he was cast as the handsome shapeshifter Sam Merlotte on the hit vampire drama series, "True Blood" (HBO, 2008-14). As the bartending boss of Anna Paquin's psychic Sookie Stackhouse, Trammell nursed an unrequited love, protecting her from the vampires and other dangers she faced in the sticky, Southern small town of Bon Temps, LA. The award-winning show became a cult hit, and the handsome Trammell was considered by fans and critics alike to be one of its major assets -in or out of human form.

Credits

72 Hours

Actor
Sebastian James
Movie
2024

Dragon Law

Actor
Detective Gibson
Show
2023

Organ TrailStream

Actor
Logan
Movie
2023

The Tiger Rising

Actor
Robert Horton Sr.
Movie
2022

Unsilenced

Actor
Movie
2021

American RefugeeStream

Actor
Winter
Movie
2021

Reckoning

Actor
Leo Doyle
Show
2020

Access Daily

Guest
Show
2019

The OrderStream

Actor
Eric Clarke
Series
2019
100%

Breakthrough

Actor
Dr. Sutterer
Movie
2019

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Actor
Carson Drew
Movie
2019

Life Support

Actor
Dr. Rabinawitz
Movie
2019

Hospitality

Actor
Cam
Movie
2018

Training DayStream

Guest Star
Emmet Rourke
Series
2017
24%

Say You Will

Actor
Dean Hall
Movie
2017

La gran promesa

Actor
O'Connor
Movie
2017

This Is UsStream

Guest Star
Ben
Series
2016
94%

White Flight

Actor
Dan
Show
2016

I Am WrathStream

Actor
Det. Gibson
Movie
2016
10%

Imperium

Actor
Gerry Conrad
Movie
2016

Cocked

Actor
Richard Paxson
Show
2015

3 GenerationsStream

Actor
Matthew
Movie
2015
30%

All Mistakes Buried

Actor
Sonny
Movie
2015

All Mistakes Buried

Executive Producer
Movie
2015

The Track

Actor
Scott
Movie
2015

Syfy Inside

Actor
Sam Merlotte
Show
2014

The Fault in Our StarsStream

Actor
Michael Lancaster
Movie
2014
81%

Me

Actor
David
Movie
2014

The Privileged

Actor
Preston Westwood
Movie
2013

White Rabbit

Actor
Darrell
Movie
2013

Home & Family

Guest
Talk
2012

Guns, Girls and Gambling

Actor
Sheriff Cowley
Movie
2012

Crazy Kind of Love

Actor
Jeff
Movie
2012

The DetailsStream

Actor
Chris
Movie
2011
46%

The TalkStream

Guest
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

Lopez Tonight

Guest
Show
2009

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Guest
Talk
2008

True BloodStream

Actor
Sam Merlotte
Series
2008
68%

Free Radio

Guest Star
Show
2008

What If God Were the Sun?

Actor
Jeff
Movie
2007

Aliens vs. Predator: RequiemStream

Actor
Tim
Movie
2007
12%

DexterStream

Guest Star
Matt Chambers
Series
2006
71%

BonesStream

Guest Star
Ken Thompson
Series
2005
90%

NUMB3RSStream

Guest Star
Series
2005

MediumStream

Guest Star
Series
2005

HouseStream

Guest Star
Ethan Hartig
Series
2004
90%

CSI: NYStream

Guest Star
Charles Wright
Series
2004

Anonymous Rex

Actor
Vincent Rubio
Movie
2004

Cold CaseStream

Guest Star
Series
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Undermind

Actor
Derrick Hall/Zane Waye
Movie
2003

Going to California

Actor
Kevin "Space" Lauglin
Show
2001

Beat

Actor
Lee
Movie
2000

Followers

Actor
John Dietrich
Movie
2000

Judging Amy

Guest Star
Series
1999

Fear of Fiction

Actor
Red/Tom Hopkins
Movie
1999

Trinity

Actor
Liam McCallister
Show
1998

Maximum Bob

Guest Star
Show
1998

Wrestling With Alligators

Actor
Will
Movie
1998

Harvest of Fire

Actor
Simon Troyer
Movie
1996

Childhood's End

Actor
Greg Chute
Movie
1996

The Hotel Manor Inn

Actor
Nolan
Movie
1995

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Guest
Talk
1992

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutSam Trammell