Sam Henderson

Sam Henderson is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Film who teaches Acting 1, Acting for the Camera, Introduction to Theatre, Short Film Production and Acting for (Film) Directors. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from Baylor University and his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The Old Globe Professional Actor Training Program through the University of San Diego. At The Old Globe, Sam appeared in numerous productions, including Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Pericles, Marat/Sade and as Vanya in Uncle Vanya. Sam also wrote, directed and performed his one-man show, The Man with the Horn, about the life of Miles Davis, as his thesis production.

In New York, Sam was a teaching artist with the Coming Up Taller (presented by Michelle Obama) Award-winning, Off-Broadway theatre, Epic Theatre Ensemble. He was involved with several castings working alongside Suzanne Ryan (Law and Order) and Martin Scorsese’s longtime casting director and collaborator, Ellen Lewis (Boardwalk Empire).

As a professional actor, Sam has become a mainstay at the Tony-award winning (2017) Dallas Theater Center, where he has appeared as Martin Luther King Jr. in The Mountaintop, Romeo and Juliet, Our Town and the annual classic, A Christmas Carol (featured in The New York Times).  At DTC, he was also set to appear in Dominic Morrisseau’s Pipeline in Spring 2020. Also in the DFW area, Sam performed in the Regional Premiere of Under the Skin, winner of the DFW Critics’ Choice Award for Best Ensemble, at Circle Theatre; August Wilson’s Two Trains Running at the oldest running African-American theatre in North Texas, Jubilee Theatre; Hillary and Clinton  by Lucas Hnath and Lynn Nottage’s Mlima’s Tale at Second Thought Theatre; as Coach Jones in King Liz at Amphibian Stage Productions, and as Torvald in A Doll’s House at WaterTower Theatre, directed by Joanie Schultz.

On screen, Sam is a SAG-eligible performer who has appeared in numerous short films and in print ads and commercials for FedEx, Bestway and Choctaw Casinos with NFL Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman.  Sam can also be seen in Baylor FDM Professor Chris Hansen’s award-winning feature film, Blur Circle, and in the LA Film Festival Best Picture nominee, A Country Called Home, produced by Nicolas Gonda (Tree of Life, To the Wonder) and starring Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later, Knight of Cups).

Sam is an award-winning film director and writer and co-founder of the filmmaking venture, 4amtentrevial, whose most recent short film, BREAK, shot on black and white 35mm, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Austin Film Festival and was nominated for Outstanding Music at the Micheaux Film Festival in Los Angeles. Sam’s previous film, Con Alma, premiered at the Oscar-qualifying, RSF Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and went on to become an official selection at the Oscar-qualifying St. Louis International Film Festival, as well. Con Alma was also a finalist for both the WeScreenplay Diverse Voices competition and The Monthly Film Festival for which it won third place. 4am’s first film, Nicky, premiered at the New Haven International Film Festival. Nicky was the winner of “The Outside Pickett Award” for Most Original at the inaugural Prison City Film Festival in Huntsville, Texas and was also a five-time nominee at the Austin Revolution Film Festival, including Best Texas Short, Best Director, Best Actor, Script to Screen and Best Texas Script, winning a special citation for “Most Inspirational.”  In 2018, it made its California premiere at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, where it was nominated for Best Short, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Editing.  In 2015, 4am’s first adapted short screenplay, Willow Weep for Me, was the winner of numerous awards, including an Official Selection for the prestigious Magwill International Screenplay competition and a top-ten finalist at the inaugural Cannes Short Screenplay Contest.

In 2016, Sam made his first foray into television writing, winning the Cine Pitchfest, Sponsored by the A+E Network, with the teleplay, The Walls.  A community drama set in 90s-Huntsville, Texas, The Walls won a direct pitch to the Director of Scripted Programming in the spring of 2017 and is currently seeking representation.

As Baylor faculty, Sam has appeared on stage alongside students as Creon and Antigone. An occasional member as a percussionist in the Baylor musical pit, his original song, Brooklyn’s Song, was also featured in the Mainstage production of A Comedy of Errors directed by Stephen Pounders. Sam has been a valued member of the Campus Diversity Committee, The Arts and Science DEI Committee, as selected by the Dean, The Baylor University Theatre, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (T.E.D.I) and as Chair of the Creative Arts Experience Committee. In 2023, Sam was selected by the Provost as one of 10 Baylor Fellows, a recognition of Professors across the disciplinary spectrum who exemplify excellence in teaching.

Sam is represented by the Kim Dawson Agency and is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association.