William "Will" Sampson Jr., born in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma to William "Wiley" Sampson Sr. and Mabel Sampson (née Lewis),[1] was a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, a tribe from the Southeastern Woodlands. Sampson Jr. had at least five children: Samsoche "Sam" and Lumhe "Micco" Sampson (of the Sampson Brothers Duo), actor Timothy "Tim" James Sampson,[2][3] and Robert Benjamin Sampson. The Sampson Brothers Duo are known for their traditional fancy and grass dances. His son Robert was murdered in Tulsa in 2013.[4]
Rodeo performer
Sampson competed in rodeos for about 20 years. His specialty was bronco busting, and he was on the rodeo circuit when One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest producers Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas were looking for a large Native American to play the role of Chief Bromden. Sampson stood 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall.[5] Rodeo announcer Mel Lambert mentioned Sampson to them, and after lengthy efforts to find him, they hired him on the strength of an interview. He had never acted before.[6]
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.[1] Sampson created a series of paintings entitled: Escape of the Winged Mind that depicts life on the American Frontier. One painting in particular is called: Buffalo Kill;[7] and can be found featured in the book Beyond Cuckoo's Nest: The Art and Life of William Sampson, Jr.[8] His works have sold in auction houses and galleries, including the Pierson Gallery.[9]
Death
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.[10] He was interred at Graves Creek Cemetery in Hitchita, Oklahoma.[citation needed]
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.[11][8][12][13] He also served on the registry's board of directors.[14][15]
Sampson's son Tim Sampson appeared on the FX show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphiaseason four episode "Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack". The episode pays homage to Sampson's work as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Tim plays "Tonto" after Frank (Danny DeVito) is mistaken as mentally incompetent and placed within a facility.[citation needed] Tim made a similar appearance in an elaborate Cuckoo's Nest parody set in a restaurant kitchen in the second series of the British sitcom Spaced.
Escobar, Zoe (2009). Beyond the Cuckoo's Nest: the Art and Life of William 'Sonny' Sampson, Jr., the Muscogee Creek Indian Cowboy, Painter and Actor Girldog Publishing, Issaquah, Washington. ISBN 978-0-615-18164-6
