It’s hard to believe, but both Luther Sloan and Death are turning 75 years old. Well, truth be told, they may not be, but the man who played both is. The talented character actor William Sadler will celebrate his 75th birthday on April 13.
Sadler memorably portrayed the wily and secretive Section 31 operative Luther Sloan in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes “Inquisition,” “Inter Arma Emin Silent Leges,” and “Extreme Measures.” Section 31, of course, went on to also figure prominently in subsequent Star Trek productions, most recently the Michelle Yeoh vehicle, Star Trek: Section 31. Sloan died by suicide in “Extreme Measures,” which premiered on May 19, 1999, during DS9’s seventh and final season.
During an interview with StarTrek.com in 2010, that he likened Sloan to Oliver North, a soldier and National Security Council staffer who, in the 1980s, became embroiled in what is referred to as the Iran-Contra Affair. “(Sloan) does what needs to be done, what he feels needs to be done. He breaks all the rules, all the rules of the Federation, in order to keep the Federation safe, or so he thinks and deeply believes. It’s the same argument that went down with the Iran-Contra Affair and Ollie North… I remember thinking, ‘How freaking cool is it that the Federation, this honorable group, these honorable people for all these years, had this little worm in there who’s been changing history for decades.”
Beyond the three episodes of Star Trek, Sadler has earned his place in pop culture history thanks to memorable turns in a wide range of television shows and movies. He co-starred as General Stuart in Die Hard 2, Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption, Sheriff Jim Valenti in Roswell (where Jonathan Frakes often directed him), Lt. Puller in The Pacific, Jim Grondin in The Mist, and President Matthew Ellis in Iron Man 3 and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, he remains best known for his role as Death in the 1991 cult favorite sci-fi comedy Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and its follow-up, Bill & Ted Face the Music, which reached theaters nearly 30 years later, in 2020.
Sadler’s wife of 45 years, Marni Bakst, died on December 18, 2024, after a two-year battle with cancer. He revealed that sad news the next day on his Facebook page. He’s since shared happier news: spending time with his brother, daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, working a couple of days on a movie, appearing at a convention, and performing music. And while he didn’t mention it on Facebook, he also guest-starred in an episode of The Rookie that aired in January.
Please join Redshirts Always Die in wishing Sadler a happy 75th birthday.