--- name: "Sonny Landham" canonical: "https://film.one/person/sonny-landham" fi1m_id: "sonny-landham" imdb_id: "nm0484739" tmdb_id: 1105 wikidata_id: "Q776722" roles: ["Actor"] born: "11 February 1941" died: "17 August 2017" reviewed_on_fi1m: 6 average_fi1m_score: 81 average_as: "actor" average_over: 6 updated: "2026-10-04T17:39:55.313272+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Sonny Landham ## Identity Sonny Landham - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sonny-landham - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** sonny-landham - **IMDb ID:** nm0484739 - **TMDB ID:** 1105 - **Wikidata ID:** Q776722 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Landham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q776722, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0484739/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1105 Actor. Born 11 February 1941 in Canton, Georgia, USA. Died 17 August 2017. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 11 February 1941, Canton, Georgia, USA - **Died:** 17 August 2017 - **Active:** 1980–1987 - **Also known as:** William M. "Sonny" Landham, William M. Landham , Bill Ashley, Doug Jackson, Tex Miller, Sonny Landam - **Frequently works with:** [Joel Silver](https://film.one/person/joel-silver.md), [Lawrence Gordon](https://film.one/person/lawrence-gordon.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 6 titles - **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 72 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Crime 3, Thriller 3, Action 2, Drama 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1 - **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $303m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Landham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q776722, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0484739/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1105 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Southern Comfort*](https://film.one/film/southern-comfort.md) (81), [*48 Hrs.*](https://film.one/film/48-hrs.md) (78) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Sonny Landham > Sonny Landham could stand out in an action ensemble without making a performance look busy. We value his restrained intensity, especially in *Predator*, though the narrow parts he was given leave much of his ability untested. In *Predator* (1987), Sonny Landham’s Billy Sole looks built for the jungle commando film John McTiernan starts with. His muscular build and deep voice are obvious assets, but the understated intensity gives us something beyond a convincing tough man. As the film becomes an alien hunt, that restraint suits a story in which physical strength offers diminishing reassurance. We notice him within the ensemble without feeling that he is competing for our attention. It is a valuable quality in a film whose dialogue can be crude and whose characters are thin. Walter Hill first used him as a policeman in *The Warriors* (1979). Hunter in *Southern Comfort* (1981) and Billy Bear in *48 Hrs.* (1982) followed, giving him more substantial parts with the same director. In *Southern Comfort*, he belongs to a strong ensemble, although the soldiers themselves are not always well drawn. We were unsettled by how exposed those soldiers seemed in Hill’s oppressive swamp. The limitation is how often the casting stopped at the build and the voice. Landham was repeatedly offered tough-guy parts, and Billy Sole, a Native American tracker, remains within that narrow territory even if the performance makes an impression. *Predator* gives us good reason to value his economy, but little reason to claim that the writing has supplied a rounded character. We can enjoy what he does there without treating the shortage of other kinds of parts as proof that he could not play them. The later action parts included *Lock Up* (1989), but *Predator* is the clearest starting point for what makes him worth watching. McTiernan’s suspense gives his restrained performance a purpose, rather than leaving us simply to admire the size of the man. The film is gripping enough to accommodate its blunt dialogue, though anyone wanting a detailed character study should look elsewhere. Follow it with *Southern Comfort* for Hill’s tense, spare handling of another group of soldiers in trouble. ## Biography Sonny Landham was an American actor. Born William Marion Landham III on 11 February 1941 in Canton, Georgia, he died on 17 August 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. He began his career in pornographic films before moving into mainstream cinema. His credits include a role as a policeman in *The Warriors* (1979), Billy Bear in *48 Hrs.* (1982), Billy Sole in *Predator* (1987), and appearances in *Poltergeist* (1982), *Lock Up* (1989) and *Action Jackson* (1988). He also worked as a stuntman. In 2003 Landham stood unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Governor of Kentucky. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, apnews.com, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (6) - *Predator* (1987), Fi1m 84, as Billy Sole — [page](https://film.one/film/predator.md) - *Miami Vice* (1984), Fi1m 81, as Toad — [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md) - *48 Hrs.* (1982), Fi1m 78, as Billy Bear — [page](https://film.one/film/48-hrs.md) - *Poltergeist* (1982), Fi1m 84, as Pool Worker — [page](https://film.one/film/poltergeist.md) - *Southern Comfort* (1981), Fi1m 81, as Hunter — [page](https://film.one/film/southern-comfort.md) - *Gloria* (1980), Fi1m 78, as Riverside Drive Man #8 — [page](https://film.one/film/gloria-1980.md) ## Complete filmography (52) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Mental Scars* (2009), as Chief Bear - *Disintegration* (2007), as Boone Cagle - *2090* (1996), as Indian - *Billy Lone Bear* (1996), as Billy Lone Bear · Director - *Carnival of Wolves* (1995), as One-Eyed Jack - *Guns & Lipstick* (1995), as Albino - *Twisted Fate* (1995), as Brick - *Blue Vanities 257* (1995), as (archive footage) - *Night Realm* (1994), as Verrick - *Savage Land* (1994), as Lassiter - *Taxi Dancers* (1994), as Diamond Jim - *Best of the Best 2* (1993), as James - *Three Days to a Kill* (1992), as Pepe - *Maximum Force* (1992), as Pimp - *Lock Up* (1989), as Chink Weber - *Action Jackson* (1988), as Mr. Quick - *Predator* (1987), as Billy Sole — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/predator.md) - *Firewalker* (1986), as El Coyote - *Northstar* (1986), as Becker - *Fortune Dane* (1986), as Killer - *The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission* (1985), as Sam Sixkiller - *Miami Vice* (1984), series, as Toad — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md) - *Fleshburn* (1984), as Calvin Duggai - *The A-Team* (1983), series, as Ryker - *48 Hrs.* (1982), as Billy Bear — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/48-hrs.md) - *Poltergeist* (1982), as Pool Worker — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/poltergeist.md) - *Southern Comfort* (1981), as Hunter — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/southern-comfort.md) - *Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle* (1981), as (archive footage) - *Gloria* (1980), as Riverside Drive Man #8 — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/gloria-1980.md) - *The Warriors* (1979), as Police, Policeman in Subway Station - *The Ganja Express* (1978), as First Yellow Toga Guy (uncredited) - *Misbehavin'* (1978), as Clyde - *The Trouble with Young Stuff* (1977), as Lane the Milkman - *Big Thumbs* (1977), Actor - *The Honey Cup* (1976), Actor - *Sylvia* (1976), as Junkie #1 - *Slippery When Wet* (1976), as Dougie Knowles - *Virgin Snow* (1976), as Ben - *Blood Bath* (1975), Actor - *The Defiance of Good* (1975), as Dr. Gabriel's Patient - *Abigail Leslie Is Back in Town* (1975), as Bo - *Big Abner* (1975), as Big Abner - *The Passions of Carol* (1975), as Curt Reynolds - *The Bite* (1975), as Tex - *The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann* (1974), as Political Candidate - *The Switch or How to Alter Your Ego* (1974), as Huntington Van Huff - *Cheese* (1974), as Tex - *The Love Bus* (1974), as Amos Johnson - *Happy Days* (1974), as French Cook - *Come Fly with Us* (1974), as Joe - *Special Order* (1974), as Teamster #1 - *The Lost Man* (1969), as (uncredited) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sonny-landham