Sam Mandel is a native to Los Angeles. He discovered his love for acting at age 4 and pursued it professionally 5 years later, but not before becoming a world traveler. From ages 3-7, Sam sailed all over the world on a 71-foot yacht with his mom, dad, and older twin sisters. He has amassed over 40 principal credits in film, television, commercials, print, theatre and voice-over; including several national commercials (Pokémon, Discovery Channel, McDonald's, Bleacher Report, 23andMe, and more), as well as series regular on ABC/Disney pilot "The Big House," recurring guest star on "Everybody Hates Chris," and guest star/supporting roles in Russell Simmons' "Hungry," DirecTV's "Kingdom," the politically-charged feature film "The Last War Crime," David Fincher's "The Social Network," and Bennett Miller's "Moneyball."
Sam's roster also includes lead actor in countless independent short films, student thesis at top film schools (USC, AFI, UCLA, LMU), and several popular SAG web-series. A versatile actor who shines in both comedy and drama, Sam really stands out in comedy. Having trained at The Groundlings and graduated from the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), he's a skilled improviser. He continues to write, direct, and act in sketch comedy YouTube channel "The Jungle Sketch Comedy," with partners Michael Tomasetti and DB Wilson.
Directing is a new passion of Sam's which was further stoked after he was honored with four wins for "Best Director" at international film festivals with his directorial debut of "Charade," a music video he wrote, produced, and directed. In addition to acting and directing, Sam enjoys writing poetry and rap and can be found around town sharing new pieces.
Unique traits: Rapping, Free-styling, Improvisation, Sailing, Power Boats, Guns, Accents, Great with Animals, and most importantly: SAM SHOWS UP ON TIME, PREPARED TO WORK, EVERYTIME
Grad Daze
(
TV Movie
(Comedy)
Actor In West LA, four maladjusted grad students and their eccentric faculty advisor make-up a committee tasked with throwing school-sponsored events.
The Green Room
(
Television
(Comedy)
Actor "You may not always end up where you thought you you were going, but you will always end up where you are meant to be." Patrick Jason moves to California straight from college in hopes of securing a job as a bio chemist. When his dreams don't pan out, he ends up at The Green Room, a failing Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Hollywood, CA- which turns out is the only place that will allow Patrick to work directly with plants. Patrick's naivety and total disregard for the medical marijuana industry, as well as his persistence to get to his 'dream job' sets the undertone for the series. The series arc shows Patrick understanding and appreciating the importance of medical marijuana and through a series of 'distractions' learns that the grass is not always greener on the other side and he is exactly where he's supposed to be. Written by Lizz Henderson
Charade
(
Film
(Short and Music)
Director Discover the unique stories of two people struggling to free themselves from their charades.
Kingdom
(
Television
(Drama)
Actor Alvey and Lisa are struggling to keep their gym, Navy Street, afloat. Their best hope is Alvey's son Nate, an up and coming fighter. Jay, Alvey's other son, is on the outs with his father. When Lisa's ex and former MMA champ, Ryan, shows up, complications arise. Nate has secrets of his own which may hold him back. Written by Anonymous
Straight Roommate
(
Film
(Short and Comedy)
Actor IVAN (19, college sophomore) and STRAIGHT ROOMMATE (21, college junior) realize they clearly don't understand each other. After throwing stereotypes at one another in an effort to rationalize their differences, a humorous moment abruptly ends their bickering and forces them to appreciate the humor in their relationship.
Hungry
(
Television
(Comedy)
Actor Two free-spirited and aging models with an unlikely friendship realize through various humiliating experiences that modeling has a shelf-life. Under-qualified for nearly every other career, they'll have to get creative if they want to survive in LA! Written by Porsche Thomas
Kickin' It
(
Television
(Action, Comedy and Family)
Miscellaneous Crew Set at the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy, a strip mall martial arts studio and worst dojo in the under-performing nationwide Bobby Wasabi chain. Revolves around a ragtag crew of lovable misfits who welcome a hotshot skateboarder named Jack who will teach them about life, karate, and how to just plain kick it. Written by Anonymous
Criminal Minds
(
Television
(Crime, Drama, Mystery and Thriller)
Miscellaneous Crew Based in Quantico, Virginia, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is a subsection of the FBI. Called in by local police departments to assist in solving crimes of a serial and/or extremely violent nature where the perpetrator is unknown (referred to by the Unit as the unknown subject or unsub for short), the BAU uses the controversial scientific art of profiling to track and apprehend the unsub. Profiling entails coming up with basic characteristics of the unsub and the victims (referred to as the victimology), using evidence from the case and matching that information to historic precedents and psychological analyses as a means to solve the case. Because of the nature of the work conducted by the BAU - the work being time consuming and psychologically demanding - its members are fiercely loyal to the Unit and to its other members. Also because of the work's overall demanding nature, not many members of the BAU have been able to maintain a happy or stable family life. Written by Huggo
The Big House
(
TV Movie
(Drama and Family)
Actor One-hour drama about a family with a whole lot of kids.
The Last War Crime
Film
by The Pen
Supporting
A Moral Consequence
Film (short)
by Hannah Deloach
Lead
What I'll Miss Most
Film (short)
by Scott Cronan
Lead
An Education
Film (short)
by Marisa Thilman
Lead
Cold Feet
Film (short)
by Carrie Solomon
Lead
Community College
Film (short)
by Hayk Melkonian
Lead
137 Seconds
Film (short)
by Michael Schatz
Lead
Hush
Film (short)
by Robert Julin
Lead
Everybody Hates Chris
Television
by CBS
Guest-Star (Recurring)
The BIg House (Pilot)
Television
by ABC
Series Regular (Starring)
Prime Suspect
Television
by NBC
Featured
Family Law
Television
by CBS
Co-Star
Party of Five
Television
by FOX
Co-Star
VEER (Web Series)
Internet
by Seth Thygesen
Series Regular
Hungry (Web Series)
Internet
by Doug Aarionoski
Guest-Star
L'Chaim L.A.
Internet
by Arnon Shorr
Series Regular
COMMERCIAL CREDITS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Commercial
by Various Directors
Principal
Meet Me at Metro IV
Theater
by Watts Village Theatre Company
Lead
Broken Fences
Theater
by Road Theatre
Lead
My Friend Irma
Theater
by The Autry Theatre
Supporting
Moneyball
Film
by Bennett Miller
Featured
The Social Network
Film
by David Fincher
Featured
Best Director - Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards
(2016)
Best Director - Chandler International Film Festival
(2016)
Best Director - Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival
(2016)
Best Music Video - Awareness Festival
(2016)
Best Director - Nominated - Los Angeles CineFest
(2016)
Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown (Meisner Method)
(2012-2013)
The Groundlings (Improvisation)
(2012-2013)
Killian's Commercial Workshop
(2012-2013)
Margie Haber (Scene Study)
(2012-2013)
Terri Apple (Voiceover Fundamentals)
(2012-2013)
Upright Citizens Brigade
(2012-2013)