Sam Trammell
Sam Trammell (born January 29, 1969) is an American actor, best known for his role as Sam Merlotte on the HBO fantasy drama series True Blood. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Miller in Ah, Wilderness!
Sam Trammell

Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Sam Trammell
- Born
- 29 January 1969
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
- Education
- Brown University
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- United States
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q40124 · wikipedia · Sam Trammell
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Sam Trammell • Born — 29 January 1969 • Birthplace — New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. • Education — Brown University • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1996–present • Children — 2 • Partner — Missy Yager (2003–20??) Emmanuelle Chriqui (2020–present)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Trammell was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was raised in Charleston, West Virginia. He attended Brown University, graduating in 1991.
Career
Career
Trammell has worked in theater, Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television. His stage credits include a Tony Award-nominated performance in Ah, Wilderness! at Lincoln Center. Off-Broadway, he starred in Dealer's Choice, My Night with Reg, If Memory Serves, and Ancestral Voices, as well as in Kit Marlowe at the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Trammell's big break came when he landed the role of Sam Merlotte on the HBO series True Blood. In 2013, he played Darrell Mackey in the drama film White Rabbit. He played Hazel (Shailene Woodley)'s father, Michael Lancaster, in the 2014 film The Fault in Our Stars, based on the novel of the same name by John Green. In 2019, Trammell starred in the Netflix horror-drama series, The Order. He played vice president Benjamin Hayes in the final season of Homeland who is sworn in as commander-in-chief after the sitting president is killed.
Personal life
Personal life
Trammell met actress Missy Yager in 2003 while performing theatre in New York City. The couple's twin sons were born in August 2011. The couple later parted ways at an unknown time. He has been in a relationship with actress Emmanuelle Chriqui since 2020.
Filmography
Filmography
Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — Childhood's End — Greg Chute • 1997 — The Hotel Manor Inn — Nolan • 1998 — Wrestling with Alligators — Will • 2000 — Beat — Lee • Fear of Fiction — Red/Tom Hopkins • Autumn in New York — Simon • Followers — John Dietrich • 2003 — Undermind — Derrick Hall/Zane Waye • 2004 — The — Short film • 2007 — Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem — Tim O'Brien • 2008 — Miracle of Phil — Taylor — Short film • 2010 — Children of the Spider — Alex — Short film • The — Jeb — Short film • 2011 — The — Chris — Uncredited • 2012 — Guns, Girls and Gambling — Sheriff Cowley • 2013 — Crazy Kind of Love — Jeff Lucas • The privileged — Preston Westwood • White Rabbit — Darrell Mackey • 2014 — After the Fall — Lee • The — Michael Lancaster • Me — David • 2015 — All Mistakes Buried — Sonny Coles • 3 Generations — Matthew Walker • The — Scott • I Am Wrath — Detective Gibson • 2016 — Imperium — Gerry Conway • 2017 — Say You Will — Dean Hall • 2018 — It's Time — Coach Billy Brewer • 2019 — I See You — Todd • Breakthrough — Dr. Kent Sutterer • Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase — Carson Drew • 2021 — Unsilenced — Daniel Davis • American Refugee — Winter • 2022 — The Tiger Rising — Rob Horton Sr. • 2023 — Big George Foreman — Reverend Virdell Stokes • 2023 — Organ Trail — Logan • 2024 — 72 Hours Television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — Harvest of Fire — Simon Troyer — Television film • 1998 — Maximum Bob — Sonny Dupree — 2 episodes • 1998 — Trinity — Liam McCallister — 3 episodes • 2001–02 — Going to California — Kevin "Space" Lauglin — Main role; 20 episodes • 2004 — House — Ethan Hartig — Episode: "Maternity" • Anonymous Rex — Vincent Rubio — Television film • 2005 — Strong Medicine — Kiko Ellsworth — Episode: "First Response" • Judging Amy — Marty Levine — 3 episodes • Bones — Ken Thompson — Episode: "Pilot" • 2006 — CSI: NY — Charles Wright — Episode: "Heroes" • Numb3rs — Thomas Gill — Episode: "Hot Shot" • Justice — Kevin O'Neil — Episode: "Pilot" • Dexter — Matt Chambers — Episode: "Crocodile" • 2007 — What If God Were the Sun? — Jeff — Television film • Cold Case — Porter Rawley (1981) — Episode: "Blood on the Tracks" • 2008–14 — True Blood — Sam Merlotte — Main role; 81 episodes • 2009 — Medium — Dr. Brian Seward — Episode: "Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead" • Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Gray Vanderhoven — Episode: "Identity Crisis" • 2013 — Filthy Sexy Teen$ — Tom Saxson — Television special • Childrens Hospital — Denizen Stoop — Episode: "My Friend Falcon" • 2015 — Cocked — Richard Paxson — Main role • 2017 — Training Day — Emmet Rourke — Episode: "Blurred Lines" • 2016–17 — This Is Us — Ben — 4 episodes • 2019–20 — The Order — Eric Clarke — Main role (Season 1); Guest role (Season 2) • 2019 — Reckoning — Leo Doyle — Main role; Mini-series (10 episodes) • 2020 — Homeland — VP Benjamin Hayes — Recurring role • 2023 — The Rookie: Feds — Neal Wizaro — Episode: "Red One" • 2026 — Euphoria — Ellis — 3 episodes • 2026 — The Gray House — Jefferson Davis — Reoccurring role Web • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2011 — Paul the Male Matchmaker — Stu — Episode: "Know When You Are Too Old"

Actor Sam Trammell - "True Blood" 25th Annual Paley Television Festival - ArcLight Cinemas, Los Angeles.
Kristin Dos Santos · Flickr

Sam Trammell at San Diego Comic-Con 2009
tinyfroglet
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1969
Sam Trammell was born on 29 January 1969.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Sam Trammell”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q40124: Sam Trammell
General reference · Wikidata
Awards
For his work on HBO's True Blood, Trammell was nominated for: • Breakout Performance – Male at the 2009 Scream Awards • Best Supporting Actor at the 2010 Scream Awards. • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Sam Trammell, revision 1373931287 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Internet Broadway Database (The Broadway League). Sam Trammell: Performer.
- 2.TVGuide.com. Sam Trammell.
- 3.POP !! And up I sprang :). September 11, 2020.
- 4.It's Always a Fight. www.brownalumnimagazine.com.
- 5.Myers, Marc. Sam Trammell Spent His Childhood on the Move. Acting Is Where He Found Home. Wall Street Journal. 2020-07-28. 0099-9660.
- 6.Sam Trammell. TheLabMagazine.
- 7.Sam Trammel. WetPaint.
- 8.Sam Trammell - Broadway Theatre Credits. PlayBillVault.
- 9.Sam Trammell welcomes twin sons to True Blood family. SheKnows. August 11, 2011.
- 10.True Blood's Sam Trammell Joins the Fault in Our Stars. 15 August 2013.
- 11.Nellie Andreeva. Netflix Picks Up 'The Order' Horror Drama Series Starring Jake Manley & Sarah Grey. Deadline Hollywood. April 16, 2018.
- 12.Michaud, Sarah. Sam Trammell Welcomes Twin Sons. People. August 11, 2011.
- 13.Inside Emmanuelle Chriqui's romance with famous actor boyfriend, who she feels 'so lucky' to have met. HELLO!. 2025-10-09.
- 14.Three Great Things: Emmanuelle Chriqui. February 14, 2022.
- 15."Scream 2009 Breakout Performance - Male" Retrieved on 2009-09-04.
- 16.Matt Grobar. Michael Patrick Jann To Direct Western Horror Film 'Organ Trail' For Paramount Pictures; Zoé De Grand Maison, Olivia Applegate, Clé Bennett, Sam Trammell & More To Star. Deadline Hollywood. Deadline. 16 March 2022.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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