David Anders (born David Anders Holt on March 11, 1981) is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Julian Sark on the Alias television series.
David was born in Grants Pass, Oregon, to parents Dr. Tony and Jori Holt. He has two brothers, Jason and Arik, and a sister, Maili. The youngest of four children (one biological brother, an adopted brother, and an adopted sister), he was an energetic youth active in many sports, including basketball and tennis.
Anders started acting in local theatre productions like Jesus Christ Superstar and My Fair Lady. After moving to Los Angeles, he soon landed the role of spy Julian Sark ("Mr. Sark") on the television series Alias (2001-2006). He recently made his New York stage debut playing the lead role in the 2005 Fringe Festival production of the original musical, Beautiful.
David began acting as a young boy in school plays in his native southern Oregon, but athletics occupied him until he was a senior in high school. At 17, he played Philip the Apostle in a regional theater production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The following year Anders won the part of George in his high school's production of Our Town. Directly following that, he went on to portray Freddy Eynsford-Hill in a production of My Fair Lady.
Following the closing of My Fair Lady in August 1999, David faced some big decisions regarding his life and career. He had been accepted at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, but decided to make the huge leap of immersing himself in the business immediately. One week and 800 miles later, he landed in Los Angeles. He took the stage name of David Anders because there is already an actor named David Holt. He made the decision to go by his middle name, Anders.
On stage, Anders played the lead role in the world premiere of Rockne: The Musical. He also appeared in The Diary of Anne Frank, which received an award for Best Ensemble performance at the Backstage West Garland Awards.
Although there is no such thing as an "overnight success," David landed the role of Alias' Julian Sark after just two film and television credits - the independent film The Surge and an appearance on the Olsen twins television series So Little Time. The role he received was his breakthrough role in J.J. Abrams' Alias, as an assassin with no loyalty, Mr. Sark. It was first a guest starring which eventually became a regular.
The Surge, often called a cult classic, is about four outcast teenagers that acquire mystical powers. Each become "god" like and try to run their school. However, along with the powers come deadly consequences. In this movie Anders played Booji, a school bully. He doesn't have much screen time but still makes life hard for the main characters.
Along with The Surge, Anders also appeared in Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's comedy So Little Time. For this role he played an ordinary High School Senior. In this episode ("Rules of Engagement) both twins sit with him at lunch and ask him about college. In the end he scares both of them away. While this role wasn't big, fans were excited to see him and look back on how he has changed.
To make ends meet before finding success on Alias, Anders worked at The Gap and taught tennis. In December 2001 he appeared in The Source magazine in an ad for the rapper Canibus, in which Anders doubles as Eminem. David was also in many various plays and guest starring roles. He had a part in Charmed, CSI and Grey's Anatomy. David is currently working on the independent films Peacock and Left of Darkness. He could also be seen at an Off-Broadway rock musical, Beautiful.
Beautiful, which was shown during the New York International Fringe Festival, is where David was cast to be a lead, along with Rodney Hicks (an original cast member of the hit Broadway musical Rent) in production. Beautiful is a rock opera about a painter, Sebastian Dunne, who's "art and life become one as his past steps off the canvas. Dark and edgy, Beautiful follows a man held captive by his search for beauty." This was written by Michael Arquilla and Stephen Barnett, and directed by Al Sgro.
David is also currently working on a horror film, Left in Darkness. The movie stars actress Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason, TV's Undeclared and Entourage) in the lead role. He will be playing the role of Donavan, a guardian and protector of Kenna's character Celia. The movie is set to be released in theaters in 2006.
Anders still enjoys all athletics and is proficient in most. He loves working with kids and teaches tennis in Los Angeles in the summer. When not in his instructional mode on the tennis court, he likes to play as much golf as he possibly can - recently playing in two Celebrity Pro-Am events at The Riviera and Malibu Country Clubs.
As of 2006 David is now a part of Alias costar Greg Grunberg's band, Battle of the Network Stars. He sings main vocals alongside Boston Legal's Bonnie Somerville. Other than Grunberg, Hugh Laurie (House) on keyboards and James Denton (Desperate Housewives) on guitar will be a part of the project. The band's main goal is to raise money for major charities. According to Grunberg they "charge an incredible amount of money to play corporate events, but if it's all going to charity, then it's worth every dime."
David has recently been cast in a series-regular role in the second season of NBC’s hit “Heros� as Kane/Takezo Kensei a new character who's been alive for 1,000 years.
David Anders is best known for his role on Alias. The role he received was a breakthrough change on JJ Abram's hit series. His character was an assassin with no loyalty, the deliciously evil Mr. Julian Sark. It was first a guest starring which eventually became a regular. Though not much is known about Sark, he easily became a favorite among fans. Today many eagerly wait for his return.
While Sark has a huge fan basis, many don't realize that David isn't British. His character has such a strong and convincing accent that he even said people go up to him and wait for the accent, and presume to ask, "Where are you from?". He's even gone as far as joking that he has built up a fan base in Australia and England, because of his accurate accent.
