Richard Dean Anderson was born on January 23, 1950, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Stuart Anderson, a teacher, and Jocelyn, an artist. He grew up in Roseville, a suburb of Minneapolis, with his three younger brothers. Anderson developed a love for sports, music, and acting.
As a teenager, Anderson dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player, but a series of injuries, including breaking both of his arms, forced him to reconsider. He went on a 5,641-mile bicycle trip from Minnesota to Alaska, which gave him a sense of direction in his life.
Anderson studied drama at St. Cloud State University and Ohio University, but did not complete his degree. He moved to New York and later to Los Angeles, where he worked as a juggler, street mime, and Renaissance-style cabaret performer. He also held fish in his mouth for killer whales at Marineland.
Anderson's big break came in 1976 when he was cast as Dr. Jeff Webber on the popular daytime drama General Hospital. He played the role for five years before moving on to prime-time drama. He made guest appearances on shows such as The Facts of Life and The Love Boat and starred in two CBS series, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Emerald Point N.A.S.
Anderson's next big success came in 1985 when he won the role of the title character in the ABC adventure series MacGyver. He played the role for seven seasons and reprised it in two TV movies. He also founded his own production company, Gekko Film Corp, with Michael Greenburg.
After MacGyver ended, Anderson appeared in made-for-television movies such as In the Eyes of a Stranger and Beyond Betrayal. He returned to series television in 1995 as Ernest Pratt/Nicodemus Legend in the adventure series Legend.
Anderson found major success again when cast as Colonel Jack O'Neill in the adventure/science fiction series Stargate SG-1. The series premiered in 1997 and ran for 10 seasons. Anderson appeared in the spin-off series Stargate: Atlantis and the video game Stargate SG-1: The Alliance.
Anderson has been in a relationship with Apryl A. Prose since 1996 and has one child, Wylie Quinn Annarose Anderson, born in 1998.
