Samuel Bielich III, professionally known as Sam Ayers, is a multifaceted individual who has effortlessly transitioned between various roles throughout his life and career.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Ayers became the first varsity quarterback in the history of Merrimack High School and went on to become the first member of his family to pursue higher education.
At Memphis State University, he joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and was named Lambda Chi Associate of the Year in 1976. During his time at the university, Ayers created a character for a fraternity skit, a medicine man with a fur and a special hat, which would later become a defining aspect of his persona.
After college, Ayers began his career as a mascot for the Memphis Chicks minor league baseball team and other teams, eventually landing a job as the mascot for the Texas Rangers. While in Texas, he studied acting and landed various extra roles, including appearances on the popular TV series Dallas.
Ayers also ventured into modeling and worked as the entertainment director for a cruise line, performing stand-up comedy for passengers. He later moved to New York, where he began using Ayers professionally as his last name.
He found recurring roles on several soap operas before moving to Florida, where he was hired as the lead for Universal Studios' Wild West Stunt Show. Ayers continued to appear in TV shows and films, both as an actor and stuntman, and also received roles in the theater.
In 1995, Ayers made the permanent move to Los Angeles, where he was cast as "Sam the Sweeper" on the NBC series The Pretender, appearing in roughly half of the episodes during the show's four-year run.
Ayers married actress Robin Trapp in 1998, and the couple welcomed their daughter Alexis Ann the following year. Currently, Ayers continues to work in Los Angeles while also making time to spend with his family.
