[2] After leaving school he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, after which he followed the traditional route of provincial repertory and touring before being cast in supporting roles in West End productions during the 1970s,[1] including Pirandello's Henry IV, with Rex Harrison;[3] Pericles, with Derek Jacobi, and Pinero's The Gay Lord Quex, with Judi Dench, directed by John Gielgud.

[1] He appeared in leading stage roles, in Leicester in 1979 in Sartre's The Assassin,[4] Brighton in 1984 in Love Affair with Siân Phillips,[5] and at the Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon in 1985 in On Approval with Polly James and Christopher Biggins,[6] On British television, he was cast in Brideshead Revisited; Upstairs, Downstairs; Rumpole of the Bailey; Quiller and Gentlemen and Players.

[7] In the early 1990s, Sachs moved to Los Angeles after being cast as a guest star in the television series Jake and the Fatman and played Adam Carrington in the miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion.

He appeared in several science-fiction programmes on television, including Star Trek: Voyager and Torchwood, and in 1999 played General Sarris in the satirical comedy Galaxy Quest, co-starring Tim Allen[7] and Sigourney Weaver.

[7] Sachs became known for his role as the sorcerer Ethan Rayne in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and for voicing Zaeed Massani in the Mass Effect video game franchise, Admiral Saul Karath in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Sergeant Roderick in SpongeBob SquarePants and Xoloti in Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom.