Sanderson was born on January 10, 1944[1] to an elementary school teacher mother and a landscape designer father.

He also played a supporting role as J. F. Sebastian in Ridley Scott's 1982 cyberpunk-noir film Blade Runner.

As a guest, he made appearances in television shows, and his credits include The Pretender, The X-Files, Knight Rider, Married... with Children, Babylon 5, ER, Coach, and Walker, Texas Ranger.

He plays a key role in an audio dramatization of Ursula K. Le Guin's Vaster than Empires and More Slow in NPR's 2000X series.

Sanderson had a minor role as the abusive and cruel junkyard dealer Ray in Man's Best Friend.

He played Oldham, the resident interrogation expert of the DHARMA Initiative in an episode of the fifth season of the ABC series Lost.