Christoph Sanders

Best known for his role as Ned Banks on the supernatural TV drama "Ghost Whisperer," Christoph Sanders discovered his interest in acting at age nine, when he tried a drama class at the Flat Rock Playhouse. As a youth, he balanced local theater with home schooling and his Boy Scouts of America activities. By 16 he was an Eagle Scout, working in commercials, and by 18 he'd made his film debut with a bit part as a pizza delivery boy in the Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." He followed this with a role in the controversial indie drama "Hounddog," which infamously featured a scene in which Sanders's character rapes a young girl, played by 12-year-old actress Dakota Fanning. Outrage over the scene coupled with middling reviews served to kill the film's box office showing, but Sanders had proved himself a risk-taker and was rewarded. In 2008, he took over the role of "Ghost Whisperer" confidante Ned Banks, a part previously played by a younger actor, Tyler Patrick Jones. Producers hoped making the character older would allow them to place Ned in more mature and dynamic plot lines. The tactic proved fruitful; as fans responded to the new Ned, the role was bumped up from a recurring role to a series regular in the fourth season. The series came to an end after its fifth season in the spring of 2010.