Sam Sheridan

Sam Sheridan's interest in boxing and other forms of pugilistic sports led to a best-selling book, A A fighter's Heart (2007), and in turn, a career as a writer and producer for television, including the TNT miniseries "I Am the Night" (2019). Born and raised in Western Massachusetts, Sheridan was the son of C. Michael Sheridan, a former Navy SEAL and treasurer for the private Deerfield Academy, and Susan Sheridan, an artist and adjunct professor of art at Westfield State College. Sheridan joined the U.S. Merchant Marines after graduating high school and served in Norfolk, Virginia from 1993 to 1994; upon his discharge, he embarked on a remarkable course of personal growth, beginning with a degree in environmental studies from Harvard University in 1998 and studies in art at the Slade School in London. From there, Sheridan embarked on a global trek, seeking adventure and experience in some of the most far-flung locations in the world: crewing yachts in Australia, constructing buildings for Raytheon in the South Pole, working as a ranch hand in Montana and fighting fires for the Forest Service in New Mexico. But a journey to Thailand introduced him to the Muay Thai style of martial arts, and after months of training, he won his first match. His fascination with fighting led to further travels - to Rio to study Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Iowa to train with Ultimate Fighting Championship brawlers - and his first book, A Fighter's Heart: One Man' Journey through the World of Fighting (2007). A national bestseller, it was followed by a second volume, The Fighter's Mind (2009), which featured interviews with dozens of top fighters from every discipline to uncover their mental strategies for physical combat. The success of the two books led to opportunities in films and on television: Sheridan played himself in Gavin O'Connor's boxing drama "Warrior" (2012) and as an on-screen interviewee, provided insight for the Discovery Channel documentaries "Mankind: The Story of All of Us" (2012) and "Mankind Decoded" (2013). Four years later, Sheridan delved into narrative television, first as a writer for the CBS action-drama "SEAL Team" (2017-) and later, as creator, writer, and executive producer on "I Am the Night," a limited series drama based on a memoir by Fauna Hodel, who alleged that her grandfather, Los Angeles physician George Hodel, was the person responsible for the "Black Dahlia" murder. That same year, Sheridan also wrote his third book, The Disaster Diaries: One Man's Quest to Learn Everything Necessary to Survive the Apocalypse.