Joe Beaudoin Jr.: Created page with "{{Crew Data | image= | role= Second Assistant Director | series= TOS | series 2= 1980 | born_month= 07 | born_day= 11 | born_year= 1938 | death_month= 03 | death_day= 02 | death_year= 2015 | nationality= US | imdb= 0762548 | sortkey= Sanford, Charles Watson }} '''Charles Watson Sanford''' (July 11, 1938 – March 2, 2015), also known as '''Charles W. Sanford Jr.''', and often credited as '''Charles Sanford''' or '''Charles W. Sanford''', was an American second assistan..."

2025-11-09T04:36:37Z

Created page with "{{Crew Data | image= | role= Second Assistant Director | series= TOS | series 2= 1980 | born_month= 07 | born_day= 11 | born_year= 1938 | death_month= 03 | death_day= 02 | death_year= 2015 | nationality= US | imdb= 0762548 | sortkey= Sanford, Charles Watson }} '''Charles Watson Sanford''' (July 11, 1938 – March 2, 2015), also known as '''Charles W. Sanford Jr.''', and often credited as '''Charles Sanford''' or '''Charles W. Sanford''', was an American second assistan..."

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{{Crew Data
| image=
| role= Second Assistant Director
| series= TOS
| series 2= 1980
| born_month= 07
| born_day= 11
| born_year= 1938
| death_month= 03
| death_day= 02
| death_year= 2015
| nationality= US
| imdb= 0762548
| sortkey= Sanford, Charles Watson
}}

'''Charles Watson Sanford''' (July 11, 1938 – March 2, 2015), also known as '''Charles W. Sanford Jr.''', and often credited as '''Charles Sanford''' or '''Charles W. Sanford''', was an American second assistant director, production manager, and director who worked extensively in television from the late 1970s through the 1990s.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_biography">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762548/|title=Charles Watson Sanford|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref><ref group="external" name="chicagotribune_sanford_obituary">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/obituaries/charles-sanford-chicago-il/|title=Charles Sanford Obituary|publisher=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref> He served as second assistant director for the [[Original Series|original]] ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' series during its 1978-1979 run on [[Wikipedia:American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], as well as on the sequel series ''[[Galactica 1980]]''.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_filmography">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762548/|title=Charles Watson Sanford - Filmography|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref>

== Early Life ==

Charles Watson Sanford was born on July 11, 1938, in Poughkeepsie, New York.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_biography" /> He would go on to pursue a career in television production, specializing in assistant director work that required strong organizational skills, crew coordination, and the ability to manage complex shooting schedules.

== Career ==

=== ''Battlestar Galactica'' ===

Sanford's most significant genre work came when he joined the production of the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series as second assistant director for the 1978-1979 season.<ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_sanford">{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0076984/fullcredits/|title=Battlestar Galactica (TV Series 1978-1979) - Full cast & crew|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref> He was credited as "Charles Sanford" throughout most of the series' run.<ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_sanford" /> Sanford worked on 14 episodes of the series, serving alongside first assistant director [[William Holbrook|Bill Holbrook]].<ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_sanford" />

As second assistant director, Sanford's responsibilities included preparing daily call sheets, coordinating with various department heads, managing background actors and extras, and ensuring smooth transitions between scenes. His work on notable episodes included "[[Saga of a Star World]]," "[[Lost Planet of the Gods]]" (Parts 1 and 2), "[[The Lost Warrior]]," and "[[The Young Lords]]."<ref group="external" name="imdb_lost_planet_credits">{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0519746/fullcredits/|title=Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods (TV Episode 1978) - Full cast & crew|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref><ref group="external" name="imdb_lost_warrior_credits">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0519755/fullcredits/|title=Battlestar Galactica: The Lost Warrior (TV Episode 1978) - Full cast & crew|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref><ref group="external" name="imdb_young_lords_credits">{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0519759/fullcredits/|title=Battlestar Galactica: The Young Lords (TV Episode 1978) - Full cast & crew|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref>

=== ''Galactica 1980'' and Beyond ===

Following the original series, Sanford continued with the franchise by serving as second assistant director on ''[[Galactica 1980]]'', the short-lived sequel series that aired in 1980.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_filmography" />

Sanford worked on several other notable television [[Glen A. Larson]] productions during the same period. He served as second assistant director on ''[[Wikipedia:The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo|The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo]]'' in 1979 and ''[[Wikipedia:B. J. and the Bear|B.J. and the Bear]]'' in 1981.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_filmography" />

=== Later Career ===

Later in his career, Sanford transitioned to production management and directing work. He served as production manager on ''[[Wikipedia:Ragin' Cajun|Ragin' Cajun]]'' (1990), credited as Charles W. Sanford.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_filmography" /> This progression from assistant director to production manager reflected his accumulated expertise in managing television and film productions.

== Personal Life ==

Charles Watson Sanford was married to Diane Herro on October 6, 1973, a union that lasted until his death in 2015.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_biography" /> He was also previously married to Sue Anne Purcell.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_biography" /> Sanford had two daughters, Brooke Young and Deidre Gilbert.<ref group="external" name="chicagotribune_sanford_obituary">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/obituaries/charles-sanford-chicago-il/|title=Charles Sanford Obituary|publisher=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=November 8, 2025}}</ref>

Charles Watson Sanford died on March 2, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois, from melanoma at the age of 76.<ref group="external" name="imdb_sanford_biography" /> His family requested that memorials be made to melanoma cancer research in lieu of flowers.<ref group="external" name="chicagotribune_sanford_obituary" /> Services and interment were private.<ref group="external" name="chicagotribune_sanford_obituary" />

== References ==

=== External Sources ===
{{reflist|group=external}}

Charles Sanford - Revision history