Michael J. Anderson

Anderson has the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that leads to frequent breaks in long bones and improper healing, leaving him with a height of 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m).^{[citation needed]}

Before his acting career, Anderson worked as a computer technician for Martin Marietta. He was part of the ground support system for NASA's Space Shuttle.^[2][3] He appeared as himself in the 1984 documentary Little Mike: A Videoportrait of Michael Anderson.^[2] He also appeared in the 1985 promo video for Yoko Ono's song "Hell in Paradise".

Anderson's first acting role was in the series Monsters, appearing in two episodes in 1988 and 1990.

Anderson appeared as The Man from Another Place in four episodes of David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks, attired in a red suit and speaking in an unusual manner.

Anderson had used phonetically reversed speaking as a secret language with his junior high school friends,^[4] and the same method was used in the series. Anderson would speak into a recorder. This was then played in reverse, and Anderson was directed to repeat the reversed original. This "reverse-speech" was then reversed again in editing to bring it back to the normal direction. This phonetic reversal created the strange cadences, rhythms, and accentuation that set Cooper's dreamworld apart from the real world.^[5] Lynch was unaware of Anderson's familiarity with the phonetic reversal method when he cast Anderson, and had hired a trainer to help with enunciation. When he found out Anderson could already talk backward, he canceled the trainer and wrote more difficult lines of dialogue for Anderson.^[6]

Anderson's character first appears in Special Agent Dale Cooper's cryptic dream about the murder of Laura Palmer, set in a red room.^[7] Anderson also appeared as the Man from Another Place in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, the prequel film to Twin Peaks.

Anderson portrayed Rumpelstiltskin in the 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "If Wishes Were Horses" and appeared two years later in The X-Files episode "Humbug". He portrayed a man of average height in Lynch's 2001 film Mulholland Drive, using a prosthetic body.^[8] From 2003 to 2005, Anderson was a cast member of the TV series Carnivàle. Other television and film roles include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Charmed, Cold Case, and Adventure Time. Anderson retired from acting in 2014. His last role was in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.^[9]

In 2015, Anderson was asked to reprise his role as The Man from Another Place for Twin Peaks' third season but declined over compensation.^[10] The character instead appears as a talking, CGI-created luminescent tree that is introduced as "the evolution of the arm" and voiced by an uncredited actor. When asked who provided the voice, executive producer Sabrina Sutherland replied, "Unfortunately, I think this question should remain a mystery and not be answered."^[9]

In 2016, Anderson accused Lynch of crimes ranging from pedophilia to rape and murder. His allegations against Lynch have never been corroborated or substantiated in any way. Lynch's daughter acknowledged them in an Instagram post wherein she said she hoped Anderson "receives the help and peace he needs".^[10]

• (1985) "Hell in Paradise," music promo video by Yoko Ono
• (1989) "Turtle Song", music promo video by alternative band Hugo Largo
• (2000) Lodge Anathema (with The Nether-Carols)