Sam J. Jones (born August 12, 1954) is an American actor, often credited as Sam Jones. Often cast as a hero in action films, he has also played several villains since the early 1990s. He was born Samuel Gerald Jones in Chicago, Illinois. Sam made his first film appearance opposite Bo Derek in the 1979 romance comedy film 10. Today he is largely remembered for his portrayal of the comic book hero Flash Gordon in the 1980 film of the same name. Sam played the lead in a 1987 U.S. adaptation of Will Eisner's comics character The Spirit. Sam appeared in Playgirl magazine's June 1975 issue in a photo layout featuring full frontal nudity. He used the name Andrew Cooper III which he has since admitted was an alias created by the editors to suggest he was a person of wealth. Sam has been married twice and is the father of five children.