- During the making of La dernière séance (1971), he often tagged along to watch filming with his elder brother Timothy Bottoms and one day the director Peter Bogdanovich decided to test screen Sam and eventually cast him as Billy.
- He has appeared in three films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: La dernière séance (1971), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Pur sang: la légende de Seabiscuit (2003).
- Began acting at the Santa Barbara (California) Youth Theatre at age 10.
- Father is sculptor James "Bud" Bottoms.
- His daughter Io Bottoms is also an actor.
- Had two daughters from his first wife Susan Arnold, Io and Clara.
- He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: La dernière séance (1971), Josey Wales hors-la-loi (1976) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
- He was cremated and his ashes given to his widow.
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