Former Actor, Cast of 'The Little Rascals'

Sam Saletta | Biography

Released His EP Titled ‘The Sam Saletta EP’ in 2018

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : December 06, 2021

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Sam Saletta is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. He is a former actor prominently recognized for his role as Butch in the 1994 film The Little Rascals. 

Who Is Sam Saletta?

Sam Saletta, birth name, Samuel Paul Saletta, was born on 1 October 1984 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Chuck and Caryn Saletta. He has one younger sister named Nicole Cherié. 

As a child, Saletta lived in Elmwood Park, Illinois. Later he moved to Burbank, California, where he graduated from John Burroughs High School as a class of 2002. Upon graduating from high school, he studied jazz vocals at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, California. Saletta graduated with a degree in Jazz Studies in 2006.

Saletta began his career as a child actor. According to his LinkedIn bio, Saletta started his acting career in January 1989. He spent about one and a half-decade as an on-screen and voice-over actor, appearing in multiple television shows, feature films, and commercials. 

Later, he shifted his career to music. Saletta has sung as a studio singer and performed in live events, beginning in the late 2000s. He also released his EP titled ‘The Sam Saletta EP’ in 2018.

Movies & TV Shows

In 1993, Saletta featured in a guest role of Brian in one episode titled ‘Love Hurts’ of television series ABC Afterschool Specials. The episode was aired on 16 September 1993. The same year, he guest-starred in the television series Missing Persons. He quickly landed a breakout role as a bully kid named Butch in the family comedy-drama film The Little Rascals in 1994.

He guest-starred in two television series and then appeared in a role of an obnoxious boy in the 1996 horror thriller film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2. The following year, he appeared as Joey Evers in two episodes of the romantic drama television series Beverly Hills, 90210. 

Then, from 1997 to 2001, Saletta appeared in the six episodes of the comedy-drama television series 7th Heaven. He portrayed the role of George Camden, an orphan who is taken in by the Camden family patriarch named John ‘The Colonel’ Camden (played by Peter Graves). In 1998, he appeared in a couple of films, including Some Girl and The Velocity of Gary. The following year, he appeared as a young Ethan in the comedy-drama film Dreamers.

‘The Little Rascals’

The 1994 American family comedy movie The Little Rascals is the remake of the 1950s’ television short films. The Little Rascals revolves around a group of friends who struggle to deal with circumstances, when one of them, Alfalfa (played by Bug Hall), tries to please his first crush, Darla (played by Brittany Ashton Holmes). Travis Tedford (Spanky), Kevin Jamal Woods (Stymie), Ross Bagley (Buckwheat) also starred in the film. Saletta portrayed the leading antagonist role of Butch in The Little Rascals. 

Reunion

In 2014, The Little Rascals production company, 22 Vision, made the film’s 20th Anniversary Reunion video. The cast members also posed as grown-up versions of their characters in the reunion photoshoot. They also recreated the film’s original poster.

Voice-Over Acting Career

Salette started his voice-over acting career in 1997. In the same year, he voiced the animated character, Stewart Stevenson, in seven episodes of the animated comedy television series Beavis and Butt-Head. In the same year, he did a voiceover in the animated video A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ 1983 novella of the same name. Between 1997 and 2000, he voiced the animated characters Jonas/ Travis / Stemple in five episodes of the animated comedy television series Recess. In 2001, voiced the character Yokura Tabachi in one episode of Gensomaden Saiyuki and Kuroda in an episode of Najica: Blitz Tactics. The following year, he did his voice work for the animated character Sean/Guy in the animated comedy-drama television series As Told by Ginger.  

From 1999 to 2002, he lent his voice for various featured characters such as Sam Dullard, animal, skateboarder, and spectator in 28 episodes of the animated television series short Rocket Power. He also did voice work for animated television series Rugrats (2001-2003), Lloyd in Space (2001-2003), King of the Hill (1998-2003), The Proud Family (2001-2003), E’s Otherwise (2003), Cromartie High School (2003-2004), Gantz (2004), and American Dragon: Jake Long (2005). Saletta also lent his voice to the animated character Kohta in the 2004 animated television miniseries Elfen Lied. Furthermore, Saletta has voiced in video games such as Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (2003) and Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010).

What Is Sam Saletta Doing Now?

After about one and a half decades of an acting career, Saletta pursued a career in music in 2009. According to his LinkedIn bio, he started his singing career as a studio singer in May 2009. His singing has been featured in many commercials, including Coca-Cola, Heineken, Hyundai, and I Can Afford College.com. 

He also has sung in the American rock band called James Gang. He is also a member of a California-based rock band, Jubala, per IMDb. After spending several years on other projects, he worked on his solo album in the mid-2010s. Saletta’s EP titled ‘The Sam Saletta EP’ became available on SoundCloud in April 2018.

Did You Know?

• Sam Saletta was a top-40 finalist on American Idol Season 1 when he was 19 years old.
• He has not acted in movies and television series for about three decades now.
• His nickname is Sammy.