Sam Lloyd Jr. (November 12, 1963 – April 30, 2020), was an American actor, singer, and musician, best known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series Scrubs and the sitcom Cougar Town.

Early life

Lloyd was born in Weston, Vermont, on November 12, 1963. He was the nephew of Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd, and his father, Sam Lloyd, was also an actor. He was one of five siblings including Laurel, Robin, Sandra, and Jackson.

He attended Syracuse University in the 1980s.[4] There he starred in friend Paul Perry's student film Fan Mail, which Lloyd described as a "clever, fun, kind of homage to silent films."

Career

Lloyd is best remembered for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series Scrubs and the sitcom Cougar Town. He and his uncle both guest starred on Malcolm in the Middle, Lloyd as a housing lawyer and his uncle as Hal's father. The two also guested on The West Wing, Lloyd requesting the White House to release information about UFOs and his uncle as a constitutional law expert. He also appeared in Desperate Housewives as Albert Goldfine. Aside from acting, Lloyd was an accomplished singer with the a cappella group The Blanks, who made many appearances on Scrubs under the name The Worthless Peons (also known as Ted's Band). He also played the bass guitar in a Beatles tribute group called the Butties; although right-handed, he learned to play bass left-handed like Beatles bassist Paul McCartney to maintain authenticity.

Illness and death

In January 2019, Lloyd was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, which was subsequently revealed to be metastatic lung cancer that had spread to his liver, spine, and jaw. His wife Vanessa had given birth to their first child, son Weston, around the time Lloyd received his diagnosis. He died on April 30, 2020 in Los Angeles at the age of 56.