Sander was born in
Washington, D.C. His father was an
Air Force lieutenant colonel. While attending
Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington, as sophomore, he played shortstop on the school's baseball team. In his senior year, he was a 10th round draft pick for the
California Angels and was accepted after he graduated from high school in 1973. Though he had turned down football scholarships from Washington and
Washington State University, he had an unsuccessful season with the Angels and was eventually released. Sander and
Richard Karn attended the same junior high school in Seattle and played against each other on their respective high schools’ football teams. After being released from the Angels and playing one season for the
Seattle Rainiers, he accepted a football scholarship from
University of Puget Sound. He considered becoming a sports broadcaster and took up an acting class in hopes it would help his performance. He participated in college plays including
Waiting for Godot. After earning a teaching degree, he briefly taught at
Curtis Senior High School in
University Place, Washington. After quitting, he drove to Los Angeles and worked as a shipyard hand, log-cabin builder, bartender and car dealer to get by before getting an acting agent. Sander has a son, Max, and a daughter, Mimi. ==Acting career==