John Todd Anderson (1958 or 1959 – October 1, 2026) was an American storyboard artist who worked with a number of filmmakers, including the Coen brothers. He also, along with film archivist and friend George Willeman and WYSO D.J. Niki Dakota, produced the radio show Filmically Perfect.
Anderson made his directorial debut in 1998 with the film The Naked Man. A few years later, he served as second unit director on the Coen brothers' Intolerable Cruelty, which earned him membership in the Directors Guild of America.
He received credit for appearing in Fargo as "Victim in Field". Instead of his name being used, he was credited with the symbol for the artist formerly known as Prince, which was turned on its side and a smiley face drawn in the circle.7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Fargo!, CineFix, March 7, 2016Dayton Daily News, Friday, March 22, 1996, p.1 In addition, his name was used in the 2010 film True Grit as one of the many aliases for the outlaw Tom Chaney.
Background John Todd Anderson was born in Springfield, Ohio.
Storyboard Anderson stated that his role as storyboard artist was "less creative than interpretive". When working with Ethan and Joel Coen, the Coens go through the movie shot by shot, and Anderson works to "establish the scale, trap the angle, ID the character, get the action". Afterwards he sits and does a more polished drawing from the sketches drawn with the directors. After getting feedback from the filmmakers and adding several details, such as facial expressions, necessary props and arrows depicting actor and camera movement, the drawings are photocopied and given to everyone on the set. Thus, the storyboards Anderson created are vital to the smooth process and good communication on the film set.
Pop opera Anderson wrote the words and music for a pop opera entitled Nativity. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of angels. First performed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1995, the show was not performed again until 2008. For the piece, Anderson cited being influenced by rock operas such as Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar as well as gospel musicals.
Death Anderson died from cancer at a hospital in Orange County, California, on October 1, 2026, at the age of 67.
Filmography Year FilmCredit 1987 Raising Arizona"storyboard artist" 1989 Twister"storyboard artist" 1990 Miller's Crossing"storyboard artist"1991A Rage in Harlem(uncredited)1991Little Man Tate(uncredited) 1991 Barton Fink"storyboard artist" 1991 The Addams Family"storyboard artist"1993Addams Family Values(uncredited) 1994 The Hudsucker Proxy"storyboard artist" 1994 Nadja"storyboard artist"1994Nell(uncredited) 1995 Search and Destroy"storyboard artist", as J.T. Anderson 1995 Something to Talk About(uncredited) 1996 Fargo"storyboard artist", also as "Victim in Field", credited by a symbol parodying that used by Prince 1996I Love You, I Love You Not"storyboard artist" 1998 The Big Lebowski"storyboard artist"1998Overnight Delivery"storyboard artist"1998American Cuisine"storyboard artist" 1999 Weeping Shriner"storyboard artist" 2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?"storyboard artist"2001The Man Who Wasn't There"Hand-to-Eye Man" 2002 The Mothman Prophecies"storyboard artist" 2002 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"storyboard artist" 2003 Shooting Miller's Crossing: A Conversation with Barry Sonnenfeld"storyboard artist"2003Intolerable Cruelty"Unit Limner" 2004 The Stepford Wives"storyboard artist"2004The Ladykillers"Inks and Leads"2006Paris, Je T'aime (segment "Tuileries")"storyboard artist", as Todd Anderson 2007 No Country for Old Men"Visual Consultant"2007A West Texas Children's Story"storyboard artist" 2007 Have Dreams, Will Travel"storyboard artist" 2008 Nosebleed"storyboard artist"2008Leatherheads"conceptual consultant" 2008 Burn After Reading"Graphite Operator"2009A Serious Man"Pen Grappler"2009Whip It"Executive Artist" 2009 Norman"storyboard artist" 2010 True Grit"Drawboy"2011The Big Bang"storyboard artist"2011Paul"storyboard artist"2012Contraband"storyboard artist"2012The Dictator"storyboard artist" 2013 Inside Llewyn Davis"Nibdipper"2013A Night in Old Mexico"storyboard artist"2014The Bag Man "storyboard artist" 2016 Hail, Caesar!"storyboarded by"2016The Nice Guys"storyboard artist"2016Warcraft"storyboard artist"2017Freak Show"storyboard artist"2017Suburbicon"storyboard artist"2018I Got This"storyboard artist"2018The Old Man and the Gun"storyboard artist"2018The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"storyboard artist"2018The Predator"storyboard artist"2019The Peanut Butter Falcon"storyboard artist"2021The Tragedy of Macbeth"storyboard artist"2022Servant, episode "Ring""storyboard artist"2022The Pentaverate (6 episodes)"storyboard artist"2023Fool's Paradise"storyboard artist"2024Drive-Away Dolls"storyboard artist"2024You Can't Run Forever"visual consultant"2025Honey Don't!"storyboard artist"2025Play Dirty"storyboard artist"2027Jack of Spades"storyboard artist"
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