Sadler's chameleon-like ability to create characters has won him many diverse roles on stage, film, and TV. The handsome actor first registered with film audiences as the villainous Colonel Stewart in the Bruce Willis action pic "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" (1990). Classically trained, Sadler started out in theater, amassing over 75 professional appearances in his 12-year New York stage career. This phase culminated with him originating the role of Sgt. Toomey in Neil Simon's Broadway hit "Biloxi Blues" (1985) for which he received several awards.

Sadler was a vivid presence in Walter Hill's hard-boiled crime drama "Trespass" (1992) as an adventurous fireman whose obsession with gold leads to disaster. He made an even more lasting impression with his wonderfully comic portrayal of the Grim Reaper in "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991). He locked horns with the formidable Steven Seagal in "Hard to Kill" (1990), but "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) displayed him bringing a sense of humor and hope to the role of a hardened killer.