Anthony Sadler
Sadler in 2015.
Born	Anthony Sadler Jr. c. 1991 or 1992 (age 31–32) Sacramento, California, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	California State University, Sacramento (2012–2017; B.S. in kinesiology)[1]
Occupation	Actor · television personality · writer
Years active	2015–present
Known for	Stopping a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015
Parent	Anthony "Tony" Sadler Sr.[2] (father)

Anthony Sadler Jr. (born c. 1991 or 1992) is an American actor, television personality and writer. Sadler, along with Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015, gaining international fame for their role in the event. Recognized by U.S. and foreign government leaders, including then-U.S. President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande, Sadler received several awards and decorations for his actions. He, along with his friends, received the Legion of Honour by the French president which is the highest French order for military and civil merits. After the event, Salder made several television appearances, including a guest appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and honored with the 2016 Spike Guys Choice Award on Spike TV, among other appearances. He, Skarlatos and Stone, co-authored a memoir titled The 15:17 to Paris published in August 2016, which detailed the events leading up to the attack, which occurred a year prior to the release of the book. In July 2017, it was announced that Clint Eastwood would direct a upcoming biographical film titled after Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone's memoir, starring them, along with actresses Jenna Fischer and Judy Greer. The film will be released on February 9, 2017 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Sadler graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2017.

2015 Thalys train attack

On August 21, 2015, Sadler and his childhood friends Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, were traveling together during a sightseeing vacation in Europe when they boarded Thalys train 9364 from Amsterdam bound to Paris via Brussel.^[3] A 25-year-old Moroccan man, believed to be Ayoub El-Khazzani,^[4] was in train car No. 12, armed with an AKM assault rifle and equipped with 270 rounds of ammunition.^[5] Several people tried to stop the gunman, but failed to do so.^[4] Sadler reported that they heard a gunshot and breaking glass behind them, seeing an employee sprint down the aisle followed by a man with an automatic rifle.^[6] Stone woke up from the breaking glass, with Skarlatos telling Stone to "go".^[7] Stone tackled the armed suspect, and was stabbed in the neck and eyebrow and almost lost his thumb.^[6] Skarlatos took action and seized the assailant's rifle, beating him in the head with the muzzle of it until he was unconscious.^[8] Skarlatos stated that "I was thinking about survival," and "[i]t was to survive and for everybody else on the train to make it."^[9] Sadler and British man Chris Norman helped to subdue the gunman. Sadler stated that "He was just telling us to give back his gun. 'Give me back my gun! Give me back my gun!' But we just carried on beating him up and immobilised him and that was it."^[10]

International recognition

After the event, Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone received international attention for their actions in preventing the attack. French president François Hollande awarded Sadler, his friends Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, as well as British businessman Chris Norman, France's highest decoration, Knights of the Legion of Honour (Chevaliers de la Légion d'honneur).^[11] Hollande said the men "faced [off] with terror" and that they "gave us a lesson in courage, in will, and therefore in hope".^[11] French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised them for their bravery, as well as then-British Prime Minister David Cameron.^[12]

The White House expressed gratitude for "courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including U.S. service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker..."^[13] U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned the three Americans, thanking them for their heroic actions.^[14] General Philip M. Breedlove of the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, added his voice, calling the three Americans heroes for their actions which "clearly illustrate the courage and commitment our young men and women have all the time, whether they are on duty or on leave."^[15]

Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento, California, held a parade to honor Skarlatos, Sadler, Stone, and the victims of the September 11 attacks.^[16] Stone was awarded a United States Air Force Airman's Medal and a Purple Heart at a ceremony held at The Pentagon.^[17]

Career and public image

Shortly after the foiling of the 2015 Thalys train attack earlier that year, Sadler made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with host Jimmy Fallon in September 2015, discussing his role in disarming the gunman.^[18] Months later in 2016, Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone started working on a memoir, titled The 15:17 to Paris, detailing the events of the train attack.^[19] Perseus Books Group, who published the book, described the memoir as “the gripping true story of a terrorist attack that would have killed more than 500 people if not for their actions, but it is also the story of three American boys, their friendship, and the values we hold dear.” David Steinberger, president and chief executive of Perseus Books Group, said that he was “confident that this is going to be a film. It’s extremely cinematic, and there’s a lot of interest in the movie.”^[19] He further stated, "based on the material, that this was going to be an important book and one that readers were really going to respond to.”^[19] The memoir was made available to the public on August 23, 2016, almost a year after the 2015 Thalys train attack.^[20] Sadler made an appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in October 2016 as a part of a special "Hometown Heroes" week. Playing as a team with Skarlatos and Stone, they won $250,000.^[21] In July 2017, it was announced that Clint Eastwood would direct the upcoming biographical film titled after Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler's memoir, starring them, along with actresses Jenna Fischer and Judy Greer. Filming began on July 11, 2017 and the film will be released on February 9, 2018.^[22] When asked about casting the trio as themselves in the film, Eastwood stated that he was considering casting actors "But I kept looking at the faces of these young men...it just struck me that it would be an interesting experiment."^[23]

Bibliography

• The 15:17 To Paris (2016) (ISBN 978-1610397339)

Filmography

Awards and decorations

Awards

Decorations

Ribbon	Decoration
	Legion of Honour

References

External links

• Anthony Sadler at IMDb
• "French Train Hero Anthony Sadler Describes Disarming Gunman" on YouTube – Sadler makes an appearance on an episode of the The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. 1 September 2015 (video).