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Alvin Sanders was born on March 16, 1952, in Oakland, California. From a young age, he was involved in performing arts through church choirs, talent shows, and school plays. In 1968, he became involved with The Seattle Repertory Theater as a "devotee," a term used by the Seattle Rep and the Actors' Equity Association for unpaid actors. Through an agreement with the public school system, students could earn high school credits by participating in rehearsals and performances; every 200 hours equated to half a credit. This opportunity also allowed students to work with professionals and learn about the theater lifestyle.
Over two years, Alvin earned 1.5 credits by performing with the Seattle Rep. While still in high school in 1969 and working at the Rep, he helped found the Black Arts/West Theater. By 1973, this theater had become one of the largest Black theaters in the United States, second only to The Negro Ensemble Company in New York. The company performed year-round at their theater and toured throughout the Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Alvin participated in all facets of the theater—directing, designing, and administration—with acting as his primary focus. In 1970, he left Seattle to attend Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home to the longest-running collegiate professional actor training program in North America. He took a break to work the 1972-73 season at Chicago's Free Street Theater but returned to graduate in 1975 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama and acting.
Alvin’s first SAG role came in 1973 with the film Cinderella Liberty. He joined Actor's Equity in 1975, performing at the Actor's Theater of Louisville, where he played Petruchio in a school tour of "Taming of the Shrew." In the summer of 1984, he traveled to Barkerville, British Columbia, Canada, to portray Wellington Delaney Moses, a Black barber in 1860s Barkerville, in a musical at The Theatre Royale. During this time, he fell in love, and his life took a new direction. That fall, Alvin married the show's stage manager and relocated to Vancouver.
Now a dual U.S./Canadian citizen, Alvin has since taken on numerous award-winning theater roles in Vancouver, along with extensive work in television, film, animation voice acting, and many national commercials across Canada and the United States.
