Samuel Joseph Byck (January 30, 1930 – February 22, 1974) was an American hijacker and attempted assassin. On February 22, 1974, he attempted to hijack a plane flying out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport, intending to crash into the White House in the hopes of killing President Richard Nixon. [1] During the incident, Byck killed a policeman and a pilot, but was shot and wounded ...

The film starred Sean Penn as Bicke (the spelling was changed to avoid offending living relatives). The History Channel also ran a special on Byck entitled, "The Plot to Kill Nixon." The 9/11 Commission Report also mentioned Byck's attempt to fly a plane into the White House.

Byck had been investigated by the Secret Service in 1972 for threatening the president. No charges were brought against him. On Christmas Eve 1973, he picketed the White House as Santa Claus, carrying a sign that read, “Santa Sez: All I Want For Christmas is my constitutional rights to peaceably petition my government for redress of grievances.”

In 1973, 43-year-old Philadelphia resident Sam Bicke is a down on his luck salesman who desperately wishes to reconcile with his estranged wife Marie (Naomi Watts). A constant moralizer, he states that he stopped working at the tire shop owned by his brother Julius (Michael Wincott) because he would lie to his customers.

Jan 13, 2005 · The alienated Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) with the estranged-family dog (not Checkers) in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon."

The Assassination of Richard Nixon, a feature film based on Byck, was released in 2004 and starred Sean Penn as “Sam Bicke.”

Feb 22, 2012 · Sam Byck. Bonus Facts: Byck was later found to have sent similar letters as the above, along with recordings, to various news agencies, including to famed reporter Jack Anderson. Jack Anderson himself was the target of an assassination attempt; this one instigated by the Nixon administration.

Jan 20, 2005 · Sean Penn plays Sam Bicke, an ordinary guy who tried to kill Richard Nixon in 1974. (Image courtesy of ThinkFilm) In February 1974, a failed hijacking at an Ohio Airport received little attention.

Sam Bicke (Penn), a hopeless loser who shoots himself in the foot at every turn, ends up blaming Nixon for his downfall and decides to hijack a jet and fly it into the White House. Based on the true story of a failed plot, film focuses on showing Bicke's gradual but certain descent, played by Penn with gutwrenching nakedness.

Byck (whose name is spelled as “Bicke” in the movie) is played by Sean Penn. Samuel Byck held a series of jobs after his 1956 discharge from the U.S. Army, including that of tire salesman. Prone to depression, his wife divorced him by 1972 and received custody of their four children.