Sam Woodyard (January 7, 1925 – September 20, 1988) was an American jazz drummer. Woodyard was largely an autodidact on drums and played locally in the Newark, New Jersey area in the 1940s. He performed with Paul Gayten in an R&B group, then played in the early 1950s with Joe Holiday, Roy Eldridge, and Milt Buckner. In 1955 he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra and remained until 1966. He died of cancer in Paris at the age of 63.