- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobert Dean Stockwell
- Height5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Dean Robert Stockwell grew up in North Hollywood, the son of Broadway performers Harry Stockwell and Elizabeth "Betty" Stockwell (née Veronica). His vaudevillian father was a replacement Curly in the original production of "Oklahoma!". He was also a decent tenor whose voice was used for the part of Prince Charming in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Dean's mother was a one-time Broadway chorine who used the stage moniker "Betty Veronica." His older brother was the actor Guy Stockwell.
At the age of seven, Dean made his stage debut in a Theater Guild production of Paul Osborn's The Innocent Voyage, in which his brother was also cast. The play ran for nine month. Dean was eventually spotted by a talent scout, and, on the strength of his performance, was signed by MGM in 1945. Under contract until 1947 (and again from 1949 to 1950), Stockwell became a highly sought-after child star in films like Anchors Aweigh (1945), with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, The Green Years (1946) and Song of the Thin Man (1947). His impish, dimpled looks and tousled brown hair combined with genuine acting talent kept him on the box office front line for more than a decade. Having won a Golden Globe Award as Best Juvenile Actor for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) (on loan-out to 20th Century Fox), Stockwell went on to play the title role in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1950). He came to admire his co-star Errol Flynn as a sort of role model. Thereafter, Stockwell segued into television for several years until resurfacing as a mature actor in Richard Fleischer's Compulsion (1959), (based on the infamous Leopold & Loeb murder case), co-starring with Bradford Dillman as one of the two young killers, and Orson Welles. He had already played the part on Broadway in 1957, on this occasion partnering Roddy McDowall. His last film role of note in the early 60s was as Edmund Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962). Despite developing a drinking problem on the set (for which he was chastised by Katharine Hepburn), Stockwell gave a solid performance which he later described as a career highlight.
Stockwell dropped out of show biz for some time in the 60s to join the hippie scene at which time he befriended Neil Young and Dennis Hopper. Later in the decade, he made a gleeful comeback in low budget psychedelic counterculture (Psych-Out (1968)) biker films (The Loners (1972)) and horror comedies (The Werewolf of Washington (1973)). Keeping a considerably lower profile during the 70s, he became a frequent TV guest star in popular crime dramas like Mannix (1967), Columbo (1971) The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Police Story (1973). By the early 80s, work opportunities had become scarcer and Stockwell was compelled to briefly sideline as a real estate broker. He nonetheless managed to make a comeback with a co-starring role in the Wim Wenders road movie Paris, Texas (1984). New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby wrote of his performance "Mr. Stockwell, the former child star, has aged very well, becoming an exceptionally interesting, mature actor." Stockwell subsequently enjoyed high billing in David Lynch's noirish psycho-thriller Blue Velvet (1986) and received an Oscar nomination for his Mafia don Tony "The Tiger" Russo in Married to the Mob (1988). His television career also flourished, as cigar-smoking, womanizing rear admiral Al Calavicci in the popular science fiction series Quantum Leap (1989). The role won him a Golden Globe Award in 1990 and a new generation of fans. When the show ended after five seasons, Stockwell remained gainfully employed for another decade, still frequently seen as political or military authority figures (Navy Secretary Edward Sheffield in JAG (1995), Defence Secretary Walter Dean in Air Force One (1997)) or evil alien antagonists (Colonel Grat in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), humanoid Cylon John Cavil in Battlestar Galactica (2004)).
Outside of acting, Stockwell embraced environmental issues and exhibited works of art, notably collages and sculptures. In 2015, he was forced to retire from acting after suffering a stroke. Stockwell died on November 7, 2021 due to natural causes at the age of 85.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- SpousesJoy Marchenko(December 15, 1981 - 2004) (divorced, 2 children)Millie Perkins(April 15, 1960 - July 30, 1962) (divorced)
- ChildrenAustin StockwellSophia Stockwell
- ParentsElizabeth Margaret (aka Betty Veronica) Veronica
- RelativesGuy Stockwell(Sibling)
- Often seen smoking a cigar.
- In most of his later work, there are many references to his past roles; these are often referred to by his fans as "kisses with (Dean's) history".
- The first person to win two Acting Awards at the Cannes Film Festival, but he had to share both of his awards with his co-stars.
- Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at South side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday, February 29th, 1992. Fans of Quantum Leap (1989) organized this Leap Day ceremony.
- Stockwell is an accomplished artist. He creates both digitally enhanced photographs and original collages in the style of his friend and fellow artist, Wallace Berman. He is also a friend of musician Neil Young and designed the album cover art for "American Stars'n'Bars". His art is known under his full name, Robert Dean Stockwell. He first made art for exhibition in 2003. He had a show at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Dallas, Texas in May of 2006 and has also had shows in Santa Monica, New York and Taos. His works include intricate sculptures using ordinary dice.
- According to Katharine Hepburn biographer Charles Higham, the actress became so upset with Stockwell when he showed up on the first day of shooting Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) with a bottle of vodka, she almost struck him. When she discovered that he found the set very cold, she bought him a coat, which he later found in his dressing room.
- He made guest appearances on both The Twilight Zone (1959) and The Twilight Zone (1985).
- I hate to admit it, but you can't do a role unless it's somewhere in your psyche. People don't realize how vast the subconscious is. It's like infinity.
- I started at a very early age in this business and I'm sure most of you have read stories about people who have started as children and ended up in very difficult lives and bad consequences. It's not the easiest life in the world, but then no life is easy.
- (In a 1984 interview) There were uglies and there were beauties. For me, Errol Flynn was the best. I didn't know anything about sex or what manhood was - and he opened that door for me.
- [In a 1984 interview] Dick Widmark... I remember him with such fondness. He and Errol [Flynn] had something in common. They didn't have a condescending attitude. Being human and honest in a relationship seemed to mean more to them than anything else. It meant a great deal to me. I don't know if Widmark is aware of that. They were straight with me - like, I would imagine, a father would be to a son... if he loved and respected him. And I didn't have a father with me.
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