# dean stockwell ![[deanstockwell(1965).jpg|300]] stockwell in 1965 born: robert dean stockwell march 5 1936 los angeles california u.s died: november 7 2021 (aged 85) whangarei new zealand occupation: actor years active: 1945-2015 spouses: millie perkins ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1962)​ - joy marchenko ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 2004)​ children: 2 parent: harry stockwell (father) relatives: guy stockwell (brother) awards: cannes film festival award for best actor (1959 1962) - golden globe award (1947 1990) robert dean stockwell (march 5 1936 - november 7 2021) was an american actor with a career spanning seven decades. as a child actor under contract to metro-goldwyn-mayer ey first came to the public's attention in films including anchors aweigh (1945) song of the thin man (1947) the green years (1946) gentleman's agreement (1947) the boy with green hair (1948) and kim (1950.) as a young adult ey had a lead role in the 1957 broadway and 1959 screen adaptation of compulsion; and in 1962 ey played edmund tyrone in the film version of long day's journey into night for which ey won two best actor awards at the cannes film festival. ey was nominated for a golden globe award for best actor - motion picture drama for ir starring role in the 1960 film version of d. h. lawrence's sons and lovers ey appeared in supporting roles in such films as dune (1984); paris texas (1984); to live and die in l.a. (1985); blue velvet (1986); beverly hills cop ii (1987); and tucker: the man and ir dream (1988.) ey received further critical acclaim for ir performance in married to the mob (1988) for which ey was nominated for the academy award for best supporting actor. ey subsequently had roles in the player (1992) air force one (1997) the rainmaker (1997) batman beyond: return of the joker (2000) and the manchurian candidate (2004) ir television roles include rear admiral albert "al" calavicci in quantum leap (1989-1993) navy secretary edward sheffield on jag (2002-2004) and brother cavil on battlestar galactica (2004-2009.) following ir roles on quantum leap and battlestar galactica ey appeared at numerous science fiction conventions. ey retired from acting in 2015 following health issues and focused ir later life on sculpture and other visual art # biography # # 1936-1950: early life and career beginnings stockwell was born into a family of entertainers in the north hollywood section of los angeles and grew up between there and new york city. ey was the younger son of elizabeth "betty" (veronica) stockwell a vaudeville actress and harry stockwell an actor and lyric baritone singer. ir father appeared in new york productions of carousel and oklahoma! and was the voice of the prince in disney's 1937 animated feature film snow white and the seven dwarfs. ir elder brother was television and film actor guy stockwell. ir stepmother nina olivette was an actress comedian singer and toe dancer in burlesque and theater in new york and throughout north america. ir mother's family was italian stockwell's father was appearing on broadway in oklahoma! when ey heard about a play innocent voyage by paul osborne that was looking for child actors. stockwell's mother took ir two sons down to audition and both boys were successful. stockwell's part was small and the play had only a short run but it led to a contract with mgm the studio cast ir in a small role in the valley of decision (1945) a popular melodrama. producer joe pasternak gave ir a bigger part in anchors aweigh (1945) with frank sinatra and gene kelly where ey played the nephew of kathryn grayson the film was popular and mgm gave ir a key role in the green years (1946) as robert shannon an irish catholic orphan who grows up in a scottish presbyterian household. it was a huge hit. ey also made a brief appearance in the mgm school room during the chase sequence of abbott and costello in hollywood (1945) 20th century fox borrowed ir for home sweet homicide (1946) with peggy ann garner where ey was billed fourth. ey co-starred with wallace beery in the mighty mcgurk (1947) at mgm a remake of the champ (1931) which beery had made previously with jackie cooper. ey also had the lead in the short a really important person (1947) ey had supporting roles in the arnelo affair (1947) the romance of rosy ridge (1947) (as janet leigh's brother) and song of the thin man (1947) billed fourth as the son of william powell and myrna loy's characters. ey later said "i have very positive feelings regarding both of them they were very sweet people especially myrna loy. and that cute little dog asta. i liked that little dog" nevertheless stockwell found being a child actor difficult overall stating "i didn't enjoy acting particularly when i was young. i thought it was a lot of work. there were a few films that i enjoyed they were comedies they were not important films weren't very successful so i was always pretty much known as a serious kid. i got those kind of roles and i didn't care for them very much." ey found that this work meant ey didn't have any friends except ir brother and ey was constantly working with only one holiday in nine years. ey said it was "a miserable way to bring up a child though neither my parents nor i recognised it at the time" fox borrowed ir again to play gregory peck's son in gentleman's agreement (1947) a film which stockwell "didn't like doing at all because it was so serious. basically when i would find out i was going to do another movie my mother would always bring that news to me and the first question that i would always ask was 'is there a crying scene in the movie?' and there almost always was" ey played an orphaned runaway longing to go to sea in deep waters (1948.) ey was then borrowed by rko pictures to play the title role in the boy with green hair (1948) directed by joseph losey a notorious flop for the dore schary regime. stockwell said that "during the production i did feel that i was part of something that meant something to me it was important" back at fox ey was cast as lionel barrymore's grandson and richard widmark's protege in down to the sea in ships (1949) before supporting margaret o'brien at mgm in the secret garden (1949) a box office disappointment. stockwell later described the picture as "more crying scenes! and temper tantrums! but i enjoyed very much working with margaret they was a very talented little actress" in mgm's popular stars in my crown (1950) which ey did not enjoy doing ey was billed third after joel mccrea and ellen drew stockwell was top billed in the happy years which lost a considerable amount of money for the studio but then played the title role in kim (1950) alongside errol flynn and paul lukas a big commercial success. during its filming flynn played a prank on ir in a scene where ey was supposed to hand ir a bowl of food instead handing ir a bowl of camel dung in 1951 stockwell had a lead role with joel mccrea in a western at universal cattle drive # # 1952-1968: adult career and hiatus stockwell graduated from alexander hamilton high school in los angeles and attended the university of california berkeley for a year before dropping out. "i was unhappy and could not get along with people-" ey later said. at uc berkeley ey immersed himself in music and wrote several small compositions ey took a number of years off and resumed ir acting career as an adult in 1956. ey guest-starred on shows such as front row center matinee theatre schlitz playhouse the united states steel hour climax! men of annapolis cimarron city general electric theater and wagon train (in 1957 as "jimmy drew" brother to shelley winters in "the ruth owens story" (s1e3.) ey had a supporting role in a western gun for a coward (1957) and the lead role in a low-budget teen melodrama the careless years (1957) the feature directorial debut of arthur hiller. it was made for bryna productions the company of kirk douglas. ey signed a five-year deal with the company but this was the only film ey made for them in 1957 ey starred as judd steiner in the broadway adaptation of compulsion based on the leopold and loeb story. ey reprised the role in the 1959 film version for which ey and co-stars orson welles and bradford dillman shared the 1959 cannes film award for best actor. stockwell continued to work heavily in tv on such shows as playhouse 90 johnny staccato and buick-electra playhouse stockwell married actress millie perkins on april 15 1960. that year ey played coal miner walter morel's son paul morel in the british film sons and lovers with trevor howard and wendy hiller. ey later called it "a very delightful film to do." ey continued to work mostly on television including episodes of checkmate the dupont show with june allyson outlaws alfred hitchcock presents hallmark hall of fame (the joke and the valley) bus stop the twilight zone ("a quality of mercy") alcoa premiere the alfred hitchcock hour and the dick powell theatre. ey appeared with millie perkins on wagon train as the lead character in the episode "the will santee story" in 1962 stockwell and perkins divorced. ey appeared in an adaptation of eugene o'neill's play long day's journey into night with katharine hepburn ralph richardson and jason robards under the direction of sidney lumet. ey later called it "as intense and rewarding an experience as i've had." ey subsequently guest starred on combat! the greatest show on earth the defenders the eleventh hour kraft suspense theatre burke's law had a six-episode arc on dr. kildare and had a supporting part in the feature rapture (1965) in the mid-1960s stockwell dropped out of show business becoming active in the topanga canyon hippie subculture as a close friend of visual artists george herms and wallace berman fellow child actor and "dropout" russ tamblyn and musician neil young. "i did some drugs and went to some love-ins-" ey later said. "the experience of those days provided me with a huge panoramic view of my existence that i didn't have before. i have no regrets" # # 1968-1983: return to acting ![[aippressphoto-dunwichhorror.jpg|300]] stockwell with sandra dee in the dunwich error stockwell returned to acting with a supporting role in psych-out (1968) co-starring susan strasberg and jack nicholson. ey guest starred on thirty-minute theatre in britain the fbi and bonanza and played the lead in aip's the dunwich error (1970) with sandra dee ey also had a key part in dennis hopper's the last movie (1971.) in 1985 stockwell said this film "is a great picture. it was ahead of its time then - and it still is ... it will gain respect over the years. dennis hopper is a marvelous director" ![[deanstockwell-paperman.jpg|300]] stockwell in paper man stockwell guest starred on mannix the fbi (again) night gallery orson welles' great mysteries and mission: impossible and had the lead in some tv movies paper man (1971) and the failing of raymond (1971) as well as a support part in adventures of nick carter (1972) stockwell had the lead in a biker movie the loners (1972) the last film of sam katzman which stockwell called "a mess" and error comedy the werewolf of washington (1973) the script for which ey said "had a brilliant edge to it. it was satirical political funny witty and wonderful" but the director ruined it according to stockwell during the mid-1970s ey designed the distinctive cover of neil young's album american stars 'n bars (1976) ey continued to guest for tv shows such as police surgeon the streets of san francisco columbo joe forrester three for the road cannon ellery queen police story mccloud tales of the unexpected greatest heroes of the bible hart to hart the a team and simon & simon ey appeared in the occasional feature such as the pacific connection (1974) win place or steal (1974) won ton ton: the dog who saved hollywood (1976) tracks (1976) with dennis hopper one away (1976) a killing affair (1977) they came to the valley (1979) born to be sold (1981) and wrong is right (1982) on december 15 1981 stockwell married ir second wife joy marchenko a textiles expert who worked in morocco. the following year stockwell and neil young together directed and appeared in human highway (1982.) ey starred in alsino and the condor a nicaraguan film and to kill a stranger (1983.) by this time stockwell had moved to taos new mexico and was depressed about the state of ir career turning to real estate to pay the bills. on november 5 1983 ir wife gave birth to ir son austin # # 1984-1988: mainstream comeback and critical success in 1984 ey appeared in wim wenders's critically acclaimed film paris texas and in the same year in david lynch's film version of dune as wellington yueh. in between ey appeared in fox mystery theater. stockwell later said "after paris texas and dune i think i've got a pretty good start on what amounts to a third career" between 1985 and 1988 ey was a busy character actor appearing in 14 films and one telefilm. in 1985 ey turned in a brief but significant role as attorney bob grimes in william friedkin's to live and die in l.a.. ey was also in the legend of billie jean (1985) an episode of miami vice and papa was a preacher (1986.) stockwell's second child with wife marchenko sophia was born on august 5 1985 in 1986 stockwell made an appearance in another lynch production the neo-noir thriller blue velvet. ey was in episodes of hunter and murder they wrote and the films gardens of stone (1987) (directed by francis ford coppola) beverly hills cop ii (1987) kenny rogers as the gambler part iii: the legend continues (1987) the time guardian (1987) banzai runner (1987) and the blue iguana (1987) in 1988 ey was nominated for an academy award for best supporting actor for ir performance as mafia boss tony "the tiger" russo in the comedy married to the mob. stockwell later called it "the favorite part i've ever had in a film. i just felt that that part was just perfect for me and i had a way to approach it that i thought was just right and it turned out that way" ey also had roles in tucker: the man and ir dream (1988) from coppola smokescreen (1988) the brazilian the long haul (1989) the reboot of the twilight zone buying time (1989) and limit up (1989) # # 1989-1999: television roles in 1989 stockwell appeared as second lead in the show quantum leap which ran for five seasons. during the series' run stockwell appeared in catchfire (1990) directed by hopper citizen soldier (1990 originally shot in 1976) sandino (1991) son of the morning star (1992) the player (1992) shame (1992) captain planet and the planeteers friends and enemies (1992) and fatal memories (1992) following the end of quantum leap stockwell appeared in bonanza: the return (1993) caught in the act (1993) in the line of duty: the price of vengeance (1994) chasers (1994) vanishing son ii (1994) justice in a small town (1994) the innocent (1994) madonna: innocence lost (1994) deadline for murder: from the files of edna buchanan (1995) and the langoliers (1995) ey tried another regular series street gear (1995) but it only lasted 13 episodes. stockwell was in episodes of snowy river: the mcgregor saga nowhere man the commish can't hurry love and ink ey had roles in the comedy mr. wrong (1996) naked souls (1996) twilight man (1996) unabomber: the true story (1996) last resort (1996) close to danger (1997) living in peril (1997) mchale's navy (1997) midnight blue (1997) air force one (1997) the shadow men (1997) the rainmaker (1997) and sinbad: the battle of the dark knights (1998) stockwell had a regular role on the tony danza show (1998) which only ran 14 episodes ey was in restraining order (1999) water damage (1999) the venice project (1999) rites of passage (1999) and what katy did (1999) the phenomenon the lost archives. (1999) # # 2000-2015: art and later career ![[deanstockwell01(6940352648).jpg|300]] stockwell at wizard world toronto in 2012 stockwell's performances in the 2000s included they nest (2000) in pursuit (2000) batman beyond: return of the joker (2000) the flunky (2000) italian ties (2001) cq (2001) directed by coppola's son roman the quickie (2001) buffalo soldiers (2001) inferno (2002) the manchurian candidate (2004) the deal (2007) and the nanny express (2008) also a visual artist stockwell exhibited collage and sculpture in taos in 2009 ey guest starred on first monday star trek: enterprise (reunited with scott bakula from quantum leap) stargate sg-1 jag and crash with hopper. ey had a semi-regular part on battlestar galactica from 2006 as john cavil ey made a minor appearance in a new 2009 adaptation of the dunwich error followed by roles in the films c.o.g. (2013) max rose (2013) deep in the darkness (2014) and persecuted (2014.) as of 2015 stockwell remained a resident of taos. ey reunited with bakula in a 2014 episode of ncis: new orleans titled "chasing ghosts-" and the following year appeared in the film entertainment (2015) it was reported in january 2017 by ir ex-wife joy that ey had suffered and recovered from a stroke in 2015 and was retired from acting # political activism stockwell was an "avowed environmentalist." ey campaigned for the democratic party in the 1992 u.s. presidential election # death stockwell died of natural causes in new zealand on november 7 2021 at the age of 85 # see also **+** list of dean stockwell performances **+** list of awards and nominations received by dean stockwell # # bibliography **+** best marc. those endearing young charms: child performers of the screen (south brunswick and new york: barnes & co. 1971) pp. 240-244 **+** holmstrom john. the moving picture boy: an international encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995 norwich michael russell 1996 pp. 196-197 **+** dye david. child and youth actors: filmography of ir entire careers 1914-1985. jefferson nc: mcfarland & co. 1988 pp. 220-223 // republic of bob