| |
|---|---|
| Eric Stoltz | |
| Role | |
| Portrayed | Daniel Graystone |
| Biographical Information | |
| Full Name | Eric Cameron Stoltz |
| Birthdate | September 30, 1961 |
| Birthplace | Whittier, California, United States |
Eric Stoltz portrayed wealthy technologist Daniel Graystone, creator of the holoband, Virtual World and the military combat robot - the Cylon. He also directed the episode, "Unvanquished". Stoltz appeared in all eighteen episodes of the series.
About
Eric Cameron Stoltz is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor. He is known for playing either sensitive misfits ("Mask", "Kicking and Screaming", "The Waterdance") or sociopathic criminals ("Pulp Fiction", "Killing Zoe").
Early Life
Stoltz was born in Whittier, California, the son of Evelyn B. (née Vawter), a violinist and schoolteacher who died in 1994, and Jack Stoltz, an elementary school teacher. He has two older sisters, Catherine Stoltz (born 1954) and Susan R. Stoltz (born 1957). Eric was raised in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara, California, where, as a kid, he used to earn money playing piano for the local musical theatre productions. He attended the University of Southern California, where he dropped out in his junior year.
Career
In the 1970's Stoltz joined a repertory company that did ten plays at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, United Kingdom. He returned to the states in 1981 where he studied with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury in New York, and soon appeared in his first film, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). Originally cast as Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" (1985), he was replaced after five weeks of filming, when Michael J. Fox (the director's first choice for the role) agreed to divide time between the movie and his television sitcom, "Family Ties". The director, Robert Zemeckis, has said that while Stoltz provided an admirable performance, it lacked the humorous feel that Zemeckis was looking for. Some of the original footage (shots where Stoltz does not appear, but was on set) was used in the film.
In the 1980's, he garnered attention (and a Golden Globe nomination) starring as Rocky Dennis in "Mask" (1985), and in John Hughes' "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987).
During the 1990's, he went back and forth from stage to film to television, building up an eclectic résumé that includes both studio films like "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and independent films like Sundance Festival Winner "The Waterdance" (1992). He was also a production assistant on "Say Anything. . ." and "Singles", and has produced the films "Bodies, Rest & Motion" in 1993, "Sleep with Me" in 1994, and "Mr. Jealousy" in 1997. He also continued to appear on the New York stage both on Broadway ("Three Sisters", "Two Shakespearean Actors", "Arms and the Man") and off-Broadway ("The Importance of Being Earnest", "The Glass Menagerie", "Sly Fox" and "Our Town". He was nominated for a Tony Award for the latter performance.
On television, he had a recurring role as Helen Hunt's ex-boyfriend on "Mad About You" (five episodes, 1994–1998). He also spent a year on "Chicago Hope" (1994); and did some television and cable movies, such as "Inside" (1996) directed by Arthur Penn, and "The Passion of Ayn Rand" (1999), with Helen Mirren.
Stoltz received the Indie Support Award at the 1998 Los Angeles Film Festival.
During the first part of the 2000's, he starred with Gillian Anderson in "The House of Mirth" (2000), based on the novel by Edith Wharton. From 2001 to 2002, he had a recurring role as the English teacher-poet August Dimitri in ABC's "Once and Again", where Julia Whelan's character (a teenager) fell in love with him. He directed an episode of the show in 2002.
In 2003, he got his first leading role in the television show "Out of Order", which was cancelled after five episodes. In 2004, he appeared in "The Butterfly Effect" as a child molester; the following year, he guest-starred in the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace" as Debra Messing's love interest.
He was nominated for a daytime Emmy for his direction of the cable movie "My Horrible Year!" (2001). He also directed a short film entitled "The Bulls", as well as the highest rated episode of "Law & Order" in 2005, entitled "Tombstone".
He appeared in the music video of The Residents' "Give It to Someone Else", featured on their "The Commercial DVD".
He has contributed essays to the books "City Secrets — New York" as well as "Life Interrupted" by Spalding Gray, and appears on the children's CD "Philadelphia Chickens".
Beginning in 2007, Stoltz directed episodes of the twenty-something drama "Quarterlife", which began airing as webisodes and were then picked up to air on the NBC network in 2008.
Stoltz appeared in three episodes of the fifth season of "Grey's Anatomy", for which he has also directed two episodes. Stoltz played a serial killer in need of medical attention.
The actor next appears in the films "Fort McCoy" and "First Howl".
Personal Life
Stoltz is a member of the Actors Studio. He lived with actress Ally Sheedy (whom he met in college) sometime before 1983, then with actress Jennifer Jason Leigh from 1985–1989, and with Bridget Fonda from 1990–1998.
Director Cameron Crowe and Stoltz became friends on the set of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Crowe promised Stoltz a role, however small, in every film he makes. . . Stoltz was not able to appear in "Almost Famous" (his name does appear briefly on a billboard). He has not appeared in Crowe's following films.
External Links
- Eric Stoltz at the Internet Movie Database
- Eric Stoltz at TV.com
- Eric Stoltz fansite
- Eric Stoltz unofficial site
Source
- Eric Stoltz on Wikipedia. Accessed on April 1, 2009. Revised on November 1, 2019, edited.
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