Eric Stoltz

Stoltz was born in Whittier, California, the son of Evelyn (née Vawter),{{citation|url=http://vawterfamily.org/Archives/Summer85.pdf|title=Family Association|website=VawterFamily.org|access-date=October 10, 2011}} a violinist and schoolteacher, and Jack Stoltz, an elementary school teacher.{{citation|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/eric-stoltz/biography.html|title=Eric Stoltz - Biography|work=Yahoo|access-date=December 1, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113155329/http://movies.yahoo.com/person/eric-stoltz/biography.html|archive-date=November 13, 2013}} He has two sisters.{{citation|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/12/10/2-late-artists-get-overdue-chicago-tribute/|title=2 Late Artists Get Overdue Chicago Tribute|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=October 10, 2011|date=December 10, 1991}}{{citation|url=http://susanrstoltz.com/content/about/|title=About Susan|publisher=Susan R. Stoltz Official Website|access-date=October 10, 2011|archive-date=August 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804235008/http://susanrstoltz.com/content/about/|url-status=dead}}

Stoltz was raised in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.moviehole.net/200718530-exclusive-interview-eric-stoltz|title=Exclusive Interview: Eric Stoltz|website=Movie Hole|date=April 8, 2007|access-date=October 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826011310/http://www.moviehole.net/200718530-exclusive-interview-eric-stoltz|archive-date=August 26, 2011|url-status=dead}} He attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out after his junior year.{{citation |url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/eric-stoltz/5109/ |title=Eric Stoltz Bio|website=Tribute|access-date=October 10, 2011}} He moved to New York in 1981 and studied acting with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury.{{citation|url=http://www.hollywoodmemorabilia.com/actor-musician-memorabilia/Eric-Stoltz|title=About Eric Stoltz Memorabilia & Collectibles|website=Hollywood Memorabilia|access-date=October 10, 2011}}

In the 1970s, Stoltz joined a repertory company that performed ten plays at the Edinburgh Festival. He returned to the United States in 1979, when he entered USC as a drama student. He dropped out to pursue film and television roles.{{citation|url=http://www.moviespad.com/celebrity/biography/849/eric-stoltz|title=Eric Stoltz Biography|website=Movies Pad|access-date=October 10, 2011}}

In 1978, he was cast as Steve Benson in the television adaptation of Erma Bombeck's The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank.{{citation |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/20520/The-Grass-Is-Always-Greener-over-the-Septic-Tank/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103024238/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/20520/The-Grass-Is-Always-Greener-over-the-Septic-Tank/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |newspaper=The New York Times |author=Hal Erickson |title=The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank (1978)|author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=November 2, 2012 |access-date=October 10, 2011}}

Director Cameron Crowe and Stoltz became friends when the latter appeared in his first feature film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Crowe wrote it and Stoltz had a minor role. According to Stoltz, Crowe promised Stoltz roles in all of his future films.{{citation|url=http://getmovielink.com/person/personal/0000655/Eric_Stoltz.html|title=Eric Stoltz Trivia|work=Get Movie Link|access-date=October 10, 2011|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331123459/http://getmovielink.com/person/personal/0000655/Eric_Stoltz.html|archive-date=March 31, 2012}}

Stoltz was cast in each of Crowe's next four films, The Wild Life (1984), Say Anything... (1989), Singles (1992) and Jerry Maguire (1996).

In 1985, Stoltz received a Golden Globe nomination for starring performance as Rocky Dennis in Mask. Among his other roles in the 1980s, he appeared in the 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, written and produced by John Hughes.

Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. His view of the movie clashed, however, with that of the director, Robert Zemeckis. While the film was to become a sci-fi comedy (and box office smash hit), Stoltz had read the script from a more serious angle, apparently focusing on the tragic consequences of going back to live a life that was not one's own. Five weeks into shooting, Zemeckis replaced Stoltz with Michael J. Fox.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a655466/why-original-marty-mcfly-eric-stoltz-was-fired-from-back-to-the-future/|title=Why original Marty McFly Eric Stoltz was fired from Back to the Future |date=June 29, 2015 |website=Digital Spy |access-date=June 18, 2018}} {{verify source |date=August 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted (Special:Diff/907985092) by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite at Special:Permalink/907800386 cite #2 - please verify the cite's accuracy and remove this {verify source} template. User:GreenC bot/Job 18}}{{citation|url=http://io9.com/5661580|title=Never-before-seen footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back To The Future|website=IO9|date=October 12, 2010 |access-date=October 10, 2011}}

In 1989, Stoltz starred as the lead character of the sequel The Fly II. The movie was a hit, grossing approximately $38.9 million worldwide.

During the 1990s, Stoltz went back and forth between stage, film and television, appearing in studio and independent films such as The Waterdance (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Grace of My Heart (1996) and Anaconda (1997).

During the 1990s, Stoltz produced the films Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993), Sleep with Me (1994) and Mr. Jealousy (1997).{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000655/|title=Eric Stoltz|website=IMDb|access-date=August 30, 2019}}

He continued to appear on the New York stage, both on Broadway (Three Sisters, Two Shakespearean Actors, Arms and the Man, Our Town) and off-Broadway (The Importance of Being Earnest, The Glass Menagerie, Sly Fox). He was nominated for a Tony Award as Featured Actor for his performance as George Gibbs in the 1989 Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.{{citation|url=http://broadwayworld.com/tonyawardsyear.cfm?year=1989|title=Featured Actor (Play)|website=Broadway World|access-date=October 10, 2011}}

A performance of this production was featured on Great Performances: Live from Lincoln Center, which received a 1989 Emmy nomination.{{citation |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/ourtown/ei_williamstown.html |title=Performances of note |website=Masterpiece |access-date=October 10, 2011 |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207104112/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/ourtown/ei_williamstown.html |url-status=dead }}

On television, he had a recurring role as Helen Hunt's character's ex-boyfriend on Mad About You (five episodes, 1994–1998), spent a year on Chicago Hope (1994) and did some television and cable films such as Inside (1996) (directed by Arthur Penn) and The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999), with Helen Mirren. Stoltz received the Indie Supporter Award at the 1998 Los Angeles Film Festival.{{citation|url=http://www.lafilmfest.com/history|title=Los Angeles Film Festival Archive|website=Los Angeles Film Festival|access-date=October 10, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929040740/http://www.lafilmfest.com/history|archive-date=September 29, 2011}}

During the first part of the 2000s, 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, wherein Julia Whelan's character, a teenager, fell in love with his character. He directed an episode of the show in 2002.

In 2003, he played his first leading TV role in Out of Order, which was canceled after five episodes. At the same year, he also played Otto in When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, alongside Jonathan Lipnicki. 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).{{citation |url=http://www.ovguide.com/my-horrible-year!-9202a8c04000641f8000000006ee8a29 |title=My Horrible Year! Video |website=OV Guide |access-date=October 10, 2011}} 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 The Commercial DVD.{{citation|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDzV0C9RM5U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/tDzV0C9RM5U |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The Residents – Give It To Someone Else|website=YouTube|date=September 16, 2008 |access-date=October 10, 2011}}{{cbignore}}

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.{{citation|url=http://www.poptower.com/eric-stoltz.htm|title=Eric Stoltz|website=Pop Tower|access-date=October 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320010622/http://www.poptower.com/eric-stoltz.htm|archive-date=March 20, 2012|url-status=dead}}

Beginning in 2007, Stoltz directed episodes of the drama series Quarterlife, which began airing as webisodes and were then picked up to air on the NBC network in 2008. Stoltz played a serial killer in need of medical attention in three episodes of the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy.{{citation|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Greys-Scoop-Death-1000525.aspx|title=Grey's Scoop: Death Becomes Guest Star Eric Stoltz|work=TV Guide|access-date=October 10, 2011}} He has also directed two episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

Stoltz starred as Daniel Graystone, inventor of the Cylons, in the science fiction television series Caprica, a prequel set 58 years before the Battlestar Galactica series.

He became a regular director of the series, Glee, directing a total of 12 episodes, including "Nationals", in which the Glee club finally wins the championship."[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000655/ Eric Stoltz]", section: Filmography – Director. IMDb. Retrieved November 14, 2015.

In 2011, Stoltz was seen back on the silver screen with the film Fort McCoy; he earned accolades for his leading role as a conflicted barber of German heritage forced to suppress his American patriotism after moving his family to a post–World War II military base housing a German POW camp.

Starting in 2014, Stoltz became the producing director of the CBS political drama series Madam Secretary. The following year he became one of its four executive producers, alongside Morgan Freeman and Barbara Hall and has directed more than 10 episodes, as well as starring alongside Téa Leoni in several episodes as her brother, Will Adams.IMDB

Stoltz and Bridget Fonda began dating in 1990. The relationship ended after eight years.{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/archive/fonda-memory-vol-49-no-27/ |title=Fonda Memory: Actors Bridget Fonda and Eric Stoltz End Their Eight Year of Unwedded Bliss |magazine=People |date=July 13, 1998 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |volume=49 |issue=27 |archive-date=March 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110330204940/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20125757,00.html |url-status=live}}

Stoltz married Bernadette Moley, a singer, in 2005. The couple have one child, a daughter.

Stoltz is a vegetarian.[https://archive.today/20200913220726/https://www.tvovermind.com/eric-stoltz/ "20 Things You Didn’t Know About Eric Stoltz"]. Retrieved September 16, 2020.

He has directed many shows on The Learning Channel, TLC Network.

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Category:1961 births

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:American expatriates in England

Category:American expatriate male actors

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Category:Living people

Category:Method actors

Category:Male actors from Santa Barbara, California

Category:USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni

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Category:People from Whittier, California