Stephen Collins
Stephen Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collins in 2014 | |
| Born | Stephen Weaver Collins October 1, 1947 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Amherst College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–2014 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the WB/CW television series 7th Heaven from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC television series No Ordinary Family and Gene Porter in the NBC television series Revolution, father of Elizabeth Mitchell's character, Rachel Matheson. Before 7th Heaven, Collins was known for his roles as Commander Willard Decker in the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture and fighter pilot Jake Cutter in the ABC television series Tales of the Gold Monkey. In 2014, his career ended after he confessed to sexual misconduct against multiple minors.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Stephen Collins was born on October 1, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa, to mother Madeleine (née Robertson) and father Cyrus Stickney Collins, an airline executive.[3][4] Collins was raised with his two older brothers in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating cum laude.[5] While at Amherst, he played bass guitar in a number of bands.[6] He was also then a singing member of the Amherst College Zumbyes.
Career
[edit]Stephen Collins is known for his role as Eric Camden in the television drama series 7th Heaven during the series' run from 1996 to 2007[7] and for his role as Captain Willard Decker in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).[8] His other notable television credits include Jake Cutter in the cult series Tales of the Gold Monkey and his role in Tattingers, as well as guest appearances in The Waltons, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, and numerous miniseries and television films. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work opposite Ann-Margret in the miniseries The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987), and played John F. Kennedy in the miniseries A Woman Named Jackie (1991), which won the Emmy for Best Miniseries. He also played the lead role opposite Lauren Hutton in the television film The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), based on Robert Ludlum's bestselling novel.[9]
Collins was above-the-title billed in Loving Couples (1980) with Shirley MacLaine, James Coburn and Susan Sarandon. He co-starred with Diane Keaton in both The First Wives Club (1996) and Because I Said So (2007). He has co-starred with Meredith Baxter in three films, All the President's Men, A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story, and Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter, both of which were television films broadcast on CBS in 1992.
In the 2010–11 television season, Collins starred in the short-lived ABC series No Ordinary Family.[10] On ABC's Brothers & Sisters, he played a potential love interest for Ron Rifkin's character Saul Holden. Collins appeared in season eight of The Office playing Andy Bernard's father in the episode, "Garden Party".[11][12]
In 2013, Collins began appearing in the NBC series Revolution as Dr. Gene Porter, the leader of the town of Willoughby and father of Rachel Matheson (played by Elizabeth Mitchell).[13] and in two episodes of Falling Skies in season three. Collins' final guest spots include The Fosters, Devious Maids, and Penance.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Stephen Collins was married to Marjorie Weinman from 1970 to 1978.[15][16] In 1985, he married actress Faye Grant, whom he had met on the set of Tales of the Gold Monkey in 1982.[17] Together they have a daughter, Kate, who was born in 1989. They separated in 2012, and, after 30 years of marriage, a final divorce decree was issued in January 2015.[18][19]
Collins is an Episcopalian[20] and a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and has taken part in the advanced TM Yogic Flying technique since 1980.[21] Until October 2014, he was a national co-director of the Committee for Stress-Free Schools, which advocates practicing TM in schools and funds TM research.[22]
Sexual abuse against minors
[edit]On October 7, 2014, the New York City Police Department began investigating Collins after an audio tape leaked to the media revealed a male voice, purported to be that of Collins, admitting to past sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14.[17]
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson stated that Collins had been investigated by the department in 2012 after receiving a claim from 18 years earlier regarding sexual abuse. The LAPD further stated that its investigation did not allow it to "substantiate the allegation" against Collins.[23][24]
In a December 2014 interview with People, Collins admitted that he committed "inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors" in 1973, 1982, and 1994.[1][2]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Michele Lee Show | Dr. Steven Mayhill | Television pilot |
| 1975 | The Waltons | Todd Clarke | Episode: "The Abdication" |
| 1976 | Brink's: The Great Robbery | Agent Donald Nash | Television film |
| 1977 | The Rhinemann Exchange | David Spaulding | Miniseries |
| 1978 | Charlie's Angels | Steve Carmody | Episode: "Angel Come Home" |
| 1980 | The Henderson Monster | Pete Casimir | Television film |
| 1981 | Great Performances | Morton Fullerton | Episode: "Edith Wharton: Looking Back" |
| Summer Solstice | Young Joshua Turner | Television film | |
| 1982 | Inside the Third Reich | Karl Hanke | |
| Tales of the Gold Monkey | Jake Cutter | Main role | |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Billy Lee | Miniseries |
| 1984 | Threesome | Peter Hatten | Television film |
| Dark Mirror | Jim Eiseley | ||
| 1985 | The Hitchhiker | Todd Fields | Episode: "And If We Dream" |
| 1986 | Hold the Dream | Shane O'Neil | Miniseries |
| 1987 | The Two Mrs. Grenvilles | Billy Grenville Jr. | |
| 1988 | Weekend War | Captain John Deason | Television film |
| Tattingers | Nick Tattinger | Main role (13 episodes) | |
| 1990 | Working It Out | David Stuart | |
| 1991 | A Woman Named Jackie | John F. Kennedy | Miniseries |
| 1992 | A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story | Dan Broderick | Television film |
| Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, The Last Chapter | |||
| 1993 | Remember | Clee Donovan | |
| The Disappearance of Nora | Jack Fremont | ||
| 1994 | Scarlett | Ashley Wilkes | Miniseries |
| 1995 | A Family Divided | Roger Billingsley | Television film |
| Sisters | Gabriel 'Gabe' Sorenson | Recurring | |
| 1996 | On Seventh Avenue | Tom Aiken | Television film |
| The Babysitter's Seduction | Bill Bartrand | ||
| An Unexpected Family | Sam | ||
| 1996–2007 | 7th Heaven | Rev. Eric Camden | Main role; directed 3 episodes |
| 1998 | An Unexpected Life | Sam | Television film |
| 1999 | As Time Runs Out | Dan Carlin | |
| Batman Beyond | Tony Maychek/Earthmover | Voice, episode: "Earth Mover"[25] | |
| 2001 | Jumping Ship | Gardener | Television film |
| 2002 | State of Grace | Norris Sinclair | Episode: "Sophisticated Ladies" |
| 2005 | Celebrity Poker Showdown | Himself | Qualified for the first tournament |
| 2006–2007 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Bruce Mathis | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Pierson Bartlett | Episode: "Trade" |
| Every Second Counts | Joe Preston | Television film | |
| 2009–2011 | Private Practice | The Captain | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | No Ordinary Family | Dayton King | Main role |
| Brothers & Sisters | Charlie | Episode: "A Righteous Kiss" | |
| 2011 | The Office | Walter Bernard | Episode: "Garden Party" |
| 2013 | Falling Skies | President Benjamin Hathaway | 2 episodes |
| Scandal | Reed Wallace | Episode: "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" | |
| The Fosters | Rev. Adams | Episode: "I Do" | |
| Devious Maids | Philippe Delatour | 6 episodes | |
| Revolution | Gene Porter | Main role | |
| 2014 | Avengers Assemble | Howard Stark | Voice, episode: "Thanos Rising"[25] |
Films
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | All the President's Men | Hugh W. Sloan Jr. | |
| 1977 | Between the Lines | Michael | |
| 1978 | Fedora | Young Barry Detweiler | |
| 1979 | The Promise | Michael Hillyard | |
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Captain/Commander Willard Decker | ||
| 1980 | Loving Couples | Greg Plunkett | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Warren Cox | |
| 1986 | On Dangerous Ground | Dr. David Lowell | Alternate title: Choke Canyon |
| Jumpin' Jack Flash | Marty Phillips | ||
| 1989 | The Big Picture | Attorney | |
| 1990 | Stella | Stephen Dallas | |
| 1992 | My New Gun | Gerald Bender | |
| 1996 | The First Wives Club | Aaron Paradis | |
| 1999 | Drive Me Crazy | Mr. Maris | |
| 2003 | The Commission | Joseph A. Ball | |
| 2006 | Blood Diamond | Ambassador Walker | |
| 2007 | Because I Said So | Joe Dresden | |
| 2008 | Hole in the Paper Sky | Mr. Benson | |
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Mr. Harter | |
| 2014 | Penance | Priest | Short |
Discography
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sondheim: Putting It Together | Off Broadway cast recording |
| 2003 | Stephen Collins | |
| 2005 | The Hits of Rick Nelson |
Published works
[edit]- Collins, Stephen (1994). Eye Contact. Bantam. ISBN 978-0553095852.
- Collins, Stephen (1998). Double Exposure: A Novel. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0688158934.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Oldenburg, Ann (December 17, 2014). "Stephen Collins: 'I did something terribly wrong'". USA Today. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Wagner, Meg; Tracy, Thomas; Dillon, Nancy (October 7, 2014). "Stephen Collins, pastor-dad in '7th Heaven,' admits to sexually abusing underage girl, exposing himself to 2 others (audio)". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Collins Biography (1947–)". filmreference.com.
- ^ "Cyrus S. Collins '39 – Amherst College". amherst.edu.
- ^ "C | Collins, Stephen W. | Amherst College". www.amherst.edu. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Riordan, Paul M. (1999). "An Interview with Stephen Collins". TV Party!. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "The Stephen Collins Scandal: How a Hollywood Marriage Became a Nightmare". People. October 9, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ Phillip, Abby (December 17, 2014). "'7th Heaven' dad Stephen Collins admits to sexually abusing three girls". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ Leopold, Todd (October 8, 2014). "Who is Stephen Collins?". CNN. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (June 11, 2010). "Stephen Collins Bumped to Series Regular on No Ordinary Family". TV Guide.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (August 16, 2011). "Office Scoop: Stephen Collins Is Andy's Dad!". TVLine.
- ^ Nededog, Jethro (August 16, 2011). "'The Office': 'No Ordinary Family's' Stephen Collins to Guest Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ Mather, Kate; Westfall, Julie (December 17, 2014). "Actor Stephen Collins admits sexual misconduct with three girls". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Stephen Collins, former '7th Heaven' actor, under new investigation". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Stephen Collins: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ "Collins, Stephen, 1947–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ a b Effron, Lauren (December 20, 2014). "Stephen Collins Denies He's a Pedophile". ABC News. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Stephen Collins and Faye Grant Settle Divorce". People. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ^ Moraski, Lauren (May 8, 2012). "Stephen Collins and Faye Grant split after 27 years". CBS News. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Stephen Collins content to be in '7th Heaven'". The Standard-Times. New Bedford, Massachusetts. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 24, 2004. Retrieved January 25, 2001.
- ^ Pool, Bob (June 14, 2003). "Seeking Site for a 'Peace Palace'". Los Angeles Times. p. B24.
- ^ "Committee for Stress-Free Schools: About Us". tmeducation.org. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ Prokupecz, Shimon; Almas, Steve (October 7, 2014). "Source: '7th Heaven' actor subject of molestation allegations". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ Villareal, Yvonne (October 7, 2014). "'7th Heaven' pulled after Stephen Collins molestation allegations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Stephen Collins (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 24, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
External links
[edit]
- 1947 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American novelists
- 20th-century American male writers
- 21st-century American male actors
- American Episcopalians
- American male film actors
- American male novelists
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American thriller writers
- Amherst College alumni
- Child sexual abuse in the United States
- Living people
- Male actors from Des Moines, Iowa
- Male actors from Iowa
- Male actors from New York (state)
- Musicians from Des Moines, Iowa
- Novelists from Iowa
- Novelists from New York (state)
- People from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
- Writers from Des Moines, Iowa