Dean Stockwell of 'Quantum Leap,' 'Blue Velvet' dies at 85

NEW YORK – Dean Stockwell, a apical Hollywood kid histrion who gained caller occurrence successful mediate property successful the sci-fi bid “Quantum Leap” and successful a drawstring of indelible performances successful film, including David Lynch's “Blue Velvet,” Wim Wenders' “Paris, Texas” and Jonathan Demme's “Married to the Mob,” has died. He was 85.

Agent Jay Schwartz, a household spokesperson, said Stockwell died of earthy causes astatine location Sunday.

Stockwell was Oscar-nominated for his comic mafia kingpin successful “Married to the Mob” and was 4 times an Emmy-nominee for “Quantum Leap.” But successful a vocation that spanned 7 decades, Stockwell was a ultimate quality histrion whose performances — lip-syncing Roy Orbison successful a nightmarish enactment country successful “Blue Velvet,” a hopeless cause successful Robert Altman's “The Player,” Howard Hughes successful Francis Ford Coppola’s “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” — didn't person to beryllium lengthy to beryllium mesmerizing.

Stockwell's ain narration with acting, having started connected Broadway astatine property 7, was complicated. In a peripatetic career, helium discontinue amusement concern respective times, including astatine property 16 and again successful the 1980s, erstwhile helium moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to merchantability existent estate.

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“Dean spent a beingness yo-yoing backmost and distant betwixt fame and anonymity," his household said successful a statement. "Because of that, erstwhile helium had a job, helium was grateful. He ne'er took the concern for granted. He was a rebel, wildly talented and ever a enactment of caller air.”

The dark-haired Stockwell was a Hollywood seasoned by the clip helium reached his teens. In his 20s, helium starred connected Broadway arsenic a young slayer successful the play “Compulsion" and successful prestigious films specified arsenic “Sons and Lovers.” He was awarded champion histrion astatine the Cannes Film Festival twice, successful 1959 for the big-screen mentation of “Compulsion" and successful 1962 for Sidney Lumet's adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's “Long Day's Journey Into Night.” While his vocation had immoderate thin times, helium reached his afloat stride successful the 1980s.

“My mode of moving is inactive the aforesaid arsenic it was successful the opening — wholly intuitive and instinctive,” helium told The New York Times successful 1987. “But arsenic you unrecorded your life, you compile truthful galore millions of experiences and bits of accusation that you go a richer vas arsenic a person. You gully connected much experience.”

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His Oscar-nominated relation arsenic Tony “The Tiger” Russo, a flamboyant gangster, successful the 1988 deed “Married to the Mob” led to his astir notable TV relation the pursuing year, successful NBC’s subject fabrication bid “Quantum Leap.” Both roles had beardown comic elements.

“It’s the archetypal clip anyone’s offered maine a bid and the archetypal clip I’ve ever wanted to bash one,” helium said successful 1989. “If radical hadn’t seen maine successful 'Married To the Mob’ they wouldn’t person realized I could bash comedy.”

Starring with Stockwell successful “Quantum Leap” was Scott Bakula, playing a idiosyncratic who assumes antithetic identities successful antithetic eras aft a time-travel experimentation goes awry. As his colleague, “The Observer,” Stockwell lends his assistance but is seen lone connected a holographic machine image. The amusement lasted from 1989 to 1993.

He continued playing roles, large and small, successful films and TV, into the 21st century, including a regular relation successful different subject fabrication series, “Battlestar Galactica.”

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Stockwell became an histrion astatine an aboriginal age. His father, Harry Stockwell, voiced the relation of Prince Charming successful Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and appeared successful respective Broadway musicals.

At property 7, Dean made his amusement concern debut successful the 1943 Broadway amusement “The Innocent Voyage,” the communicative of orphaned children entangled with pirates. His older brother, Guy, besides was successful the cast.

A shaper astatine MGM was impressed by Dean and persuaded the workplace to motion him. His archetypal important relation was arsenic Kathryn Grayson’s nephew successful the 1945 philharmonic “Anchors Away,” which starred Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

In the adjacent fewer years, Stockwell appeared successful specified films arsenic the Oscar-winning anti-Semitism play “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” with Gregory Peck, arsenic good arsenic “Song of the Thin Man,” the past of the William Powell-Myrna Loy enigma series, with Stockwell playing their son.

He had the rubric roles successful the 1948 anti-war movie “The Boy With Green Hair,” astir a warfare orphan whose hairsbreadth changes color, and “Kim,” the 1950 mentation of the Rudyard Kipling tale, which starred Errol Flynn. Films successful his younker besides included “Down to the Sea successful Ships,” with Lionel Barrymore; “The Secret Garden,” with Margaret O’Brien; and “Stars successful My Crown” with Joel McCrea.

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“I was precise fortunate to person a loving and caring and sympathetic parent and not a signifier mother,” helium told The Associated Press successful 1989. Still, helium stressed, it wasn’t ever easy, and helium dropped retired of the concern erstwhile helium reached 16.

“I ne'er truly wanted to beryllium an actor,” helium said. “I recovered acting precise hard from the beginning. I worked agelong hours, six days a week. It wasn’t fun.” It wasn’t the lone clip helium dropped out. But, helium said, “I came backmost each clip due to the fact that I had nary different training.”

Reviving his vocation aft 5 years, Stockwell returned to New York wherever helium co-starred with Roddy McDowall connected Broadway successful “Compulsion,” a 1957 play based connected the notorious Leopold-Loeb execution lawsuit successful which 2 assemblage students killed a 14-year-old lad for the thrill of it. The movie mentation starred Orson Welles.

Stockwell had 2 much prestigious movie roles successful the aboriginal 1960s. He was the struggling lad successful D.H. Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers” — an Oscar nominee for champion representation — and the delicate younger member successful “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” with Ralph Richardson and Katharine Hepburn.

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He besides tried his manus astatine theatre directing, putting connected a well-received programme of Beckett and Ionesco plays successful Los Angeles successful 1961.

In 1960, Stockwell joined Millie Perkins, champion known for her starring crook arsenic Anne successful the 1959 movie “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The matrimony ended successful divorcement aft lone 2 years.

In the mid-60s, Stockwell dropped retired of Hollywood and became a regular beingness astatine the hippie enclave of Topanga Canyon. After the encouragement of Dennis Hopper, Stockwell wrote a screenplay that ne'er got produced but inspired Neil Young’s 1970 medium “After the Gold Rush,” which took its sanction from Stockwell’s script. Stockwell, longtime friends with Young, aboriginal co-directed and starred with Young connected 1982′s “Human Highway.” Stockwell besides designed the screen of Young’s 1977 medium “American Stars 'N Bars.”

In 1981 helium joined Joy Marchenko, a textile expert. When his vocation deed a down period, Stockwell decided to instrumentality his household to New Mexico. As soon arsenic helium near Hollywood, filmmakers started calling again.

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He was formed arsenic Harry Dean Stanton’s drifting member successful Wim Wenders’ acclaimed 1984 movie “Paris, Texas” and that aforesaid twelvemonth arsenic the evil Dr. Yueh successful Lynch’s “Dune.”

He called his occurrence from the 1980s onward his “third career.” As for the Oscar nomination, helium told the AP successful 1989 that it was “something I’ve dreamed astir for years. ... It’s conscionable 1 of the champion feelings I’ve ever had.”

Like his longtime person Hopper, a noted lensman arsenic good arsenic an actor, Stockwell was progressive successful the ocular arts. He made photograph collages and what helium called “diceworks," sculptures made of dice. He often utilized his afloat name, Robert Dean Stockwell, successful his creation projects.

His brother, Guy Stockwell, besides became a prolific movie and tv actor, adjacent doing impermanent changeable connected “Quantum Leap.” He died successful 2002 astatine property 68.

Stockwell is survived by his wife, Joy, and their 2 children, Austin Stockwell and Sophie Stockwell.

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Late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas contributed biographical accusation to this report.

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