Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: October 1, 1947

Age: 76 years old

Birth Place: Des Moines, Iowa

Spouses: Faye Grant

Actor and occasional singer Stephen Collins essayed numerous clean-cut, well-intentioned men with an adventurous or romantic side in countless television movies and features from the mid-1970s through the 21st century. Adept at both drama and breezy comedy, he was a natural go-to for the lead in numerous regular series, but had trouble finding one that took with audiences until he starred in "7th Heaven" (The WB/The CW, 1996-2007), a family-values drama which cast him as a savvy Protestant minister and head of a large brood that deals with complex life issues. The show's popularity gave his career a solid boost, leading to more supporting roles in features like "Blood Diamond" (2006) and "Because I Said So" (2007), making Collins a versatile actor able to carry himself on screens both big and small. Collins' career was derailed, however, after allegations of sexual molestation of minors became public in October 2014.

Born Oct. 1, 1947 in Des Moines, IA, Collins was raised by his father Cyrus, an airline executive, and his mother, Madeline. After living in Peru for a spell, the family relocated to Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Childhood shyness initially kept him from his two earliest passions - baseball and acting - but he managed to pull through to become a regular on both the diamond and the high school stage. Collins also played bass guitar in several bands during his years in high school and at Amherst College. But acting became his main passion at Amherst, where he caught the attention of legendary New York theater producer Joseph Papp while performing in a rock musical during his senior year. A conversation with Papp lead to an offer for a small role in a production of "Twelfth Night," which launched Collins' career as a professional actor. After graduating from Amherst cum laude in 1969, Collins quickly landed both supporting and lead roles in a variety of Broadway and off-Broadway productions before making his feature film debut in "All the President's Men" (1976), playing Hugh W. Sloan Jr., former Nixon White House aide and main source for the investigation by Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) into the Watergate burglary.

Collins played his share of youthful romantic leads in his early film and television roles - he was a young William Holden in Billy Wilder's flop "Fedora" (1978), then played Henry Fonda in flashbacks for "Summer Solstice' (1981). He was also frequently cast as ramrod straight heroes in adventure-drama miniseries like "The Rhinemann Exchange" (NBC, 1977). But to gain widespread exposure, Collins had to wait until he was cast as Captain Willard Decker, interim commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, in Robert Wise's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979). Though his role had its share of dramatic heft - Decker falls for an alien crew member (Persis Khambatta) and eventually merges with her robotic double in the film's climax - Collins was largely overshadowed by the cast of the original series and the expensive special effects.

Collins' roles gained some significance in the early 1980s - he was Edith Wharton's lover Morton Fullerton in the PBS special "Looking Back" (1981) and played married doctor Shirley Maclaine's lover in the infidelity comedy "Loving Couples" (1980). In 1982, he was top-billed in "Tales of the Gold Monkey" (ABC, 1982-83), a cliffhanger-style adventure-drama conceived by producer Donald Bellisario to cash in on the popularity of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). Though a fine showcase for Collins' comedy and drama skills, the series proved to be short-lived. He soon returned to regular rotation of miniseries and television movies, the best being "Inside the Third Reich" (ABC, 1982), a biopic of German architect Albert Speer (Rutger Hauer) with Collins playing Nazi recruiter Karl Hanke, as well as two miniseries, "Chiefs" (CBS, 1983) and "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" (NBC, 1987). The latter, based on the book by Dominick Dunne, earned Collins an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the ill-fated Billy Grenville, whose accidental shooting by his wife (Ann-Margret) blossoms into a sensational murder trial.

Collins returned to series work with "Tattinger's" (NBC, 1988-89), an hour-long comedy-drama about a divorced couple (Collins and Blythe Danner) who run a posh New York restaurant. An unmitigated ratings disaster, the show was nevertheless revived by the network as a half-hour sitcom called "Nick and Hillary" (NBC, 1988-89), which proved even less popular than its predecessor. Collins gave episodic television another shot with "Working It Out" (NBC, 1989-91), a comedy about two divorced parents (Collins and Jane Curtin) who become romantically involved. Surviving less than two season, the series became another flop on Collins' resume. Back to his bread and butter, Collins worked steadily in miniseries and made-for-TV-movies well into 1990s. He portrayed President John F. Kennedy in the Emmy-winning miniseries, "A Woman Named Jackie" (NBC, 1991), then played real-life attorney Dan Broderick, who was shot and killed by his wife (Meredith Baxter) in "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" (CBS, 1992). He followed with a turn as spurned suitor Ashley Wilkes in "Scarlett" (CBS, 1994), a splashy miniseries based on author Alexandra Ripley's sequel to Gone With the Wind.

Collins enjoyed a recurring role as a doctor and boyfriend to Sela Ward on "Sisters" (NBC, 1991-95) before returning briefly to features as the estranged husband of Diane Keaton in the popular comedy, "The First Wives Club" (1996). That same year, Collins began his lengthy tenure as the Reverend Eric Camden on "7th Heaven," which also marked his debut as director for three episodes. An exceptionally popular show on the fledgling network from its inception, the series held the record as the most watched series in The WB's history. Key to its success was its adherence to upbeat, moral-driven stories, which tackled family issues with tons of advice and guidance from Camden and his wife (Catherine Hicks), who oversaw their children with a strict but loving hand. The lack of salacious material, and balance between heavy issues and light comedy, helped build a core audience that saw the Camden family undergo countless change during its decade-long stint on television. Countless cast members came and went over the years, including starlet Jessica Biel, who left the show under a firestorm of protest after posing semi-nude on the cover of Gear magazine while still a minor. Collins led the charged with extremely vocal opposition to the layout.

The WB formally cancelled "7th Heaven" at the top of its game in 2005, but it was renewed unexpectedly by The CW for another season in 2006. Though a popular program for the new network, a reduced budget forced it to reduce the screen time of several regular cast members and a time slot change effectively cut its audience in half. The program was finally put to rest in 2007. But the persistent popularity of "7th Heaven" gave Collins' career a well-deserved boost and allowed him to branch out into other high-profile projects. He had a supporting role as an ambassador in the 2006 drama "Blood Diamond," and returned to light romantic comedy as Diane Keaton's gentle suitor in the comedy "Because I Said So" (2007). Collins also spoofed his squeaky-clean image by playing the impossibly kindhearted and accomplished father to Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olsen's scheming layabouts in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (FX, 2005- ).

Married to actress Faye Grant of "V" (NBC, 1983) fame in 1986, Collins also recorded two albums of pop music, including a compilation of Ricky Nelson covers, and penned two novels, Eye Contact published in 1994, and Double Exposure published in 1998. Meanwhile, he penned the play "Super Sunday," which was produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1988. In 2008, he returned to Broadway for the first time in over two decades to play the bumbling King Arthur in the Tony-winning "Spamalot." Collins also kept working in television, scoring recurring roles in Shonda Rhimes' "Private Practice" (ABC 2007-2013) and the superhero comedy "No Ordinary Family" (ABC 2010-11). After a big-screen appearance in Peter and Bobby Farrelly's "The Three Stooges" (2012), further TV work on the cable comedy-drama "Devious Maids" (Lifetime 2013-16) and "Revolution" (NBC 2012-14) followed.

In October 2014, it was revealed that Stephen Collins was under investigation by the New York City Police Department for allegations of child molestation, after an audiotape--purported to contain Collins discussing two incidents from 1972 and 1983 while undergoing couples counseling with Grant--was released by an online celebrity news site. Collins was quickly dropped from Seth McFarlane's "Ted 2" (2015) and an episode of the hit series "Scandal" (ABC 2012- ), and resigned his position on the Screen Actors Guild's national board.

Credits

Girls on Film 2: Before Dawn

Actor
Kevin
Movie
2017

The FostersStream

Guest Star
Stewart
Series
2013

Till Murder Do Us Part

Actor
Show
2013

RevolutionStream

Actor
Dr. Gene Porter
Series
2012
67%

ScandalStream

Guest Star
Reed Wallace
Series
2012
93%

The Three Stooges

Actor
Mr. Harter
Movie
2012

Falling SkiesStream

Guest Star
President Hathaway
Series
2011
79%

No Ordinary FamilyStream

Actor
Dr. Dayton King
Series
2010
71%

Hole in the Paper Sky

Actor
Mr. Benson
Show
2008

Every Second Counts

Actor
Joe Preston
Movie
2008

Private PracticeStream

Guest Star
'The Captain' Montgomery
Series
2007

Because I Said So

Actor
Joe
Movie
2007

Brothers & SistersStream

Guest Star
Charlie
Series
2006
79%

Blood DiamondStream

Actor
Ambassador Walker
Movie
2006
63%

It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaStream

Guest Star
Bruce Mathis
Series
2005
94%

The OfficeStream

Guest Star
Walter Bernard, Sr.
Series
2005
81%

Law & Order: Special Victims UnitStream

Guest Star
Pierson Bartlett
Series
1999
78%

Tomorrow at Ten

Actor
Dan Carlin
Movie
1999

Drive Me Crazy

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Mr. Maris
Movie
1999

As Time Runs Out

Actor
Dan Carlin
Movie
1999

Una Familia Inesperada

Actor
Sam
Movie
1998

An Unexpected Life

Actor
Sam Sadwich
Movie
1998

7th HeavenStream

Actor
Rev. Eric Camden
Series
1996

7th HeavenStream

Director
Series
1996

7th Heaven: Beginnings

Actor
Show
1996

El Criminal y la Niñera

Actor
Bill Bartrand
Movie
1996

For Love Alone

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Adam Graham
Movie
1996

The Babysitter's SeductionStream

Actor
Bill Bartrand
Movie
1996

On Seventh Avenue

Actor
Tom Aiken
Movie
1996

First Wives ClubStream

Actor
Aaron Paradis
Movie
1996
50%

An Unexpected Family

Actor
Sam
Movie
1996

Ivana Tramp - U ime ljubavi

Actor
Movie
1996

Crímenes en Familia

Actor
Movie
1995

A Family Divided

Actor
Roger Billingsley
Movie
1995

ScarlettStream

Actor
Ashley Wilkes
Miniseries
1994

Remember

Actor
Show
1993

Barbara Taylor Bradford's Remember

Actor
Movie
1993

The Disappearance of Nora

Actor
Jack Fremont
Movie
1993

Una Mujer Despreciada

Actor
Movie
1992

A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story

Actor
Dan Broderick
Movie
1992

My New Gun

Actor
Gerald Bender
Movie
1992

A Woman Named Jackie

Actor
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Show
1991

A Woman Named Jackie

Actor
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Show
1991

Sisters

Actor
Dr. Gabriel Sorenson
Series
1991

Sisters

Guest Star
Dr. Gabriel Sorenson
Series
1991

Working It Out

Actor
David Stuart
Show
1990

Stella

Actor
Stephen Dallas
Movie
1990

Tattinger's

Actor
Nick Tattinger
Show
1988

Weekend War

Actor
Capt. John Deason
Movie
1988

The Two Mrs. Grenvilles

Actor
Billy Grenville Jr.
Miniseries
1987

Hold the Dream

Actor
Show
1986

Choke Canyon

Actor
Dr. David Lowell
Movie
1986

Jumpin' Jack FlashStream

Actor
Marty Phillips
Movie
1986
27%

Pour l'honneur des Grenville

Actor
Movie
1986

Brewster's MillionsStream

Actor
Warren Cox
Movie
1985
38%

Threesome

Actor
Peter Hatten
Movie
1984

Dark Mirror

Actor
Dr. Jim Eiseley
Movie
1984

The Hitchhiker

Actor
Show
1983

Chiefs

Actor
Billy Lee
Movie
1983

Tales of the Gold Monkey

Actor
Jake Cutter
Series
1982

Curse of the Gold Monkey

Actor
Jake Cutter
Movie
1982

Sherlock Holmes

Actor
Larrabee
Movie
1981

The Henderson Monster

Actor
Pete Casimir
Movie
1980

Loving Couples

Actor
Greg Plunkett
Movie
1980

Star Trek: The Motion PictureStream

Actor
Capt./Cmdr. Willard Decker
Movie
1979
52%

L'Apprenti sorcier

Actor
Movie
1979

The Promise

Actor
Michael Hillyard
Movie
1979

20/20Stream

Guest
News
1978

Between the Lines

Actor
Michael
Movie
1977

Charlie's AngelsStream

Guest Star
Series
1976

Good Heavens

Guest Star
Show
1976

Brink's: The Great Robbery

Actor
Agent Donald Nash
Movie
1976

All the President's MenStream

Actor
Hugh W. Sloan Jr.
Movie
1976
94%

Opération Brink's

Actor
Movie
1976

Barnaby JonesStream

Guest Star
Series
1973

The WaltonsStream

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Series
1972

The Legend of Spider Forest

Film Editing
Movie
1971