Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Stephen Furst (born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein; May 8, 1954 – June 16, 2017) was an American actor, director and producer. After gaining attention with his featured role as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House and its spin-off television series Delta House,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he went on to be a regular as Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere from 1983 to 1988, and as Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto in the science fiction series Babylon 5 from 1994 to 1998. Other notable film roles included the college comedy Midnight Madness (1980), as a team leader in an all-night mystery game, the action thriller Silent Rage (1982), as deputy to a sheriff played by Chuck Norris, and the comedy The Dream Team (1989), as a good-natured psychiatric patient.
Early lifeEdit
Born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein in Norfolk, Virginia, on May 8, 1954,<ref name=wapoobit>Template:Cite news</ref> Furst attended Virginia Commonwealth University.<ref name=wapoobit /> He was Jewish.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
ActingEdit
Furst worked as a pizza delivery driver while looking for acting jobs in the mid-1970s, and included his head shot in pizza boxes. After Matty Simmons saw his photo, Furst was cast as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978),<ref name="neumer2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> reprising the role in the short-lived 1979 spin-off ABC sitcom Delta House, and repeating his famous line, "Oh boy, is this great!", as a school principal with a personality mirroring Flounder's in the music video for Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock."<ref name="blabbermouth">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other roles include "Junior" Keller (the unseen) in the 1980 horror film The Unseen,<ref name="The Horror film: a guide to more than 700 films on videocassette">Template:Cite book</ref> Gonzer in the 1984 feature film Up the Creek, Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the television series St. Elsewhere (1983–1988), and Vir Cotto in the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1994–1998). Furst was amused by the report that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un modeled his haircut after Furst's character in Babylon 5.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1979 he starred as an overweight high school tuba player coerced onto the wrestling team in Kieth Merrill's feel-good underdog film, Take Down. In 1980, he played the character of Harold in the film Midnight Madness.<ref name=Maltin>Template:Cite book</ref> Furst appeared in 1982 in an episode of Newhart called "Sprained Dreams" where he played a Dartmouth College student. In 1983, he also appeared in a supporting role as Aldo in the ABC television film The Day After.<ref name=Parish>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1989, he played the character of Albert Ianuzzi in the film The Dream Team.<ref name=Gritten>Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1983, Furst also appeared alongside Erik Estrada, Tom Reilly, and Heather O'Rourke in an episode of CHiPs titled "Fun House" as a student who belonged to the college fraternity "DDT".<ref name="goojara">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In the 1995 animated TV series Freakazoid!, he voiced the character Fanboy. Also in 1995, he took a hiatus from Babylon 5 to star in a short-lived TV series, Misery Loves Company. In 1997, he played Derby Ferris in Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home.<ref name=Grant>Template:Cite book</ref> He also voiced a young Hathi in the second season of Disney's Jungle Cubs, had a starring voice role as Booster in the 2000 series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and its direct-to-video prequel Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, and voiced the walrus Dash in the 2000 Disney film The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.<ref name="deadline">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Hischak>Template:Cite book</ref> He starred in Magic Kid<ref name=TVG>Template:Cite book</ref> and its sequel.<ref name=Craddock>Template:Cite book</ref>
In 2002, he guest starred in an episode of Scrubs.<ref name="ew.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the same year, he was cast as Walter Nichols in the unaired pilot of the Nickelodeon television series Drake & Josh, but his identity was unknown in visuals, until his name was revealed in a YouTube video from 2017. He was replaced by Jonathan Goldstein prior to the series' debut, due to his unavailability for future episodes.
Directing and producingEdit
Furst began directing with three episodes of Babylon 5; two in the fourth season and one in the fifth. Furst directed many independent and low-budget films, including the 2001 film Title to Murder, starring Christopher Atkins and Maureen McCormick,<ref name="hollywood">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the direct-to-video children's film Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure.<ref name="edition.cnn">Template:Cite news</ref> He also directed three low-budget films for the Sci Fi Channel: Dragon Storm in 2004,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Path of Destruction in 2005, and Basilisk: The Serpent King in 2006; he also co-starred in the last two films.<ref name="radiotimes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="badmoviemarathon">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Furst produced My Sister's Keeper, based on the Jodi Picoult novel, starring Cameron Diaz and Alec Baldwin.<ref name="laweekly">Template:Cite news</ref> He produced several other films under his production company Curmudgeon Films.<ref name="theguardian">Template:Cite news</ref> Atomic Shark aired in August 2016 on Syfy, during "Sharknado Week". Christmas in Homestead premiered on the Hallmark Channel during the holiday season of 2016. Cold Moon, a psychological thriller based on the Michael McDowell book, is set for a theatrical release in October 2017 in the United States.<ref name="theguardian" /> Cold Moon won "Best Horror Film" at the 2016 Laughlin Film Festival.<ref name="laughlinfilmfestival">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Furst was married to entertainment lawyer Lorraine Wright from 1976 until his death.<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> The couple had two sons, both of whom are in the entertainment business. His older son Nathan (born 1978) is a television and film composer, while his younger son Griff (born 1981) is an actor, director and musician.<ref name="Stephen Furst">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both of Furst's parents died from complications of diabetes.<ref name="people">Template:Cite news</ref> Shortly after his father's death, Furst was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 17.<ref name="Fratboy Slim"/> He reached a weight of 320 pounds and had uncontrolled type 2 diabetes by the age of 40.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After almost needing to have his left foot amputated due to diabetes complications in 1996, Furst reduced his weight from 260 lbs to 175 lbs.<ref name="Fratboy Slim">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Starting in June 2006, Furst co-hosted the Renal Support Network's webcast Kidney Talk with Lori Hartwell.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association and authored the book Confessions of a Couch Potato.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As a celebrity spokesperson for the American Heart Association, Furst said, "I thought I was more powerful than the disease of diabetes, but in reality, I was letting it take control of me. Now, I've decided to take control of my life."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2016 criticism of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesEdit
Furst wrote a letter, later published in Variety, criticizing the Academy's portrayal of its members as racist and resistant to diversity and suggested the Academy's response to the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite was ageist and sexist. He suggested that most members of the Academy do not watch the films nominated for awards, and that the Academy should start by ensuring those who vote have watched the films.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
DeathEdit
On June 16, 2017, Furst died from complications related to diabetes at his home in Moorpark, California, at the age of 63.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Selected filmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | American Raspberry | Fat Gin Player | <ref name="Tyrkus">Template:Cite book</ref> | |
| 1978 | Animal House | Kent Dorfman | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1979 | Take Down | Randy Jensen | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1979 | Swim Team | Bear | <ref name="Tyrkus" /> | |
| 1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Merle | <ref name="Tyrkus" /> | |
| 1980 | Midnight Madness | Harold - Blue Team Leader | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1980 | The Unseen | Junior Keller (The Unseen) | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1980 | Getting Wasted | Marshall | <ref name="Tyrkus" /> | |
| 1982 | Silent Rage | Charlie | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1982 | National Lampoon's Class Reunion | Hubert Downs | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1984 | Up the Creek | Gonzer | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1989 | The Dream Team | Albert Ianuzzi | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1993 | Magic Kid | Bob Ryan | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1994 | Magic Kid 2 | Also director<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | ||
| 1995 | Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Hawkins | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1998 | Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home | Derby Ferris | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 1999 | Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure | Baby Huey, Phantom Manager | Also director | |
| 1999 | Deadly Delusions | Rev. Crane | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 2000 | Everything's Jake | Assistant Librarian | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 2000 | The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea | Dash (voice) | citation | CitationClass=web
}} 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.</ref> |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins | Booster Sinclair (voice) | Direct-to-video<ref name="deadline" /><ref name="btva" /> | |
| 2001 | Title to Murder | Oscar, the Security Guard | Also director<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 2001 | Echoes of Enlightenment | House Foreclosure Agent | ||
| 2002 | Sorority Boys | The Alum | ||
| 2003 | Searching for Haizmann | Dr. Gaulforid | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 2004 | Wild Roomies | Mr. Nossee | ||
| 2006 | Seven Days of Grace | Henry Henary III | <ref name="Stephen Furst" /> | |
| 2010 | John Belushi: Dancing on the Edge | Himself | Documentary |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Bastard | Bertrand | Miniseries<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1983–1988 | St. Elsewhere | Elliot Axelrod | Recurring role<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1983 | The Day After | Aldo | Television film<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1984 | Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks) | Steamboat | Television film<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1989 | MacGyver | Dr. Kozby | Episode: "Renegade"<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Sgt. Paulsen | Episode: "Trials and Tribulations" |
| 1994–1998 | Babylon 5 | Vir Cotto | Recurring role<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1996 | Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies | Various | 2 episodes<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
| 1995–1996 | Freakazoid! | Fanboy (voice) | 3 episodes<ref name="btva" /> |
| 1996 | Road Rovers | Sport (voice) | Episode: "The Dog Who Knew Too Much"<ref name="btva" /> |
| 2000–2001 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Booster Sinclair (voice) | Main cast (61 episodes)<ref name="btva" /> |
| 2002 | Drake & Josh | Walter Nichols | Unaired pilot<ref name="Stephen Furst" /> |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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