Stephen Dorff

Stephen Hartley Dorff Jr.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor. Starting his film career as a child appearing in the cult horror film The Gate (1987), Dorff first rose to prominence playing Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat (1994) and then gained further mainstream attention for portraying Deacon Frost in Blade (1998). Other notable lead roles include the titular character in John Waters' Cecil B. DeMented (2000) and Johnny Marco in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010).

Supporting roles include Candy Darling in I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), Detective Scott Strauss World Trade Center (2006), Homer Van Meter in Public Enemies (2009), Stavros in Immortals (2011), Joseph Kuklinski in The Iceman (2012) and Ketchum in Old Henry (2021). He is also known for portraying Roland West in the third season of HBO's crime drama anthology series True Detective (2019).

Early life

Dorff was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Nancy and Steve Dorff, who is a composer and music producer.<ref name=fr>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father is Jewish, and his mother was Catholic,<ref name=salon>Template:Cite journal</ref> and Dorff has stated that he was "brought up half-Jewish."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="tcella">Template:Cite episodeTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dorff's brother Andrew (1976–2016) was a country music songwriter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was raised in Los Angeles, where his father worked, and began acting as a child, appearing in commercials for Kraft and Mattel. Dorff attended several private schools.<ref name=aau>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

File:RobertDaviStephenDorffMichaelShannonTIFFSept2012.jpg

Dorff (center) with Robert Davi and Michael Shannon at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

Dorff started acting in the late 1980s, landing a few minor roles before being cast as the star of The Gate (1987), a horror film about a boy who, along with a friend, discovers a hole in his back yard that is a gateway to hell. The film was a moderate box office success. He made guest appearances in television programs such as Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties, Blossom, Roseanne, and Married... with Children. He appeared in the television movies In Love and War, I Know My First Name is Steven and What a Dummy. In 1990, he landed a leading role opposite Patty Duke in the TV movie Always Remember I Love You. In 1992, he starred in The Power of One opposite Sir John Gielgud, Morgan Freeman, and Daniel Craig. In 1993, director Marty Callner hired him to star alongside teen idol Alicia Silverstone in the music video Cryin' by American rock band Aerosmith.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had a leading role as the love interest of Reese Witherspoon's character in S.F.W. (1994). In 1994, Dorff starred in the Iain Softley film Backbeat as the "fifth Beatle" Stuart Sutcliffe during the early days of the Beatles' existence as a group. Dorff's performance was critically acclaimed, with Paul McCartney remarking that while he was disappointed with some aspects of the film, "I was quite taken, however, with Stephen Dorff's astonishing performance as Stu."

In 1996, he starred in the movie Space Truckers and as Candy Darling in I Shot Andy Warhol, a film about Valerie Solanas, the woman infamous for attempting to assassinate pop art icon Andy Warhol. In 1997 he appeared as the protagonist of Blood and Wine alongside an all-star cast. He was one of the first actors to act in the first digitally downloadable movie, SightSound.com's Quantum Project, also starring John Cleese. He played the protagonist, XIII, of a live action TV series of the comic/video game of XIII. He is known for his part as the evil vampire Deacon Frost in the Marvel Comics superhero horror film, Blade (1998). In 1999 he starred opposite Susan Sarandon in Earthly Possessions. He played Dale Massie in the 2003 thriller Cold Creek Manor, alongside Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone. In 2004, Dorff starred in the music video for "Everytime" by Britney Spears, playing Spears' boyfriend. He appeared in the 2009 films Public Enemies and Black Water Transit.<ref name=imdb>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2010, he starred in the drama Somewhere opposite Elle Fanning, directed by Sofia Coppola. He described what landing the role meant to him after the loss of his mother as "It almost felt like a savior, this movie, because I felt like it helped me ... I was real empty inside so this was an incredible thing that made me smile."<ref name=coppola>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Dorff appeared as porn star Dick Shadow in the sex industry comedy Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, a film produced by Adam Sandler, who also co-wrote the screenplay.<ref name=shine>Template:Cite journal</ref> Dorff has appeared in television and print advertisements for blu eCigs, an electronic cigarette company.<ref name="Rise From The Ashes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dorff also starred in The Motel Life opposite Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson and in the crime drama film Officer Down.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, he was a guest of honor on 6th Off Plus Camera<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, he played obsessed Texas Ranger Hal Hartman in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre prequel Leatherface.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dorff starred as Detective Roland West in Season 3 of HBO's series True Detective.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Template:Sortname	Glen
1992	Template:Sortname	Peter Phillip "P.K." Kenneth-Keith (age 18)
	Rescue Me	Fraser Sweeney
1993	Template:Sortname	George Betts
	Judgment Night	John Wyatt
1994	Backbeat	Stuart Sutcliffe
	S.F.W.	Cliff Spab
1995	One Hundred and One Nights	Un Acteur Muet à Hollywood	Cameo
	Innocent Lies	Jeremy Graves
	Reckless	Tom Jr.
1996	I Shot Andy Warhol	Candy Darling
	Blood and Wine	Jason
	Space Truckers	Mike Pucci
1997	City of Industry	Skip Kovich
1998	Blade	Deacon Frost
1999	Entropy	Jake Walsh
2000	Quantum Project	Paul Pentcho	Short film
	Cecil B. Demented	Sinclair / Cecil B. Demented
2002	Deuces Wild	Leon Anthony
	Steal	"Slim"
	FeardotCom	Detective Mike Reilly
2003	Den of Lions	Mike Varga	Direct-to-video
	Cold Creek Manor	Dale Massie
2005	Alone in the Dark	Commander Richard Burke
	Tennis, Anyone...?	T.C. Jackson
	Shadowboxer	Clayton Mayfield
2006	World Trade Center	Detective Scott Strauss
	.45	Reilly
2007	Botched	Ritchie Donovan
	Template:Sortname	Luke
2008	Felon	Wade Porter	Direct-to-video; also executive producer
2009	Black Water Transit	Nicky	Unreleased
	Public Enemies	Homer Van Meter
2010	Somewhere	Johnny Marco
2011	Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star	Dick Shadow
	Carjacked	Roy
	Immortals	Stavros
2012	Rites of Passage	Professor Nash
	The Motel Life	Jerry Lee Flannigan
	Brake	Jeremy Reins	Also executive producer
	Zaytoun	Yoni
	Tomorrow You're Gone	Charlie Rankin
	The Iceman	Joseph Kuklinski
2013	Officer Down	Detective David "Cal" Callahan
2014	Heatstroke	Paul O'Malley
2015	American Hero	Melvin
	The Debt	Oliver
2016	Albion: The Enchanted Stallion	Connor
2017	Leatherface	Ranger Hal Hartman
	Sex Guaranteed	Hank
	Wheeler	Wheeler	Also writer and executive producer
	Jackals	Jimmy Levine
2018	Life Boat	The Counsellor
	Don't Go	Ben Slater	Also executive producer
2019	I'll Find You	General Huber
2020	Embattled	Cash "The Slayer" Boykins
2021	Kid 90	Himself	Documentary
	Old Henry	Ketchum
	Traveling Light	Todd
2022	Paradise City	Robbie Cole
	The Price We Pay	Cody
2023	Divinity	Jaxxon Pierce
	Blood for Dust	Gus
	Dead Man's Hand	Clarence Bishop
	Mob Land	Clayton Minor
	King of Killers	Robert Xane
2024	Clear Cut	Ike
	The Trainer	Template:TableTBA	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2025	Gunslingers	Thomas Keller
	Bride Hard	Template:TableTBA	Post-production
Template:TableTBA	Lear Rex	Poor Tom

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Template:Sortname	Tony	Episode: "The Gladiators"
	Diff'rent Strokes	Scott	Episode: "Sam Adopts a Grandparent"
1987	In Love and War	Stan Stockdale (age 9)	Television film
1988	Family Ties	Martin	Episode: Read It and Weep: Part 1
	Mutts	Eric Gillman	Television film
	Hiroshima Maiden	Johnny Bennett
	Template:Sortname	Curtis
	Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story	Older Kale Wedemeyer
1989	Empty Nest	Billy (age 14)	Episode: "A Life in the Day"
	Married... with Children	Boz	Episode: "The Dateless Amigo"
	I Know My First Name Is Steven	Pete	Television film
	Do You Know the Muffin Man?	Sandy Dollison
	Roseanne	Jimmy Meltrigger	3 episodes
1990	Father Dowling Mysteries	Mark Oskowski	Episode: "The Sanctuary Mystery"
	Template:Sortname	Charles O'Kelley	Television film
	Template:Sortname	Bobby Dean	Episode: "The Stork Club"
	Always Remember I Love You	Robert Mendham	Television film
1990–1991	What a Dummy	Tucker Brannigan	24 episodes
1991	Blossom	Bobby	Episode: "My Sister's Keeper"
1999	Earthly Possessions	Jake Simms Jr.	Television film
2002	Fastlane	Dallas Roberts	Episode: "Gone Native"
2006	Covert One: The Hades Factor	Jonathan Smith	Miniseries
2008	Skip Tracer	Skip King	Pilot
	XIII: The Conspiracy	XIII / Steven Rowland / Ross Tanner	Miniseries
2017	Star	Brody Dean	9 episodes
2019	True Detective	Roland West	8 episodes
2020	Deputy	Sheriff Bill Hollister	13 episodes
2023–2025	The Righteous Gemstones	Vance Simkins	8 episodes

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Artist
1993	"Cryin'"	Boyfriend	Aerosmith
2000	"Rollin'"	Himself	Limp Bizkit
2004	"Everytime"	Boyfriend	Britney Spears

Video game

Year	Title	Voice role
2005	Far Cry Instincts	Jack Carver

External links

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