Dean Stockwell has died at 85 years of age. The award-winning actor was best known for playing Admiral “Al” Calavicci on the popular sci-fi series Quantum Leap. He was also known for the famous sci-fi franchise Battlestar Galactica. Dean Stockwell was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role as Tony “The Tiger” Russo in the 1988 comedy film Married to the Mob.
Variety and other outlets confirmed the news on Monday. Actor Robert Dean Stockwell was born in 1936 and had a long and distinguished career spanning both film and television, including roles in movies like Air Force One and David Lynch’s Dune. As a child actor, he appeared on Broadway and in films with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Gregory Peck for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1940s. His sleeper hit The Boy with the Green Hair made him a cult star in 1948.
Stockwell is a former child actor who has worked with actors like Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck, and Orson Welles. David Lynch also cast him in two films: the 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune and Blue Velvet. Beverly Hills Cop II, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, The Player, Air Force One, and The Manchurian Candidate (2004) are some of his other film credits. During Star Trek: Enterprise’s first season episode “Detained”, Dean Stockwell appeared as Colonel Grat, reuniting him with Scott Bakula, who also starred in the series. He has also guest-starred on Stargate SG-1.
After retiring from acting in 2015, Stockwell pursued a career change, making art and exhibiting throughout the United States under his full name, Robert Dean Stockwell. He enjoyed acting, laughing, smoking cigars, and playing golf, according to those who knew him well. Joy Stockwell and her two children, Austin Stockwell and Sophie Stockwell survive him. Dean Stockwell dies at 85 with actors and film personalities from all over the world paying him tributes. He will be remembered most for his roles in Quantum Leap and Blue Velvet.
