Born on September 30, 1961, Eric Stoltz is an actor best known for his mostly sociopath roles including those on Killing Zoe, Kicking and Screaming, and Mask, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. The son of a violinist and an elementary school teacher, he was raised both in American Samoa and California. He went to the University of Southern California, but he dropped out when he was in junior year.
Stoltz jumpstarted his acting career when he joined a repertory company in the 1970s. The company did 10 plays at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. He eventually returned to the US, however, and continued to study with Stella Adler in New York. In 1982, he landed his first film gig with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He was also originally cast as Mart McFly in Back to the Future, a role that eventually went to Michael J. Fox.
In 1985, however, Stoltz gained both popular and critical attention with Mask in 1985 and Some Kind of Wonderful in 1987. During the 1990s, he ventured to stage and television, but never forgot film. In 1994, he added the eclectic Pulp Fiction in his resume. As for his television credentials, this included Mad About You, Chicago Hope, Will and Grace, and Grey’s Anatomy. In 2008, he was also cast as Daniel Graystone, inventor of Cylons in the sci-fi series Caprica on the SyFy network. He also recently dabbled in directing, helming episodes of shows such as Private Practice and Glee.
- ShoWest Award, Male Star of Tomorrow, 1985
- WorldFest Houston, Best Actor, 1992 (for The Waterdance)
- Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, Indie Supporter Award, 1998
FILM:
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
- Surf II (1984)
- Running Hot (1984)
- The Wild Life (1984)
- The New Kids (1985)
- Mask (1985)
- Code Name: Emerald (1985)
- Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
- Lionheart: The Children's Crusade (1987)
- Sister, Sister (1987)
- Manifesto (1988)
- Haunted Summer (1988)
- The Fly II (1989)
- Say Anything... (1989)
- Memphis Belle (1990)
- Money (1991)
- The Waterdance (1992)
- Singles (1992)
- Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993)
- Naked in New York (1993)
- Killing Zoe (1993)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Sleep With Me (1994)
- Little Women (1994)
- Killing Time (1995)
- The Prophecy (1995)
- Rob Roy (1995)
- Fluke (1995)
- Kicking and Screaming (1995)
- Grace of My Heart (1996)
- 2 Days in the Valley (1996)
- Keys to Tulsa (1996)
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Highball (1997)
- Anaconda (1997)
- Mr. Jealousy (1997)
- Hi-Life (1998)
- The Rocking Horse Winner (1998)
- A Murder of Crows (1998)
- It's A Shame About Ray (2000)
- Jesus & Hutch (2000)
- The Simian Line (2000)
- Things Behind the Sun (2001)
- Harvard Man (2001)
- The Rules of Attraction (2002)
- Happy Hour (2003)
- When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003)
- The Butterfly Effect (2004)
- Childstar (2004)
- Hello (2005)
- The Honeymooners (2005)
- The Lather Effect (2006)
- The Grand Design (2007)
- Sparks (2009)
- Fort McCoy (2011)
TELEVISION:
- St. Elsewhere (recurring, 1983)
- Mad About You (recurring, 1994-1998)
- Chicago Hope (regular, 1998-1999)
- Once and Again (recurring, 2001-2002)
- Close to Home (recurring, 2007)
- Grey's Anatomy (recurring, 2009)
- Caprica (regular, 2009-2010)