Stephen Elliott (actor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen Elliott (November 27, 1918 - May 21, 2005) was an American actor.

Born Elliott Pershing Stitzel in New York City, Elliott's first acting engagement was at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse in 1940. After serving in World War II, Elliott started a successful career on Broadway with his debut in Shakespeare's The Tempest. In 1967, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Marat/Sade. Two years later he won the Drama Desk Award for A Whistle in the Dark. Additional Broadway credits include King Lear, The Miser, Georgy, The Crucible, and The Creation of the World and Other Business.

Elliott portrayed Dr. Pauli in the early Captain Video film series, but it wasn't until later in life that he established himself in Hollywood. In 1981, at the of 63, he played villain J.J. Cord opposite Jeff Bridges in Cutter's Way. In the following years he frequently played amoral or arrogant characters in such films as Arthur, Beverly Hills Cop, The Hospital, and Death Wish.

Elliott's television credits include the role of Jane Wyman's first husband in Falcon Crest, Texan millionaire Scotty Demarest in Dallas, and Judge Harold Aldrich in Chicago Hope.

Elliott married his second wife, actress Alice Hirson, in 2004. The following year he died in in Woodland Hills, California.