Daniel Stern (actor)

Daniel Stern

Stern in July 2014
Born Daniel Jacob Stern
August 28, 1957
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Other names Dan Stern
Occupation Actor, Director, Producer and screenwriter
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s) Laure Mattos (m. 1980)
Children Sophie Stern (b. 1986), Ella Marie Stern (b. 1989), Henry Stern
Family David M. Stern (brother)

Daniel Jacob Stern (born August 28, 1957) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles in the Hollywood films Breaking Away, C.H.U.D., Diner, City Slickers, the first two Home Alone films, where he played bandit Marv Murchens, and as the narrator for the television series The Wonder Years.

Early life

Stern was born in Bethesda, Maryland, to a social worker father and a mother who managed a day care center.[1] His brother is television writer David M. Stern. During his years at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Stern starred in several theater productions, including playing C.C. Baxter in Promises, Promises and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Stern applied for a job as a lighting engineer for a Shakespeare Festival in Washington, D.C., but was hired as a walk-on in their production of The Taming of the Shrew, starring Glenn Close. He dropped out of high school in his senior year and soon moved to New York. After taking acting lessons at HB Studios with Austin Pendleton and Herbert Berghof, Stern began his acting career in Off Broadway and Broadway productions, including True West with Gary Sinise and How I Got That Story at Second Stage Theatre with Bob Gunton. He acted in numerous productions at The Public Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, Cherry Lane Theater,and Manhattan Theater Club.

Career

In 1979, Stern made his movie debut as Cyril in Breaking Away. The following year he played a student who raised objections during Jill Clayburgh's proof[2] of the snake lemma in the film It's My Turn. His breakthrough role as Laurence "Shrevie" Schreiber came in Barry Levinson's Diner. He had another early film role in the 1984 horror film C.H.U.D., as the soup kitchen C.H.U.D. hunter. He appeared in two films with Woody Allen, Stardust Memories and Hannah and Her Sisters.

Stern has played characters in a number of comedic roles, such as Phil Berquist in the City Slickers movies; Marv Murchens the burglar in the first two Home Alone movies (Home Alone in 1990 and Home Alone 2 in 1992) with good friend Joe Pesci. However, he declined to play the character once again in the future installments of the franchise; he also starred as Max in Bushwhacked. He provided the voice of the narrator on the TV series The Wonder Years, which starred Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold. As narrator, Stern played the adult Kevin Arnold, remembering his youth.[3] Stern and Savage were also featured together in Little Monsters, in which Stern played the father of Savage's character. Stern provided the voice for the main character of the Dilbert animated TV series, based on the comic strip by Scott Adams.

Stern directed several episodes of The Wonder Years and the feature film Rookie of the Year.

Stern created, wrote and starred in the CBS Television show "Danny".

He wrote the off-Broadway hit "Barbra's Wedding", which was produced by The Dodgers and Manhattan Theater Club. It starred John Pankow and Julie White and ran for six months. Mr. Stern also appeared in the play at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theater.

Stern was originally offered the role of Dale Gribble in King of the Hill but the role was offered to Johnny Hardwick when a salary agreement could not be reached.

Outside of acting and directing, Stern works as an artist, specializing in bronze sculpture. He has created sculptures for public art projects in San Diego, Pasadena, Palm Desert, Temple City and Agoura Hills. He has also done many private commissions, gallery exhibitions and art fairs.

He and his wife, Laure, started the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, which created The Malibu Boys and Girls Club, a thriving institution serving Malibu. He served as the President of foundation as well.

He developed a curriculum and taught Media Literacy in classrooms throughout California.

He served as Honorary Chairman of the California PTA.

Over Christmas in 2003, Mr. Stern visited the troops in Iraq on Handshake Tour with the USO. He was accompanied by his son Henry, who served a tour director.

He helped create and served as the founding Chairman of the Malibu Arts Commission.

In 2009, President Obama awarded him our nation's highest honor for volunteerism, the President's "Call to Service Award".

He owns a 500 acre cattle ranch in California Central Valley.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1979 Starting Over Student 2
Breaking Away Cyril
1980 It's My Turn Cooperman
One Trick Pony Hare Krishna
Stardust Memories An Actor
A Small Circle of Friends
1981 Honky Tonk Freeway Hitchhiker
1982 I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Diner Laurence "Shrevie" Schreiber
1983 Get Crazy
Blue Thunder Officer Richard Lymangood
1984 The Ratings Game
Frankenweenie Ben Frankenstein
C.H.U.D.
Samson and Delilah
1985 Hometown TV series
Key Exchange
1986 The Boss' Wife
Hannah and Her Sisters Dusty
1987 Born in East L.A.
1988 The Milagro Beanfield War Herbie Platt
D.O.A.
Weekend War
The Wonder Years Kevin Arnold/Narrator TV Series 1988 to 1993
1989 Little Monsters Glen Stevenson
Leviathan
Friends, Lovers, & Lunatics
1990 Coupe de Ville Marvin Libner
Home Alone Marv Murchens
1991 City Slickers Phil Berquist
The Simpsons (season 2) Three Men and a Comic Book Animated TV Series
1992 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Marv Murchens
1993 SeaQuest DSV TV Series
Rookie of the Year Phil Brickma
1994 City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Phil Berquist
1995 Bushwhacked Max Grabelski
1996 Celtic Pride Mike O'Hara
1997 Gun TV Series
Hey Arnold! Animated TV Series
1998 Very Bad Things
Tourist Trap
1999 Dilbert Animated TV Series
Partners
2000 How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
2001 Danny TV Series
Viva Las Nowhere
2003 Regular Joe TV Series
2004 The Last Full Measure
2006 Bachelor Party Vegas
The Last Time
2008 A Previous Engagement
Otis Will Lawson
2009 Whip It Earl Cavendar
Family Guy Animated TV Series
Monk TV Series
2010 The Next Three Days Meyer Fisk
Battle of the Bulbs Bob Wallace
2012 A Christmas Story 2 The Old Man
2013 Workaholics Travis Rockne TV Series
Girlfriend in a Coma Tom McNeil TV Series
Getting On Richard James TV series
2014 Manhattan Glen Babbit TV series

Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Film or series
1992 Nominated American Comedy Awards Funniest Supporting Actor City Slickers

References

  1. "New Face: Daniel Stern Off the Sofa and Onto the Movie Screen in 'Breaking Away'; 'But It Was Cheap Rent'". The New York Times. August 31, 1979. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  2. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080936/quotes
  3. Day, Heather Thompson (2013). How to Feed the Mediavore: The 30 Day Challenge. Review and Herald. p. 28. ISBN 9780812756555.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daniel Stern.