Stephen Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collins in 2014 | |
| Born | Stephen Weaver Collins (1947-10-01)October 1, 1947 (age 78) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Amherst College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971–2014 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Max Collins (nephew) |
Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor. He is known for playingEric Camden on theWB/CW television series7th Heaven from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on theABC television seriesNo Ordinary Family and Gene Porter in theNBC television seriesRevolution, father ofElizabeth Mitchell's character, Rachel Matheson. Before7th Heaven, Collins was known for his roles as CommanderWillard Decker in the 1979 filmStar Trek: The Motion Picture and pilot Jake Cutter in the ABC television seriesTales of the Gold Monkey. In 2014, his career came to an end after he confessed tosexual abuse against multiple minors.[1][2]
Stephen Collins was born on October 1, 1947, inDes Moines, Iowa, to mother Madeleine (née Robertson) and father Cyrus Stickney Collins, an airline executive.[3][4] Collins was raised with his two older brothers inHastings-on-Hudson, New York, and attendedAmherst College in Massachusetts, graduatingcum laude.[5] While at Amherst, he played bass guitar in a number of bands.[6] He was also then a singing member of the Amherst College Zumbyes.[7]
Stephen Collins is known for his role asEric Camden in the television drama series7th Heaven during the series' run from 1996 to 2007[8] and for his role as CaptainWillard Decker inStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).[9] His other notable television credits include Jake Cutter in the cult seriesTales of the Gold Monkey and his role inTattingers, as well as guest appearances inThe Waltons,Barnaby Jones,Charlie's Angels, and numerous miniseries and television films. He was nominated for anEmmy Award for his work oppositeAnn-Margret in the miniseriesThe Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987), and playedJohn F. Kennedy in the miniseriesA Woman Named Jackie (1991), which won the Emmy for Best Miniseries. He also played the lead role oppositeLauren Hutton in the television filmThe Rhinemann Exchange (1977), based onRobert Ludlum's bestselling novel.[10]
Collins was above-the-title billed inLoving Couples (1980) withShirley MacLaine,James Coburn andSusan Sarandon. He co-starred withDiane Keaton in bothThe First Wives Club (1996) andBecause I Said So (2007). He has co-starred withMeredith Baxter in three films,All the President's Men,A Woman Scorned: TheBetty Broderick Story, andHer Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter, both of which were television films broadcast onCBS in 1992.
In the 2010–11 television season, Collins starred in the short-livedABC seriesNo Ordinary Family.[11] On ABC'sBrothers & Sisters, he played a potential love interest forRon Rifkin's characterSaul Holden. Collins appeared in season eight ofThe Office playingAndy Bernard's father in the episode, "Garden Party".[12][13]
In 2013, Collins began appearing in theNBC seriesRevolution as Dr. Gene Porter, the leader of the town of Willoughby and father of Rachel Matheson (played byElizabeth Mitchell).[14] and in two episodes ofFalling Skies in season three. His final guest spots includeThe Fosters,Devious Maids, andPenance.[15]
Stephen Collins was married to Marjorie Weinman from 1970 to 1978.[16][17] In 1985, he married actressFaye Grant, whom he had met on the set ofTales of the Gold Monkey in 1982.[18] Together they have a daughter, Kate, who was born in 1989. They separated in 2012, and, after 30 years of marriage, a final divorce decree was issued in January 2015.[19][20]
Collins is anEpiscopalian[21] and a practitioner ofTranscendental Meditation (TM) and has taken part in the advanced TM Yogic Flying technique since 1980.[22] Until October 2014, he was a national co-director of the Committee for Stress-Free Schools, which advocates practicing TM in schools and funds TM research.[23] Since 2019, Collins has been in a relationship with Jenny Nagel, a7th Heaven fan.[24]
His nephew isEve 6 frontmanMax Collins.[25]
On October 7, 2014, theNew York City Police Department began investigating Collins after an audio tape was leaked to the news media; on the tape was a male voice, said to be that of Collins, admitting pastsexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14.[18]
ALos Angeles Police Department spokesperson stated that the department had investigated Collins in 2012 after receiving a claim of sexual abuse. The LAPD further stated that its investigation did not allow it to "substantiate the allegation" against Collins.[26][27]
In a December 2014 interview withPeople, Collins admitted to "inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors" in 1973, 1982, and 1994.[1][2][28]
The abuses were also the subject of an episode of the 2025 documentary seriesHollywood Demons.[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Michele Lee Show | Dr. Steven Mayhill | Television pilot |
| 1975 | The Waltons | Todd Clarke | Episode: "The Abdication" |
| 1976 | Brink's: The Great Robbery | Agent Donald Nash | Television film |
| 1977 | The Rhinemann Exchange | David Spaulding | Miniseries |
| 1978 | Charlie's Angels | Steve Carmody | Episode: "Angel Come Home" |
| 1980 | The Henderson Monster | Pete Casimir | Television film |
| 1981 | Great Performances | Morton Fullerton | Episode: "Edith Wharton: Looking Back" |
| Summer Solstice | Young Joshua Turner | Television film | |
| 1982 | Inside the Third Reich | Karl Hanke | |
| Tales of the Gold Monkey | Jake Cutter | Main role | |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Billy Lee | Miniseries |
| 1984 | Threesome | Peter Hatten | Television film |
| Dark Mirror | Jim Eiseley | ||
| 1985 | The Hitchhiker | Todd Fields | Episode: "And If We Dream" |
| 1986 | Hold the Dream | Shane O'Neil | Miniseries |
| 1987 | The Two Mrs. Grenvilles | Billy Grenville Jr. | |
| 1988 | Weekend War | Captain John Deason | Television film |
| Tattingers | Nick Tattinger | Main role | |
| 1990 | Working It Out | David Stuart | |
| 1991 | A Woman Named Jackie | John F. Kennedy | Miniseries |
| 1992 | A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story | Dan Broderick | Television film |
| Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, The Last Chapter | |||
| 1993 | Remember | Clee Donovan | |
| The Disappearance of Nora | Jack Fremont | ||
| 1994 | Scarlett | Ashley Wilkes | Miniseries |
| 1995 | A Family Divided | Roger Billingsley | Television film |
| Sisters | Gabriel 'Gabe' Sorenson | Recurring | |
| 1996 | On Seventh Avenue | Tom Aiken | Television film |
| The Babysitter's Seduction | Bill Bartrand | ||
| An Unexpected Family | Sam | ||
| 1996–2007 | 7th Heaven | Rev. Eric Camden | Main role; directed 3 episodes |
| 1998 | An Unexpected Life | Sam | Television film |
| 1999 | As Time Runs Out | Dan Carlin | |
| Batman Beyond | Tony Maychek/Earthmover | Voice, episode: "Earth Mover"[30] | |
| 2001 | Jumping Ship | Gardener | Television film |
| 2002 | State of Grace | Norris Sinclair | Episode: "Sophisticated Ladies" |
| 2005 | Celebrity Poker Showdown | Himself | Qualified for the first tournament |
| 2006–2007 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Bruce Mathis | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Pierson Bartlett | Episode: "Trade" |
| Every Second Counts | Joe Preston | Television film | |
| 2009–2011 | Private Practice | The Captain | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | No Ordinary Family | Dayton King | Main role |
| Brothers & Sisters | Charlie | Episode: "A Righteous Kiss" | |
| 2011 | The Office | Walter Bernard | Episode: "Garden Party" |
| 2013 | Falling Skies | President Benjamin Hathaway | 2 episodes |
| Scandal | Reed Wallace | Episode: "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" | |
| The Fosters | Rev. Adams | Episode: "I Do" | |
| Devious Maids | Philippe Delatour | 6 episodes | |
| Revolution | Gene Porter | Main role | |
| 2014 | Avengers Assemble | Howard Stark | Voice, episode: "Thanos Rising"[30] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | All the President's Men | Hugh W. Sloan Jr. | |
| 1977 | Between the Lines | Michael | |
| 1978 | Fedora | Young Barry Detweiler | |
| 1979 | The Promise | Michael Hillyard | |
| Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Captain/Commander Willard Decker | ||
| 1980 | Loving Couples | Greg Plunkett | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Warren Cox | |
| 1986 | On Dangerous Ground | Dr. David Lowell | Alternate title:Choke Canyon |
| Jumpin' Jack Flash | Marty Phillips | ||
| 1989 | The Big Picture | Attorney | |
| 1990 | Stella | Stephen Dallas | |
| 1992 | My New Gun | Gerald Bender | |
| 1996 | The First Wives Club | Aaron Paradis | |
| 1999 | Drive Me Crazy | Mr. Maris | |
| 2003 | The Commission | Joseph A. Ball | |
| 2006 | Blood Diamond | Ambassador Walker | |
| 2007 | Because I Said So | Joe Dresden | |
| 2008 | Hole in the Paper Sky | Mr. Benson | |
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Mr. Harter | |
| 2014 | Penance | Priest | Short |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sondheim: Putting It Together | Off-Broadway cast recording |
| 2003 | Stephen Collins | |
| 2005 | The Hits of Rick Nelson |
| Preceded by Jonathan Hadary October 31, 2006 – June 5, 2008 | Actor playingKing Arthur onSpamalot June 5, 2008 – September 14, 2008 | Succeeded by |