Dean Stockwell, arguably best known for his fan-favorite role as Al in the classic Quantum Leap TV series, has passed away at the age of 85. The actor's representatives report that he died peacefully in his sleep at home.
Born in 1936, Stockwell began acting at a young age, with a career spanning over 70 years. After a series of bit parts in film and TV, he landed the role of Admiral ‘Al’ Calavicci in NBC's Quantum Leap, which ran for five seasons between 1989 and 1993 and earned him a Golden Globe in 1990 for “best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.”
Stockwell also made memorable appearances in David Lynch's Blue Velvet and the original Dune, Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, Robert Altman's The Player, and '80s gangster comedy Married to The Mob, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination. Sci-Fi fans will also know him as the evil Cylon Brother Cavill from SyFy's 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot.
Stockwell actually gave up on acting in the early '80s and obtained a real estate license. The story goes that he was persuaded by Paris, Texas costar Harry Dean Stanton to return and give it another go, and we're very glad he did.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.