Stephen Furst

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Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto in Babylon 5
Birth name	Steven Nelson Feuerstein
Born	May 08, 1954 (age 52) Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Spouse(s)	Lorraine Wright (June 13, 1976 - Present)
Official site	StephenFurst.com
Notable roles	Vir Cotto in Babylon 5 (TV) Flounder in Animal House (movie)

Stephen Furst (born Steven Nelson Feuerstein on 8 May 1954) is an American actor and film and television director. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he is best known for his roles as "Flounder" in the feature film Animal House (1978), as Gonzer in the feature film Up the Creek (1984), as Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the television series St. Elsewhere (1983–1988), and as Vir Cotto in the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998).

In 1972, Furst's father died from diabetic complications and Furst was diagnosed with diabetes. One of his sisters, Marsha, also died from diabetes. After almost needing to have his left foot amputated due to diabetes complications in 1996, Furst lost nearly 80 lb (36 kg) in the time between the third and fourth seasons of Babylon 5. When filming started for the fourth season, the show's producers found that all of the costumes were now too large for Furst. His weight loss is easily visible in the later seasons of Babylon 5. This weight loss had not been explained within the context of the Vir Cotto character. He wrote the book Confessions of a Couch Potato about his weight loss and diabetes, and co-wrote and directed a video called Diabetes For Guys, an attempt to educate about good diabetic control through humor.

Although not a regular, he also appeared in the short-lived 1992 TV series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys.

In the 1995 animated TV series Freakazoid, he voiced the character Fanboy. Also in 1995, he took a hiatus from Babylon 5 to star in a short-lived TV series, Misery Loves Company. He had a starring voice role as Booster in the 2000 series "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command".

Stephen has directed many independent and/or low-budget movies, including the low-budget movie Title to Murder starring Christopher Atkins and Maureen McCormick in 2001.

In 2002, he guest starred in an episode of Scrubs.

Stephen directed two low-budget movies for the Sci-Fi Channel, Dragon Storm in 2004 and Path of Destruction in 2005. He also co-starred in Path of Destruction.

Stephen has two sons, both in the entertainment business. Stephen's older son, Nathan Furst (b. 1978), is a successful television and film composer who has been nominated for numerous awards. Stephen's younger son, Griff Furst (b. 1981), is an actor and director, as well as a talented musician. Stephen's wife, Lorraine, is an entertainment lawyer.