Stephen Lang (actor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952 in New York City) is an American film actor who started in theatre on Broadway. He is currently co-artistic director (along with Carlin Glynn and Lee Grant) of the famed Actor's Studio at its headquarters in New York City. He is currently represented by Innovative Artists.

Lang played one of Dustin Hoffman's sons in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman in 1985, and appeared in the first Hannibal Lecter film, Manhunter (1986), as reporter Freddy Lounds.

Lang as Freddy Lounds in Manhunter.

From 1986 to 1988 he played attorney David Abrams in the television series Crime Story. He played the title role in the NBC 1991 made-for-television film, Babe Ruth. He later played the "One Armed Man" in the 2000 revival of The Fugitive starring Tim Daly. The series was a modest success, but only lasted one season due to its expensive production budget.

In 1992 he was nominated for a Tony Award for his lead role in The Speed of Darkness. His role in the film Last Exit to Brooklyn garnered him universal acclaim and Oscar buzz, but its limited release prevented the film from reaching a wider audience. On stage, he was the first to play the role of Col. Nathan Jessup in A Few Good Men, a role made famous on film (1992) by Jack Nicholson. He is the winner of over half a dozen theatre awards including the Drama Desk and Helen Hayes awards.

He played Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett in the 1993 film Gettysburg and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, both from director Ronald F. Maxwell. Arguably his most famous film role was his portrayal of the villainous Ike Clanton in the successful 1993 Western Tombstone, with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.

Lang acted in his longtime friend Arthur Miller's last play before his death. Titled Finishing the Picture, it premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the same theatre where Lang had the second run of his own play Beyond Glory, which had premiered in Arlington, Virginia early in 2004, and also his Tony-nominated portrayal for The Speed of Darkness. In 2006 he played the role of Colonel Littlefield in John Patrick Shanley's play Defiance.

Recently he filmed a key role in the ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning as well as roles in the independent features Save Me and From Mexico With Love.