Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang

Active - 1956 - Present  |   Born - Jul 11, 1952 in Queens, New York, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Action, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

Upon graduating from Swarthmore College, Stephen Lang worked at the Folger Theatre in Washington, then made his off-Broadway debut in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Thereafter he virtually specialized in Shakespearean roles -- a direct contrast to his All-American demeanor and naval-ensign facial features. Lang was praised for his appearance as Happy in Dustin Hoffman's 1984 revival of Death of a Salesman, reprising the role for the subsequent TV-movie version. The next season, Lang costarred in the original Broadway production of A Few Good Men. From 1986 through 1988, the actor played prosecutor David Abrams on the weekly TV series Crime Story. Stephen Lang has appeared in such films as Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) and Gettysburg (1993), and in 1991 won the title role in the made-for-TV Babe Ruth. He was cast as the one-armed man in the 2000 remake of The Fugitive TV show. In 2003 he portrayed the legendary historical figure General Stonewall Jackson in the civil war drama Gods and Generals. He continued to work steadily with a particularly busy year coming in 2009 where he could be seen in the box-office smash Avatar, the comedy The Men Who Stare At Goats, and the gangster film Public Enemies. In 2011 he starred as Khalar Zym in the remake of Conan the Barbarian.

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Factsheet

  • Caught the acting bug at age 5 after he was cast as George Washington in a school play.
  • Acted in regional and repertory theater for 10 years prior to being cast in the 1984 Death of a Salesman Broadway revival with Dustin Hoffman.
  • Played the role of Lt. Col. Jessep in the Broadway version of A Few Good Men before it became a movie.
  • Gained 35 pounds to play the titular character in the 1991 made-for-TV movie Babe Ruth.
  • Wrote and starred in the acclaimed one-man play Beyond the Glory, in which he portrayed eight Medal of Honor recipients.
  • Served as co-artistic director (with Carlin Glynn and Lee Grant) of the famed Actors Studio during the mid-2000s.