Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask (1985), which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. He was also nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in Pulp Fiction (1994).
He has appeared in a wide variety of other films, including Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Say Anything... (1989), The Waterdance (1992), Killing Zoe (1993), Little Women (1994), Rob Roy (1995), Kicking and Screaming (1995), Anaconda (1997), Mr. Jealousy (1997), and The Butterfly Effect (2004). Stoltz is also a prolific television director, most notably on Glee (2010–2014) and Madam Secretary (2014–2019).
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Early life and education
Stoltz was born in Whittier, California, the son of Evelyn (née Vawter), a violinist and schoolteacher, and Jack Stoltz, an elementary school teacher. He has two sisters.
Stoltz was raised in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara, California. He attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out after his junior year. He moved to New York in 1981 and studied acting with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury.
Career
In the 1970s, Stoltz joined a repertory company that performed ten plays at the Edinburgh Festival. He returned to the United States in 1979, when he entered USC as a drama student. He dropped out to pursue film and television roles.
In 1978, he was cast as Steve Benson in the television adaptation of Erma Bombeck's The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank.
Director Cameron Crowe and Stoltz became friends when the latter appeared in his first feature film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Crowe wrote it and Stoltz had a minor role. According to Stoltz, Crowe promised Stoltz roles in all of his future films.
Stoltz was cast in each of Crowe's next four films, The Wild Life (1984), Say Anything... (1989), Singles (1992) and Jerry Maguire (1996).
In 1985, Stoltz received a Golden Globe nomination for starring performance as Rocky Dennis in Mask. Among his other roles in the 1980s, he appeared in the 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, written and produced by John Hughes.
Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. His view of the movie clashed, however, with that of the director, Robert Zemeckis. While the film was to become a sci-fi comedy (and box office smash hit), Stoltz had read the script from a more serious angle, apparently focusing on the tragic consequences of going back to live a life that was not one's own. Five weeks into shooting, Zemeckis replaced Stoltz with Michael J. Fox.
In 1989, Stoltz starred as the lead character of the sequel The Fly II. The movie was a hit, grossing approximately $38.9 million worldwide.
In the 1990s, Stoltz worked in stage, film and television, appearing in studio and independent films such as Memphis Belle (1990), The Waterdance (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Grace of My Heart (1996) and Anaconda (1997), and produced the films Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993), Sleep with Me (1994) and Mr. Jealousy (1997).
Personal life
Stoltz and Bridget Fonda began dating in 1990. The relationship ended after eight years.
Stoltz married Bernadette Moley, a singer, in 2005. The couple have one child, a daughter.
Stoltz is a vegetarian.