Stephen Fisher (born November 27, 1963), known professionally as Fisher Stevens, is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben Jabituya/Jahveri in Short Circuit (1986) and Short Circuit 2 (1988). He is also a documentary filmmaker, having won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature as one of the producers of The Cove (2009). He also directed the documentaries Crazy Love (2007) and Before the Flood (2016).
Stevens is known for his roles in films such as Reversal of Fortune (1990), Bob Roberts (1992), Hackers (1995), Anything Else (2003), and Hail, Caesar! (2016). He has acted in the Wes Anderson films The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023).
In television he portrayed Chuck Fishman in the CBS series Early Edition (1996–2000), Marvin Gerard on NBC's The Blacklist (2015–2022), Gabriel Kovac in CBS's The Good Fight (2017–2020), and Hugo Baker in the HBO drama series Succession (2019–2023).
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Early life
Stevens was born in Chicago, the son of Jewish parents Sally and Norman Fisher. Stevens grew up in the Chicago area, living in Hyde Park, Highland Park, and Evanston and describes himself as a "white Jewish kid from Chicago".
His parents divorced when he was 13, after which he moved to New York with his mother. At age 16, Stevens landed his first film role, acting in the horror film The Burning. He completed one year at New York University before deciding to pursue acting full time. He adopted the stage name "Fisher Stevens" upon joining the Screen Actors Guild because the Guild had several existing actors named "Steven Fisher".
Career
As an actor, Stevens is known for his roles as Chuck Fishman on Early Edition, Seamus O'Neill on Key West, Eugene "The Plague" Belford in Hackers, Iggy Koopa in Super Mario Bros., Hawk Ganz in The Flamingo Kid, and his role as the Indian robotics scientist Ben Jabituya/Jahveri in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2, respectively.
Stevens has a Broadway and Off-Broadway career spanning nearly three decades. In 1988, he and John Leguizamo appeared in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream where he played Demetrius.
In June 2010, Stevens made his major theatrical directing debut with John Leguizamo's one-man show, Ghetto Klown (originally called Klass Klown), which eventually ran on Broadway from March to July 2011. On July 13, 2012, PBS debuted Tales From a Ghetto Klown, a documentary about the development of the show which prominently features Stevens.
In 2010, Stevens and director Louie Psihoyos won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards for co-producing The Cove.
He is a signatory of the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge that was published in September 2025.
Personal life
Stevens dated actress Michelle Pfeiffer from 1989 until 1992. Their relationship ended when Stevens, 28, was caught cheating with aspiring actress and high school senior Jamie Golightly, 17. Stevens later dated longtime filmmaking partner and producer Alexis Bloom. The couple married in 2017 in a private ceremony. They have two children.
Stevens is a survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma.
Filmography
Writer
Sam the Man (2000, story)
The Grean Teem (2009, story)
Narrator
Secondhand Souls: A Novel by Christopher Moore
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
The Highest Tide: A Novel by Jim Lynch
