Biography

Daniel Stern

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Overview

Born
August 28, 1957 · Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Birth name
Daniel Jacob Stern
Nicknames
- Danny
- Dan
Height
6′ 4″ (1.93 m)

Biography

Daniel Stern was born in Bethesda, Maryland, to a social worker father and a day care manager mother. He has been acting professionally since the age of seventeen. Following his high school graduation, he auditioned for the Washington Shakespeare Festival seeking a job as a lighting engineer but ended up as "a strolling player with a lute" in their production of "As You Like It." Shortly thereafter, he made his way to New York where he "took a couple of acting lessons" and began to assemble an impressive portfolio of such off-Broadway credits as "Split," "Frankie and Annie," "The Mandrake," and "The Old Glory." In addition, director Peter Yates cast him as one of the four Indiana teenagers in the highly acclaimed film Breaking Away (1979). Variety in acting roles appeals to Stern. Following "Breaking Away," he appeared in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980), Claudia Weill's It's My Turn (1980) and John Schlesinger's Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) before returning to New York to appear off-Broadway in the two character play "How I Got That Story," which led to critical acclaim and a starring role in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982). Other film credits include I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), Blue Thunder (1983), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Boss' Wife (1986), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Born in East L.A. (1987) and D.O.A. (1988) In addition to his voice-over work on the series, Stern directed several episodes of the popular and critically acclaimed television comedy, The Wonder Years (1988).
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Family

Spouse
Children
Relatives

Trademarks

Towering height and slender frame
High-pitched scream
Frequently plays crazy, moody characters
Striking blue eyes

Trivia

Played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in High School.
Attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda MD, in 1975.
After securing Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Stern for Home Alone (1990), Chris Columbus felt confident enough to cast actors who were his heroes growing up, like Catherine O'Hara after seeing her work on SCTV (1976) as well as John Heard, and Tim Curry and Rob Schneider on Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) because they were all open to the films.
Daughter Sophie Stern (b. 1986).
Father of Henry Stern.

Quotes

My life is fairly normal. I didn't wake up one morning and find out that I'm suddenly a star, with people clamoring at me. I feel like I'm moving up the ladder just a little, which is fine.
[in 1983] I want to work in the movies for the next 50 years. I feel I can find my place, get the parts I like, and just keep working. It might all end tomorrow, and I try to remember that. Bt so far it's been fantastic.
[on working with Sidney Lumet on Daniel (1983)] Lumet's a genius, an absolute genius. He's so professional. He knows exactly what he wants. Everything works like clockwork and you're out of there in record time.
[in 1983] I remember after graduating high school I got a part in a play with the Washington Shakespeare Festival, a little part. But I remember thinking, "This would be a great way of making a living . . . to be an actor". I never really thought I'd make a lot of money at it. I knew I wanted to act when I was around 14. The only other thing I can really remember wanting to do besides acting was a gas station attendant. At the time that seemed like a great job--wash the windows, pump the gas--it looks so cool coming home with black hands. There's a natural transition, from wanting to be a gas station attendant to being an actor, right?