Stephen Dorff - Actor

Photo courtesy of the official site

Balancing independent film and Hollywood, STEPHEN DORFF made his name as a versatile actor with a particular talent for playing assorted rebels and villains.

The son of composer Steve Dorff, the younger Dorff opted for the acting side of show business instead. Entering the industry as a teenager, Dorff cut his acting teeth on TV in the late 1980s with guest spots on several series, including "Roseanne" and "Married With Children," and roles in TV movies, including "I Know My First Name Is Steven" (1989).

Recipient of the prestigious 1992 Male Star of Tomorrow Award from the National Association of Theatre Owners, Dorff was chosen from more than 2000 young men around the world who auditioned for the coveted role of PK in John Avildsen's "The Power of One." He underwent a strenuous seven week physical training program and mastered an authentic accent to play the young Afrikaner who learns to fight for his principles in an apartheid-crippled South Africa.

Dorff next earned attention with his lead performance as Beatle manqué Stu Sutcliffe in the British biopic "Backbeat" in 1993. He also appeared in the genre thriller "Judgment Night" that same year with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Denis Leary. Despite his Hollywood beginnings, Dorff focused more on independent productions in the mid-1990's, including the satiric commentary "S.F.W." in 1994. He also starred opposite Mia Farrow in "Reckless" in which he portrayed the connection between Farrow's surreal and true-life families, and Patrick DeWolf's "Halcyon Days" with Gabrielle Anwar and Adrian Dunbar.

For his next film, Dorff received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Candy Darling in the film "I Shot Andy Warhol" for director Mary Harron with Lili Taylor.

Dorff has starred in two major feature films opposite two of Hollywood's true legends: Jack Nicholson in director Bob Rafelson's "Blood & Wine" and Harvey Keitel in the crime drama "City of Industry" for director John Irvin, but neither film made a box office impression.

In 1998, however, he scored a hit starring as Wesley Snipes' flamboyant vampire nemesis in New Line's "Blade." Based on the best selling comic book and featuring state-of-the-art special effects, "Blade" is produced by Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes and Robert Engelman.

Dorff co-starred with Susan Sarandon in HBO's "Earthly Possesions," based on Anne Tyler's novel about an unlikely romance between a young, fumbling bank robber and his hostage. Dorff also filmed "Entropy," directed by Phil Joanou, in which he portrays a man directing a documentary about the rock band U2 while undergoing a personal meltdown. The film was produced by Joanou, Brad Epstein, Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro for Tribeca Productions.

In May 2000, Dorff starred in the historic "Quantum Project," the first movie produced exclusively for the Internet. Dorff played brilliant physicist Paul Pentcho, whose freak car accident sets him on a mind-blowing journey through time and space that changes his life, his destiny and his understanding of the universe. Co-stars included John Cleese and Fay Masterson.

The next feature film release for Dorff is John Waters’ "Cecil B. Demented," which premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. He had a cameo in the Ben Stiller comedy "Zoolander" and also appeared in "The Last Minute" and "All for Nothin'."

Dorff starred in the recent feature "Deuces Wild," a story set in 1958 New York where rival gangs go at it on the mean streets of Brooklyn, directed by Scott Kalvert (Basketball Diaries) and co-starring Brad Renfro, Fairuza Balk and Matt Dillon. He will soon star in "Riders," "FearDotCom" and "Den of Lions," all set to be released this year.

Dorff was born on July 29th 1973.