HARRY DEAN STANTON
Date of Birth: July 14, 1926
After attending Lafayette High School in Kentucky, Harry Dean Stanton went
to serve the U.S. Navy during World War II. When he returned from service,
he continued his
education at the University of Kentucky for three years. University
introduced him to the stage, where he performed in a number of student
productions, including Pygmalion.
The stage experience inspired him to continue acting and after graduating,
he studied at a drama school in Los Angeles, while continuing to
perform at the Pasadena Playhouse. After touring in several shows, he
decided to settle down in Los Angeles in 1958 and try his hand at the film
industry.
Stanton made his film debut in One Too Many (1950) and for the rest of the
decade played small parts in numerous films, most of them westerns, war
movies and actioners. Stanton continued a steady career through the '60s,
but didn't go anywhere until the '70s when he appeared in several cult
movies, including Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Rancho
Deluxe (1975).
Having worked as a character actor for years, Stanton's 1979 role
as Brett in the film Alien and his 1984 role as Bud in Repo
Man were breakthrough roles that made him a cult favorite. He continued
making strong performances in supporting roles for hit films like Escape
from New York (1981), Twister (1988), Twin Peaks (1992),
Down Periscope (1995), The Green Mile (1999) and The
Pledge (2001).
Although he has focused most of his attention on features, he has made
the occasional appearance on the small screen as well. Besides telefilms
like The Oldest Living Graduate, I Want to Live, Hostages
and Against the Wall, he
also worked on the series, Hotel Room, and made guest appearances in
dozons of other television series.
Stanton also plays guitar and sings with his band, called "The Harry Dean
Stanton Band." The band, which often performs in Hollywood, plays a mix
of jazz, pop, and tex-mex styles.