Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor Dean Sockwell, best known for his portrayal of Admiral ‘Al’ Calavicci in NBC’s sci-fi dramedy Quantum Leap, has died. Stockwell passed away at his home on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 7, a representative for the actor’s family confirmed to Deadline. Stockwell died of “natural causes.” He was 85.
Born Robert Dean Stockwell in North Hollywood in March 1936, Stockwell began his seven-decade-long career as a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with his earliest known film appearance being in Valley of Decision in 1945, according to Variety. He went on to appear in Anchors Aweigh with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, The Green Years, and the controversial 1948 movie The Boy With the Green Hair, as well as the 1950 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. After briefly returning to the Broadway stage in Compulsion with Roddy McDowall as a young adult, Stockwell re-established his film career in the film version, for which he won a best actor award at the Cannes film festival alongside co-stars Orson Welles and Bradford Dillman.
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Stockwell, however, was perhaps best known for his starring role in Quantum Leap, which ran for five seasons between 1989 and 1993. The actor portrayed Admiral ‘Al’ Calavicci opposite Scott Bakula. The role earned him four Emmy nominations, several Golden Globes nominations, and a Golden Globe win in 1990 for “best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.” Stockwell’s other credits include Blue Velvet, Dune, Married to the Mob, The Rainmaker, Battlestar Galactica, JAG, and NCIS: New Orleans, among many others.
Following news of his passing, many Hollywood figures and fans have paid tribute to the prolific actor on social media. Actor Lydia Cornell tweeted, “Rest in Peace Dean Stockwell. What an amazing actor. He always had a mischievous glint of humour in his eyes. I was honoured to work with him in the pilot for Quantum Leap.” Another person remembered Stockwell as someone who “always radiated a certain playful kindness that made it easy to follow whatever character he played down the rabbit hole, a tremendous strength when taking on such diverse roles.”
Stockwell, who received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 1992, retired from acting in 2015, after which he began making art and exhibiting around the U.S. Stockwell is survived by his wife, Joy Stockwell; and their two children, Austin Stockwell and Sophie Stockwell, his loved ones remembering him as “a rebel who loved to act, to laugh, smoke cigars and play golf.”
