Dean Stockwell

Born: March 5 1936
Where: Hollywood, California, USA

A successful child actor in the 1940s, Stockwell's cherubic features were used to good effect in his movie debut Anchors Aweigh.

Steady work followed including the lead in social fable The Boy With Green Hair but at 16 he decided to quit Hollywood.

A more mature actor returned to the New York stage to win rave notices for Sons & Lovers and Compulsion.

As Eugene O'Neill's alter ego in the 1962 version of Long Day's Journey into Night he landed the best actor award at Cannes.

While racking up TV credits, Stockwell worked sporadically in film, including The Last Movie and Tracks.

It was not until 1984 that he made a remarkable comeback, with supporting roles in Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas and David Lynch's Dune.

Lynch used him again for Blue Velvet while Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Gardens of Stone and as Howard Hughes in Tucker: A Man and his Dream.

A terrific turn as mob boss Tony "The Tiger" Ross in Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob landed him an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor.

Film work continued throughout the 90s in movies including The Player, Air Force One and Coppola's The Rainmaker.

Recent appearances have included the excellent comedy Buffalo Soldiers.