Lance Kerwin (born November 6, 1960) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, known primarily for roles in television and film during his childhood and teen years in the 1970s. He played lead roles in the TV series ''

James at 15 ''James at 15'' (later ''James at 16'') is an American drama series that aired on NBC during the 1977–1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie ''James at 15'', which aired on Monday September 5, 1977, and was intended ...

'', and the made-for-TV films ''

The Loneliest Runner ''The Loneliest Runner'' is an semi-autobiographical made-for-television film written, produced and directed by '' Bonanza'' star Michael Landon. It first aired on December 20, 1976 on NBC and starred Lance Kerwin, Brian Keith, DeAnn Mears, and ...

'' and ''

Salem's Lot ''Salem's Lot'' is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, where he ...

''.

Early life and career

Kerwin was raised in Lake Elsinore, California."Lance is 'Off And-Running'"
''The Robesonian'' (Lumberton, N.C.) January 15, 1977 p. 10. His father was an

acting coach An acting coach or drama coach is a teacher who trains performers – typically film, television, theatre, and musical theatre actors – and gives them advice and mentoring to enable them to improve their acting and dramatic performances, prepar ...

, who brought home scripts for his son to read.''The Instructor''
1979 vol 88; p. 18. His mother was also a performer and later, a

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

. He is the youngest of five brothers. His brother Shane was his stand-in. In the 1970s, Kerwin appeared in a number of

made-for-TV movies A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

and series. He was, said former theater critic and

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

governor John Holmstrom, "probably America's leading boy actor of the late Seventies ... a handsome lad ...

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

considerable sensitivity as an actor". His serious acting roles often portrayed anguished characters facing difficult challenges, such as in ''The Loneliest Runner'', ''The Boy Who Drank Too Much'', and ''Children of Divorce''.

Personal life

Despite the common misconception, he is not related to actor

Brian Kerwin Brian Kerwin (born October 25, 1949) is an American actor who has starred in feature films, on Broadway, and television series and movies. Life Kerwin was born in Chicago and raised in Flossmoor, Illinois. He has three siblings: Anne, Dennis, a ...

. Kerwin has a daughter, Savanah Paige, with Kristen Lansdale and four children with his wife Yvonne Kerwin - daughters Trinity, Terah, and Kailani, and son Justus Joe. He gave up acting in the mid-1990s. In a July 2010 article, it was stated that Kerwin was then working as a "

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is an association of evangelical churches, maintains a number of radio stations around the world and operates many local Calvary Chapel Bible College programs. Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of chur ...

in Kapaa, Hawaii and a U-Turn for Christ program leader". In that same article, Kerwin and his wife Yvonne pled guilty to falsifying documents to obtain state medical assistance in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Kerwin was sentenced to five years probation and 300 hours of community service. He publicly apologized.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerwin, Lance 1960 births 20th-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Newport Beach, California