Morgan Stevens (October 16, 1951 – January 26, 2022) was an American actor, primarily seen on television.

Biography

Stevens played Paul Northridge in one episode of ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

'' and in three reunion movies. In ''A Wedding on Walton's Mountain'', Northridge married Erin Walton (

Mary Elizabeth McDonough Mary Elizabeth McDonough (born May 4, 1961), sometimes credited as Mary Beth McDonough, is an American actress and writer, best known for her role as Erin Walton on ''The Waltons'' from 1972 to 1981. Early life McDonough was born May 4, 1961 in ...

), and appeared in two subsequent movies, ''Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain'' and ''A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain''. He was Sam Stodder (John-Boy's hospital roommate) in another episode. Stevens portrayed teacher David Reardon in two seasons of '' Fame'' (1982–1984). He then became Jack Gardner in the miniseries and subsequent series ''

A Year in the Life ''A Year in the Life'' is an American dramatic series that ran on NBC from September 16, 1987 to April 13, 1988, during the 1987–1988 television season, created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey. The series began as a three-part miniseries whi ...

'' (1986–1988). In 1995, he appeared in seven episodes of ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

'' as Nick Diamond. Stevens made guest appearances on several television programs, including '' One Day at a Time'', '' Murder One'', and ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' (in three episodes as three characters). His last was as Principal Max Hanson in a 1999 episode of ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texa ...

''. In 1989, his career was halted for a few years when Stevens was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a mild car accident (a blood test later cleared him) and he was severely beaten by the LAPD police while in custody. Stevens claimed that after 90 minutes of waiting in a jail cell, he refused to hand back the shirt that was given, which is when two jailers kicked and beat him over two dozen times. Stevens suffered a dislocated jaw, a fractured cheek and nerve damage. He later sued and an out-of-court settlement was reached with his lawyers stating that the LAPD was unwilling to risk the publicity of a trial in the wake of the Rodney King case. On January 26, 2022, Stevens was found dead at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 70. Police were there to perform a wellness check, after friends reported that they had not heard from him in several days. The coroner later ruled he died of

arteriosclerotic Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually no sy ...

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Morgan 1951 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male television actors Deaths from arteriosclerosis Deaths from coronary artery disease Male actors from Tennessee People from Knoxville, Tennessee