Stanley Benjamin Kirsch, Jr. (July 15, 1968 – January 11, 2020) was 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 ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, and acting

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Biography

Kirsch was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He began acting as a young child. His first acting job was at the age of 4 when he appeared in some

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television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s. Kirsch appeared in the short-lived Saturday morning TV series '' Riders in the Sky'' and on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' in 1992. He has made guest appearances in some TV shows including '' JAG'', ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

'', and ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

''. His most notable role began in 1992 on '' Highlander: The Series'' as Richie Ryan. He left the show as a regular cast member in the fifth

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...

in 1997, but he made one last guest appearance in the

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episode, "Not To Be" which aired May 17, 1998. Kirsch made his debut as director and producer with the film ''Straight Eye: The Movie'' in 2004. In 2008, he founded his own acting studio called Stan Kirsch Studios. On January 11, 2020, 51-year-old Kirsch was found dead in his Los Angeles home. The LA Coroner ruled Kirsch's death a suicide by hanging.

Selected filmography

Film

*1998: ''Reason Thirteen'' (Short) as Michael *1999: ''Shark in a Bottle'' as Punk #1 *2000: ''The Flunky'' as Sammy Bestone *2004: ''

Shallow Ground ''Shallow Ground'' is a 2004 horror film written and directed by Sheldon Wilson and starring Timothy V. Murphy, Stan Kirsch, Lindsey Stoddart, Patty McCormack, and Rocky Marquette. A naked teenage boy (Rocky Marquette) appears at a soon-to-be a ...

'' as Stuart Dempsey *2004: ''Straight Eye: The Movie'' (Short, writer, director) as Sonny *2005: ''Deep Rescue'' as Kevin

Television

*1991: ''Riders in the Sky'' as Axl (1991) *1992–1997: '' Highlander: The Series'' as Richie Ryan *1992: ''

CBS Schoolbreak Special ''CBS Schoolbreak Special'' is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from December 1978 to January 1996. The series began under the title ''CBS Afternoon Playhouse'', and was changed during the 1984–85 season. The concept ...

'' as Steve *1992: ''The Streets of Beverly Hills'' (TV Movie) as Kenny Street *1995: ''

'' as Ethan *1995: ''

ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presen ...

'' as Matt *1996–2001: '' JAG'' as Lieutenant Ferrari / Ensign Frank Cody *1996: ''Home Song'' (TV Movie) as Kent Arens *1998: '' The Sky's On Fire'' (TV Movie) as Chuck *1999: '' Love Boat: The Next Wave'' as Vince *1999: ''Beyond Belief, fact or fiction'' *2000: ''

'' as Rick Quinn *2002: ''

First Monday ''First Monday'' is an American legal drama television series which aired on CBS during the midseason replacement from January 15 to May 3, 2002. The series centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, '' The Court'', it was i ...

'' as David Dahl Washington Post Reporter *2021: ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

'' as Robot & Red Rush

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirsch, Stan 1968 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City American male screenwriters American film directors Screenwriters from New York (state) Suicides by hanging in California 2020 suicides 2020 deaths