Stephen Furst (born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein; May 8, 1954 – June 16, 2017) was an American actor, director and producer. After gaining attention with his featured role as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the comedy film ''

National Lampoon's Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas ...

'' and its spin-off television series '' Delta House'', he went on to be a regular as Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the medical drama series ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' was an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'' from 1983 to 1988, and as Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto in the science fiction series ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...

'' from 1994 to 1998. Other notable film roles included the college comedy '' Midnight Madness'' (1980), as a team leader in an all-night mystery game, the action thriller '' Silent Rage'' (1982), as deputy to a sheriff played by

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championsh ...

, and the comedy '' The Dream Team'' (1989), as a good-natured psychiatric patient.

Early life

Born Stephen Nelson Feuerstein in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

, on May 8, 1954, Furst attended

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

Career

As actor

Furst worked as a

pizza delivery Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria or pizza chain delivers a pizza to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone, or over the internet, in which the customer can request pizza type and size, and other items to be ...

driver while looking for acting jobs in the mid-1970s, and included his

head shot A head shot or headshot is a modern (usually digital) portrait in which the focus is on the person. The term is applied usually for professional profile images on social media, images used on online dating profiles, the 'about us page' of a co ...

in pizza boxes. After Matty Simmons saw his photo, Furst was cast as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in ''

'' (1978), reprising the role in the short-lived 1979 spin-off ABC sitcom '' Delta House'', and repeating his famous line, "Oh boy, is this great!", as a school principal with a personality mirroring Flounder's in the music video for

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated wit ...

's " I Wanna Rock." Other roles include "Junior" Keller (the unseen) in the 1980 horror movie '' The Unseen'', Gonzer in the 1984 feature film '' Up the Creek'', Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the television series ''

'' (1983–1988), and Vir Cotto in the science fiction television series ''

'' (1994–1998). Furst was amused by the report that North Korean dictator

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's se ...

modeled his haircut after Furst's character in ''Babylon 5''. In 1979 he starred as an overweight high school tuba player coerced onto the wrestling team in

Kieth Merrill Kieth W. Merrill (born May 22, 1940) is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America ...

's feel-good underdog film, '' Take Down''. In 1980, he played the character of Harold in the movie, '' Midnight Madness''. Furst appeared in 1982 in an episode of Newhart called "Sprained Dreams" where he played a Dartmouth College student. In 1983, he also appeared in a supporting role as Aldo in the provocative ABC TV movie ''

The Day After ''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film during its initial broadcast. With ...

.'' In 1989, he played the character of Albert Ianuzzi in the film '' The Dream Team.'' In 1983, Furst also appeared alongside

Erik Estrada Henry Enrique Estrada (born March 16, 1949) is an American actor and police officer. He is known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series ...

, Tom Reilly, and

Heather O'Rourke Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. She had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the Horror film, supernatural horror film ''Poltergeist (1982 film), Poltergeist'' (1982), ...

in an episode of ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The seri ...

'' titled "Fun House" as a student who belonged to the college fraternity "DDT." In the 1995 animated TV series ''

Freakazoid! ''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title char ...

,'' he voiced the character Fanboy. Also in 1995, he took a hiatus from ''Babylon 5'' to star in a short-lived TV series, '' Misery Loves Company.'' In 1997, he played Derby Ferris in ''Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home.'' He also voiced a young Colonel Hathi in Season 2 of Disney's '' Jungle Cubs,'' had a starring voice role as Booster in the 2000 series ''

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' is an American animated science fiction action-adventure comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and co-produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It serves as a spin-off of the ''Toy S ...

'' and its

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

prequel '' Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins'' and also voiced a hulky walrus named Dash in the 2000 Disney movie '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.'' He starred in '' Magic Kid'' and its sequel. In 2002, he guest starred in an episode of '' Scrubs.'' In the same year, he was cast as Walter Nichols in the unaired pilot of the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

television series ''

Drake & Josh ''Drake & Josh'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series follows two teenage stepbrothers Drake Parker ( Drake Bell) and Josh Nichols ( Josh Peck) as they live together despite opposite personalities. Th ...

'', but his identity was unknown in visuals, until his name was revealed in a YouTube video from 2017. He was replaced by Jonathan Goldstein prior to the series' debut, due to his unavailability for future episodes.

As director

Furst began directing with three episodes of ''

''; two in the fourth season and one in the fifth. Furst directed many independent and/or low-budget movies, including the 2001 film ''

Title to Murder ''Title to Murder'' is a 2001 American action romantic comedy independent film directed by Stephen Furst and starring Maureen McCormick and Christopher Atkins. Based on a story by C. Lee Tocci, it had its world premiere on May 15, 2001 at the C ...

'', starring Christopher Atkins and

Maureen McCormick Maureen Denise McCormick (born August 5, 1956) is an American actress. She portrayed Marcia Brady on the ABC television sitcom ''The Brady Bunch'', which ran from 1969 to 1974, and reprised the role in several of the numerous ''Brady Bunch'' ...

, and the direct-to-video children's movie '' Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure''. He also directed three low-budget movies for the Sci Fi Channel: '' Dragon Storm'' in 2004, '' Path of Destruction'' in 2005, and ''Basilisk: The Serpent King'' in 2006; he also co-starred in the last two films.

As producer

Furst produced '' My Sister's Keeper'', based on the

Jodi Picoult Jodi Lynn Picoult () is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 ...

novel, starring

Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...

and

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nich ...

. He produced other several films under his production company

Curmudgeon Films Curmudgeon may refer to: * ''Dyskolos'', sometimes translated ''The Curmudgeon'', an ancient Greek comic play by Menander * ''Curmudgeons'' (film), a 2016 short film See also * '' I, Curmudgeon'', a 2004 documentary film by Alan Zweig * The Comi ...

. '' Atomic Shark'' aired in August 2016 on Syfy, during "Sharknado Week". ''Christmas in Homestead'' premiered on the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

during the holiday season of 2016. '' Cold Moon'', a psychological thriller based on the Michael McDowell book, is set for a theatrical release in October 2017 in the United States. ''Cold Moon'' won "Best Horror Film" at the 2016 Laughlin Film Festival.

2016 criticism of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Furst wrote a letter, later published in '' Variety'', criticizing the Academy's portrayal of its own members as racist and resistant to diversity and suggested the Academy's response to the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite was ageist and sexist. He suggested that most members of the Academy do not watch the films nominated for awards, and that the Academy should start by ensuring those who vote have watched the films.

Personal life

Furst was married to entertainment lawyer Lorraine Wright from 1976 until his death. The couple had two sons, both of whom are in the entertainment business. His older son Nathan (born 1978) is a television and film composer, while his younger son

Griff Griff may refer to: People * Griff (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Griff (singer), stage name of English singer and songwriter Sarah Faith Griffiths (born 2001) * Nickname of Guy Griffiths (1915–1999), British Second ...

(born 1981) is an actor, director and musician. Both of Furst's parents died from complications of diabetes. Shortly after his father's death, Furst, too, was diagnosed with

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinati ...

at the age of 17. He reached a weight of 320 pounds and had uncontrolled type 2 diabetes by the age of 40. After almost needing to have his left foot amputated due to diabetes complications in 1996, Furst reduced his weight from 260 lbs to 175 lbs. Starting in June 2006, Furst co-hosted the Renal Support Network's webcast "KidneyTalk" with Lori Hartwell. He became a spokesperson for the

American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...

and authored the book ''Confessions of a Couch Potato''. As a celebrity spokesperson for the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

, Furst said, "I thought I was more powerful than the disease of diabetes, but in reality, I was letting it take control of me. Now, I've decided to take control of my life."

Death

On June 16, 2017, Furst died from complications related to diabetes at his home in

Moorpark, California Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. As of 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County. ...

, at age 63.

Selected filmography

* ''American Raspberry'' (1977) – Fat Gin Player * '' The Bastard'' (1978) – Bertrand * ''

'' (1978) – Kent Dorfman * '' Take Down'' (1979) – Randy Jensen * ''Swim Team'' (1979) – Bear * ''

Scavenger Hunt ''Scavenger Hunt'' is a 1979 American comedy film with a large ensemble cast which includes Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Ruth Gordon, Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley, Richard Mulligan, Tony R ...

'' (1979) – Merle * '' Midnight Madness'' (1980) – Harold – Blue Team Leader * '' The Unseen'' (1980) – 'Junior' Keller (The Unseen) * ''Getting Wasted'' (1980) – Marshall * '' Silent Rage'' (1982) – Charlie * '' National Lampoon's Class Reunion'' (1982) – Hubert Downs * ''

'' (1983) – Aldo * '' Up the Creek'' (1984) – Gonzer * '' Off Sides (Pigs vs. Freaks)'' (1984) – Steamboat * '' The Dream Team'' (1989) – Albert Ianuzzi * ''

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 ser ...

'' (1990) - Sgt. Paulsen * '' Magic Kid'' (1993) – Bob Ryan * '' Magic Kid 2'' (1994) – Uncle Bob * ''

'' (1994-1998) - Vir Cotto * ''

Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies ''Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies'' is a sketch comedy television series, which aired in 1995."Howie hurt by his critics". ''Toronto Star'', July 13, 1995. Produced by Atlantis Communications for Showtime in the United States and CBC Television in Cana ...

'' (1995) * ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'' (1995) – Hawkins * ''Cops n Roberts'' (1995) * ''Road Rovers'' (1996) - Sport * ''Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home'' (1998) – Derby Ferris * '' Everything's Jake'' (1999) – Assistant Librarian * '' Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure'' (1999) – Baby Huey (voice), Phantoms' Manager * ''Deadly Delusions'' (1999) * '' Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins'' (2000) - Booster (voice) * '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'' (2000) – Dash (voice) * ''

'' (2001) – Oscar, the Security Guard * ''Echoes of Enlightenment'' (2001) – House Foreclosure Client * ''

'' (2002) – Walter Nichols (unaired pilot) * '' Sorority Boys'' (2002) – The Alum * ''Searching for Haizmann'' (2002) – Dr. Gaulforid * '' Going Greek'' (2003) * '' Finding Nemo Reboot 2'' (2003) - Jacques * ''Roomies'' (2004) – Mr. Nossee * '' Seven Days of Grace'' (2006) – Henry Henary III * ''John Belushi: Dancing on the Edge'' (2010) – Himself

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Furst, Stephen 1954 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Norfolk, Virginia Actors from Virginia American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American television directors Deaths from diabetes Film directors from Virginia Male actors from Virginia People from Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University alumni