Stephen Fisher (born November 27, 1963), known professionally as Fisher Stevens, is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben in Short Circuit (1986) and Short Circuit 2 (1988). He is also a documentary filmmaker, winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for The Cove (2009). He also directed the documentaries Crazy Love (2007) and Before the Flood (2016).
In television he portrayed Chuck Fishman in CBS series Early Edition (1996–2000), Marvin Gerard on NBC's The Blacklist (2015–2022), Gabriel Kovac in CBS's The Good Fight (2017–2020), and Hugo Baker in the HBO drama series Succession (2019–2023).
Early life
Stevens was born Stephen Fisher in 1963 in Chicago, the son of Sally, a painter and AIDS activist, and Norman Fisher, a furniture executive.[1] Stevens grew up in the Chicago, Illinois, area, living in Hyde Park, Highland Park, and Evanston[2] and describes himself as a "white Jewish kid from Chicago."[3]
His parents divorced when he was 13, after which he moved to New York with his mother. At age 16, Stevens landed his first film role, acting in the horror film The Burning. He completed one year at New York University before deciding to pursue acting full time.[2] He adopted the stage name "Fisher Stevens" upon joining the Screen Actors Guild because the Guild had several existing actors named "Steven Fisher".[4]
Fisher has a Broadway and off-Broadway career spanning nearly three decades. In 1988, he and John Leguizamo appeared in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream where he played Demetrius[6] He played Jigger Craigin in the 1994 Lincoln Center revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. He had an early success in the 1982 Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy playing David, the adopted son of the gay protagonist played by the show's writer Harvey Fierstein, and the original Broadway production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, where he succeeded Matthew Broderick in the starring role of Eugene. Throughout his career, he has acted in and directed more than 50 stage productions.[7]
Stevens in 2007
In 2010, Fisher co-founded a new media and documentary film company, Insurgent Media, with Andrew Karsch and Erik H. Gordon.[citation needed]
In June 2010, Stevens made his major theatrical directing debut with John Leguizamo's one-man show, Ghetto Klown (originally called Klass Klown), which eventually ran on Broadway from March to July 2011.[8][9] The two had appeared together in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Public Theater about 20 years earlier. On July 13, 2012, PBS debuted Tales From a Ghetto Klown, a documentary about the development of the show which prominently features Stevens.[10]
In 2018, Stevens had a recurring role as Hugo Baker in the second season of HBO's satirical-comedy-drama series Succession. He was promoted to series regular in season 3.[citation needed]
Stevens dated actress Michelle Pfeiffer from 1989 until 1992.[12] Stevens later dated longtime filmmaking partner and producer Alexis Bloom. The couple married in 2017 in a private ceremony. They have two children.[13]
^ abJohnson, Steven (June 26, 1986). "Fisher Stevens Scoots Into The Limelight 'Short Circuit' Role Puts Chicago Native On Fast Track". Chicago Tribune. p. 11.