Stephen Young (actor)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Young is a Canadian actor.
Young was born Stephen Levy in Toronto
, Canada
to a financier father. Directly following high school, the naturally gifted teen athlete signed on for a career with the Cleveland Indians
, but his professional bid ended when he seriously injured his knee playing ice hockey. He spent the next few years as a salesman, then wound up in radio and TV commercial production.
While traveling with a friend on a European excursion in the early 60s, he was given by chance a bit part in the monumental film Cleopatra
(1963), then landed similar minor assignments in such other European-filmed epics as 55 Days at Peking
(1963), The Leopard
(1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
Upon returning to Toronto, Young decided to become a full-time actor, originally billing himself under his given name of Stephen Levy and appearing in leads on both daytime and primetime TV dramas. He headed the cast of one adventure series Seaway (1965) in which he played Nick King, part of a special police force that protected the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Moving to Hollywood in 1966, he subsequently scored as young, hot-shot legal eagle Ben Caldwell, top assistant to flamboyant, high-profile criminal attorney Clinton Judd (Emmy winner Carl Betz
) in the contemporary series drama Judd for the Defense (1967). The series was abruptly canceled despite its critically lauded marks after only two seasons.
He progressed to high-ranking character actor mixing work in such 70s films as Patton
(1970), Soylent Green
(1973), and The Silent Partner
(1978) with more standard filming in The Mask of Sheba
(1970), Rage
(1972), and Lifeguard
(1976). A reliable player in mini-movies, he continued to return to his homeland from time to time where he was handed film leads in the low-budget horror thrillers The Clown Murders
(1976) and Deadline (1981). Young also briefly hosted a 1980s Canadian game show
called Just Like Mom
.
Into the millennium he continues to appear in sturdy, authoritarian roles as shown by his recent work in the crime drama The Rendering (2002), the teen horror film The Skulls II (2002), and his output on Canadian television. In 2008, Young was featured as a child psychiatrist in the Robert Downey, Jr. film Charlie Bartlett
.
Young was born Stephen Levy in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to a financier father. Directly following high school, the naturally gifted teen athlete signed on for a career with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, but his professional bid ended when he seriously injured his knee playing ice hockey. He spent the next few years as a salesman, then wound up in radio and TV commercial production.
While traveling with a friend on a European excursion in the early 60s, he was given by chance a bit part in the monumental film Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963 film)
Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
(1963), then landed similar minor assignments in such other European-filmed epics as 55 Days at Peking
55 Days at Peking
55 Days at Peking is a 1963 historical epic film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven, made by Samuel Bronston Productions, and released by Allied Artists. The movie was produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton , and Guy Green...
(1963), The Leopard
The Leopard (film)
The Leopard is a 1963 Italian film by director Luchino Visconti, based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel of the same name.-Cast:* Burt Lancaster as Prince Don Fabrizio Salina* Claudia Cardinale as Angelica Sedara / Bertiana...
(1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
Upon returning to Toronto, Young decided to become a full-time actor, originally billing himself under his given name of Stephen Levy and appearing in leads on both daytime and primetime TV dramas. He headed the cast of one adventure series Seaway (1965) in which he played Nick King, part of a special police force that protected the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Moving to Hollywood in 1966, he subsequently scored as young, hot-shot legal eagle Ben Caldwell, top assistant to flamboyant, high-profile criminal attorney Clinton Judd (Emmy winner Carl Betz
Carl Betz
Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
) in the contemporary series drama Judd for the Defense (1967). The series was abruptly canceled despite its critically lauded marks after only two seasons.
He progressed to high-ranking character actor mixing work in such 70s films as Patton
Patton (film)
Patton is a 1970 American biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates, and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H...
(1970), Soylent Green
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
(1973), and The Silent Partner
The Silent Partner (1978 film)
The Silent Partner is a 1978 Canadian crime film directed by Daryl Duke. It stars Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer and Susannah York....
(1978) with more standard filming in The Mask of Sheba
The Mask of Sheba
The Mask of Sheba is a made-for-television adventure movie. It was first broadcast on NBC on March 9, 1970.-Plot:An anthropological team travels to a dense African jungle in search of missing safari members and a priceless gold statue. The journey is endangered by primitive tribesmen, treacherous...
(1970), Rage
Rage (1972 film)
Rage is a 1972 film starring George C. Scott, Richard Basehart, Martin Sheen and Barnard Hughes. Scott also directed this drama about a sheep rancher who is fatally exposed to a military lab's poison gas....
(1972), and Lifeguard
Lifeguard (film)
Lifeguard is a 1976 drama movie made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Daniel Petrie, based upon a screenplay by Ron Koslow. It stars Sam Elliott, Anne Archer, Steve Burns, Parker Stevenson, and Kathleen Quinlan....
(1976). A reliable player in mini-movies, he continued to return to his homeland from time to time where he was handed film leads in the low-budget horror thrillers The Clown Murders
The Clown Murders
The Clown Murders is a 1976 horror film directed by Martyn Burke. It was one of the earliest films in which John Candy appears. The Executive Producer was Stephen Stohn, who now produces the Degrassi: The Next Generation TV series.-Plot:...
(1976) and Deadline (1981). Young also briefly hosted a 1980s Canadian game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
called Just Like Mom
Just Like Mom
Just Like Mom was a Canadian television game show which ran from 1980 to 1985 on CTV. A total of 595 episodes were taped at CFTO-TV in Toronto, Ontario. It was hosted by Steven Young during the show's first season, but from the second season it was hosted by the husband-and-wife duo of Fergie Olver...
.
Into the millennium he continues to appear in sturdy, authoritarian roles as shown by his recent work in the crime drama The Rendering (2002), the teen horror film The Skulls II (2002), and his output on Canadian television. In 2008, Young was featured as a child psychiatrist in the Robert Downey, Jr. film Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
.