Steve Eastin
Encyclopedia
Steve Eastin is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career.
Eastin was born in Colorado
, where he began to study acting at the young age of six at his local theater. He received his Actor Equity card at age 16 when he performed in two musicals choreographed by Micheal Bennet. Later, he attended the University of Northern Colorado
where he appeared in several productions at the Little Theater of the Rockies, whose alumni include Nick Nolte
.
After college, Eastin received a fellowship to teach at the University of Arizona
where he appeared in his first SAG role opposite Clint Eastwood
in Joe Kidd
. It was shortly after this when Eastin moved to Los Angeles
to further pursue his acting career, enrolling in the Charles Conrad Studio upon arrival in 1974.
While attending Charles' class, Eastin became interested in teaching acting as well. In 1991, he founded his own acting school, The Steve Eastin Studio. The studio believes in what Eastin refers to as "Choiceless awareness
", where the actors do not read into the script, nor prepare their "beats" or think about what or how they may read their lines. Instead, the actors are encouraged to be in the moment and let their natural, emotional power take over and thus tap into the vast collective unconscious all humans are capable of attuning themselves to.
Eastin is best known for appearing in such films as Field of Dreams
(1989), Con Air
(1997) and A Man Apart
(2003), where he developed a reputation as the tough guy with a heart of gold underneath. He played opposite Leonardo Dicaprio
in two pivotal scenes in Catch Me if You Can
(2002). Eastin has worked with such directors as Steven Spielberg
, Brian De Palma
, and Jason Reitman
.
Eastin is also known for his numerous television appearances throughout the years on such shows as Little House on the Prairie
, CHiPS
, T.J. Hooker, St. Elsewhere
and L.A. Law
.
Eastin was born in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where he began to study acting at the young age of six at his local theater. He received his Actor Equity card at age 16 when he performed in two musicals choreographed by Micheal Bennet. Later, he attended the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
where he appeared in several productions at the Little Theater of the Rockies, whose alumni include Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
.
After college, Eastin received a fellowship to teach at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
where he appeared in his first SAG role opposite Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
in Joe Kidd
Joe Kidd
Joe Kidd is a 1972 American western film starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges....
. It was shortly after this when Eastin moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to further pursue his acting career, enrolling in the Charles Conrad Studio upon arrival in 1974.
While attending Charles' class, Eastin became interested in teaching acting as well. In 1991, he founded his own acting school, The Steve Eastin Studio. The studio believes in what Eastin refers to as "Choiceless awareness
Choiceless awareness
Choiceless Awareness is posited in philosophy, psychology, and spirituality to be the state of unpremeditated, complete awareness of the present without preference, effort, or compulsion. The term was popularized in mid-20th-century by Jiddu Krishnamurti, in whose philosophy it signifies a main theme...
", where the actors do not read into the script, nor prepare their "beats" or think about what or how they may read their lines. Instead, the actors are encouraged to be in the moment and let their natural, emotional power take over and thus tap into the vast collective unconscious all humans are capable of attuning themselves to.
Eastin is best known for appearing in such films as Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
(1989), Con Air
Con Air
Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
(1997) and A Man Apart
A Man Apart
A Man Apart is a 2003 action-thriller-drama film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Vin Diesel and Larenz Tate. The story follows undercover DEA agent Sean Vetter who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered...
(2003), where he developed a reputation as the tough guy with a heart of gold underneath. He played opposite Leonardo Dicaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
in two pivotal scenes in Catch Me if You Can
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
(2002). Eastin has worked with such directors as Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
, and Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman
Jason Reitman is a Canadian/American film director, screenwriter, and producer, best known for directing the films Thank You for Smoking , Juno , and Up in the Air . As of February 2, 2010, he has received three Academy Award nominations, two of which are for Best Director...
.
Eastin is also known for his numerous television appearances throughout the years on such shows as Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
Little House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
, CHiPS
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, T.J. Hooker, St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
and L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
.
Selected filmography
- Joe KiddJoe KiddJoe Kidd is a 1972 American western film starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges....
(1972)-uncredited - A Change of SeasonsA Change of Seasons (film)A Change of Seasons is a 1980 American dramedy film directed by Stephen Frears. It stars Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Bo Derek.-Plot:...
(1980) - Cloud DancerCloud DancerCloud Dancer is a 1980 adventure drama film directed by Barry Brown. It stars David Carradine, Jennifer O'Neill and Joseph Bottoms. The film follows a competition aerobatic pilot. It had its premiere in Milwaukee on 29 May, 1980.-Plot:...
(1980) - The Devil and Max DevlinThe Devil and Max DevlinThe Devil and Max Devlin is a Disney motion picture released by Buena Vista Distribution Company, directed by Steven Hilliard Stern and released in early 1981 starring Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby and Susan Anspach. Gould praised this film in interviews as the finest he ever did...
(1981) - Night WarningNight WarningNight Warning is a 1982 exploitation horror film directed by William Asher; it was nominated for a Saturn Award for the Best Horror Movie of 1982 by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror...
(1983) - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's RevengeA Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's RevengeA Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge is a 1985 American slasher film and the second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. The film was directed by Jack Sholder and stars Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Despite the film's title,...
(1985) - Gotcha!Gotcha! (1985 film)Gotcha! is a 1985 action film, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino. The movie is directed by Jeff Kanew, who also directed Anthony Edwards in Revenge of the Nerds in 1984....
(1985) - Field of DreamsField of DreamsField of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
(1989) - Robot WarsRobot Wars (film)Robot Wars is a 1993 American science fiction film directed by Albert Band and written by Charles Band and Jackson Barr.It has been listed sometimes as a sequel to Robot Jox, but is not a real sequel, story-wise...
(1993) - Wagons EastWagons EastWagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film directed by Peter Markle and starring John Candy and Richard Lewis.-Plot:After the 1860s Wild West, a group of misfit settlers including ex-doctor Phil Taylor , prostitute Belle , and homosexual bookseller Julian Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film...
(1994) - EdEd (film)Ed is a 1996 comedy film starring Matt LeBlanc. LeBlanc plays Jack "Deuce" Cooper, a talented baseball pitcher. Deuce also finds a friend in a talented ball-playing chimpanzee, who was originally his team's mascot.-Reception:...
(1996) - Con AirCon AirCon Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
(1997) - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
(1999) - Catch Me if You CanCatch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
(2002) - A Man ApartA Man ApartA Man Apart is a 2003 action-thriller-drama film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Vin Diesel and Larenz Tate. The story follows undercover DEA agent Sean Vetter who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered...
(2003) - When a Stranger CallsWhen a Stranger Calls (2006 film)When a Stranger Calls is a 2006 American horror film and a remake of the 1979 horror film of the same name based on the urban legend "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs"...
(2006) - The Black DahliaThe Black Dahlia (film)The Black Dahlia is a 2006 neo noir crime film directed by Brian De Palma. It is based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, writer of L.A. Confidential and starred Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. The story is based on the murder of Elizabeth Short...
(2006) - Rails & TiesRails & TiesRails & Ties is a 2007 drama film that marks the directorial debut of Alison Eastwood, the daughter of Clint Eastwood. The film stars Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden and was written by Micky Levy.- Plot :...
(2007) - Up in the AirUp in the Air (film)Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
(2009) - All Things Fall ApartAll Things Fall ApartAll Things Fall Apart is a 2011 American drama film starring Ray Liotta, 50 Cent, Mario Van Peebles, and Lynn Whitfield. It was filmed in Michigan and premiered at the Miami International Film Festival.-Plot:...
(2012)
Television
- Wonder WomanWonder Woman (TV series)Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
(1977) - Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the PrairieLittle House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
(1977) - CHiPSCHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
(1979) - T.J. Hooker (1984)
- St. ElsewhereSt. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
(1984) - Silence of the HeartSilence of the HeartSilence of the Heart is a 1984 television family drama film written by Phil Penningroth and directed by Richard Michaels for CBS Television...
(1984) TV film - The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
(1985) - Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
(1985) - MacGyverMacGyverMacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
(1986) - MoonlightingMoonlighting (TV series)Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
(1987) - MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
(1990) - SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
(1992) - L.A. LawL.A. LawL.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
(1993) - The X Files (1994)
- Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
(1996) - Judging AmyJudging AmyJudging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
(2000) - NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
(2001) - Gilmore GirlsGilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
(2002) - Burn (2007)
- Cold Case (2010)