Harry Dean Stanton's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Big Love Roman Grant Alice (2009) Caterpillar

Main Movie Roles 2011 - Rango 2009 - The Open Road 2007 - The Good Life 2007 - Being Michael Madsen 2007 - Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project 2006 - Alpha Dog 2006 - Alien Autopsy 2006 - Inland Empire 2006 - You, Me and Dupree 2005 - The Wendell Baker Story 2004 - The Big Bounce 2004 - Chrystal 2003 - Breakfast with Hunter 2003 - Anger Management 2001 - The Pledge 2000 - The Man Who Cried 1999 - The Straight Story 1999 - The Green Mile 1998 - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998 - The Mighty 1998 - A Civil Action 1997 - She's so Lovely 1997 - Fire Down Below 1996 - Down Periscope 1992 - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 1992 - Man Trouble 1990 - Wild at Heart 1989 - Dream a Little Dream 1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ 1986 - Pretty in Pink 1985 - One Magic Christmas 1985 - UFOria 1984 - Red Dawn 1984 - Terror in the Aisles 1984 - Paris, Texas 1984 - Repo Man 1983 - Christine 1982 - Young Doctors in Love 1982 - One from the Heart 1981 - Escape from New York 1980 - Private Benjamin 1979 - Wise Blood 1979 - Alien 1979 - The Rose 1978 - Straight Time 1978 - Up In Smoke 1976 - The Missouri Breaks 1975 - 92 in the Shade 1975 - Rancho Deluxe 1975 - Farewell, My Lovely 1974 - Cockfighter 1974 - The Godfather: Part II 1973 - Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 1973 - Dillinger 1971 - Two-Lane Blacktop 1970 - The Rebel Rousers 1970 - Kelly's Heroes 1968 - Day of the Evil Gun 1967 - A Time for Killing 1967 - Cool Hand Luke 1962 - How the West Was Won 1960 - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1959 - The Jayhawkers! 1959 - Pork Chop Hill 1956 - The Wrong Man

BIOGRAPHY:

Prolific character actor with a drooping, weather-beaten appearance and superb acting talent that have been his ticket to appearing in over 100 films, and 50 TV episodes. Born in West Irvine, Kentucky, Stanton served in WW II, then returned to the University of Kentucky to appear in a production of "Pygmalion", before heading out to California and honing his craft at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse. Stanton then toured around the US with a male choir, worked in children's theater, and then headed back to California. His first role onscreen was in the tepid Tomahawk Trail (1957), but he was quickly noticed and appeared regularly in minor roles as cowboys and soldiers through the late 1950s and early 1960s. His star continued to rise and he received better roles in which he could showcase his laid-back style, such as in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Dillinger (1973), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and in Alien (1979). It was around this time that Stanton came to the attention of director Wim Wenders, who cast him in his finest role yet as Travis in the moving Paris, Texas (1984). Next indie director Alex Cox (I) gave Stanton a role that really brought him to the forefront, in the quirky cult film Repo Man (1984).

Stanton was now heavily in demand, and his unique look got him cast as everything from a suburban father in the mainstream Pretty in Pink (1986) to a soft-hearted, but ill-fated, private investigator in Wild at Heart (1990) and a crazy yet cunning scientist in Escape from New York (1981). Apart from his film performances, Stanton is also an accomplished musician, and "The Harry Dean Stanton Band" and their unique spin on mariachi music have been playing together for well over a decade. They have toured internationally to rave reviews. Stanton became a cult figure of cinema and music and when Deborah Harry (I) sang the lyric "I want to dance with Harry Dean..." in her 1990s hit "I Want That Man", she was talking about him.

As he moved into the time in his life when most other people would be calling it a day, Harry Dean Stanton has remained consistently active onscreen, most recently appearing in films including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), The Green Mile (1999) and The Man Who Cried (2000). A true gem amongst character actors, and with an onscreen presence capable of adding that something extra to any production.


TRIVIA:

• (20 January 1996) Was tied up and pistol-whipped at his home in L.A. after a robbery. The thieves then took off in the actors car, but were soon apprehended after the car was traced by a tracking device. Stanton suffered only minor injuries.
• Had a small role as a jail guard in the 1978 'Cheech Marin' (qv) and 'Tommy Chong' (qv) film _Up in Smoke (1978)_ (qv), but his scenes were cut.
• The name of his musical group was originally "Harry Dean Stanton and the Repo Men".
• He fronts a band called "The Harry Dean Stanton Band" which regularly performs in the Los Angeles area. He sings and plays guitar. The band plays a mix of jazz, pop, and tex-mex styles. The band often plays in Hollywood at 'Jack's Sugar Shack'.
• 1988: Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival.
• Prior to 1971, he was credited in films and on TV as Dean Stanton so as to avoid any confusion with character actor 'Harry Stanton' (qv), both of whom would appear together in a 1969 episode of _"Petticoat Junction" (1963)_ (qv).
• Was Best Man at the wedding of 'Jack Nicholson' (qv) and 'Sandra Knight' (qv). After their divorce, Nicholson lived for a time with Stanton.
• Critic 'Roger Ebert' (qv) so admires him that he created the "Stanton-Walsh Rule," which states that "no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or 'M. Emmet Walsh' (qv) in a supporting role can be altogether bad." Ebert later admitted that _Dream a Little Dream (1989)_ (qv), in which Stanton appeared, was a "clear violation" of this rule.