Photo: Alan Greth/AP/Shutterstock
Dean Stockwell, best known for his starring role inQuantum Leap, has died at the age of 85.
Representatives for the actor said he died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday while at home, according toVariety.
Stockwell was born in 1936 to Hollywood acting couple Harry and Betty Veronica Stockwell. He got an early start to his career at the age of 7 when he was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer following a Broadway role inThe Innocent Voyage.
He continued down the path of stardom as a child actor with 1948’sThe Boy with Green Hairbefore snagging other major roles in his career like 1959’sCompulsion, 1962’sLong Day’s Journey into Night, 1984’s Dune, 1986’sBlue Velvet, and more.
Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
“I started at a very early age in this business and I’m sure most of you have read stories about people who have started as children and ended up in very difficult lives and bad consequences,” Stockwell previously said,according to his IMDB bio. “It’s not the easiest life in the world, but then no life is easy.”
Stockwell’s biggest role was portraying Admiral ‘Al’ Calavicci in NBC’s sci-fi seriesQuantum Leap— which ran for five seasons from 1989 to 1993. The role earned himfour Emmy nominationsand he won a Golden Globe award in 1990 for his performance.
Among other accolades, Stockwell was also named best actor at theCannes Film Festivalin both 1959 and 1962 and earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role inMarried to the Mob, per IMDB. In 1992, the actor received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Paul Warner/WireImage
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Dean’s magnificent career spanned over 70 years, and saw him become an icon of the science fiction genre,” the Facebookpostread. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
source: people.com
