Stephen Dorff is an American actor and producer. Best known for her role as the main villain in the film Blade and her work in the drama Somewhere, which received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. And also participated in the dramas "Strength of Personality" and "Fifth in a Quartet." In the winter of 2019, the third season of the True Detective series will be released with Dorff in the lead role.
Childhood and youth
Stephen Dorff was born July 29, 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia. The father of the future actor is a composer and film producer, so Stephen began to build a career in the world of show business from childhood. As a child, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, the capital of the American film industry.
From a young age, the actor began acting in commercials. He was a student of seven different private schools, and was expelled from five of them.
Carier start
In the late eighties, Stephen Dorff took up his acting career seriously. He began to pass auditions, and at first he managed to get only episodic roles. A few years later, on his account there were guest appearances in the popular comedy series "Married with Children" and "Rosanna."
And also the young actor appeared in several television films. The first major feature film by Stephen Dorff was the 1987 horror Gates, where he played a teenager who discovered a mysterious hole in the backyard of his house, which turns out to be a portal to hell. The picture was barely able to return the funds spent on its production at the end of the rental, but later acquired a cult status and received a continuation in which Stephen no longer participated.
First successes
A major breakthrough in the filmography of Stephen Dorff was the drama Strength of Personality directed by David Evildsen, director of the legendary sports drama Rocky. The actor played the role of a white teenager living in South Africa during the era of racial segregation. After the death of his mother, he is forced to attend school with African children with whom he is in conflict. The picture failed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, but for Dorff it still became a big step forward, since he appeared in the title role in a major Hollywood production and loudly announced himself.
The following year, Stephen appeared in the thriller Doomsday, along with other rising stars Emilio Esteves, Jeremy Piven, and Cube Gooding Jr. The picture showed itself poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics who praised the technical performance, but scolded the plot of the film.
In 1994, Stephen Dorff played the lead role in the biographical musical drama Fifth in the Quartet, playing Stuart Sutcliffe, the first bass player of the legendary Liverpool group The Beatles. The picture received negative ratings from the team members, but showed itself financially well by the standards of limited rental.
A year later, Steven Dorff appeared in the title role in the black comedy Japanese City, where Reese Witherspoon became his screen partner. The film received negative reviews from critics and performed poorly at the box office. And also in 1995, the Franco-British thriller “Innocent Lies” was released with Stephen in the lead role.
In 1996, Stephen Dorff loudly declared himself as a serious actor with a wide range. He played the role of the famous actress (shemale) Candy Darling in the biographical drama "I Shot Andy Warhol." The film received positive reviews from critics and earned a nomination for the best film of the year according to the Independent Spirit award.
In the same year, Stuart Gordon's fantastic comedy "Space Truckers" was released, where Stephen appeared in the title role with the legendary Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper. The budget of the picture was twenty-five million dollars, while at the box office she was able to earn a little more than a million. The percentage of positive reviews by the world famous portal Rotten Tomatoes was only eight percent.
In 1997, the actor claimed the role of Jack Dawson in James Cameron's titanic blockbuster, but, in his own words, he refused to continue the struggle for the role, as he did not want to be remembered only for this project.
International popularity
Real world fame came to Stephen Dorff after appearing in the horror action movie based on the comics of the publishing house "Marvel" "Blade". The picture by Stephen Norrington tells about the fearless vampire hunter, played by Wesley Snipes. Stephen portrayed the main villain on the screen. Compared to the character featured in the comics, the character has become much younger.
The film has collected more than one hundred and thirty million dollars at the box office and laid the foundation for a series of films. The role of the vampire Deacon Frost for Stephen Dorff for many years has become the hallmark and peak of his career.
Unsuccessful projects
Unfortunately, the actor could not develop success and in subsequent years lost his former fame after a series of unsuccessful projects. He appeared in the thriller Mad Cecil B., the crime drama Wild Gang and the horror movie FearCom. All three paintings turned out to be box office failures and were not popular among professional critics.
The relatively successful project for Dorff of this period is only the action movie The Expendables, which was able to earn fifteen million dollars at the box office. In 2005, Stephen played a major role in the film adaptation of the computer game "Alone in the Dark" directed by Uwe Boll, which is considered one of the worst films in history.
Return to the top
The following year, the actor appeared in one of the roles in Oliver Stone’s large-scale drama "The World Trade Center", which tells about the terrible events of September 11, 2001. The picture has grossed more than one hundred and sixty million dollars at the worldwide box office and received generally positive reviews from critics, becoming Dorff's first successful project in several years.
Two years later, the movie The Outlaw was released, starring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer. Immediately after the premiere, the picture received negative reviews from critics and failed at the box office, despite a very modest production budget of two and a half million dollars. But over the years, the crime drama has earned the love of the audience and today has quite high ratings on the most popular movie sites in the world, including IMDB and Kinopoisk.
In 2010, Stephen Dorff played the lead role in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere. The film unexpectedly for many received the main prize "Golden Lion" following the results of the Venice Film Festival. A year later, the actor appeared in a large-scale fantasy blockbuster directed by Tarsem Singh's “Wars of the Gods: Immortals”. The picture proved to be excellent at the box office and raised more than two hundred and twenty million dollars. In 2012, Stephen appeared in a small role in the crime drama Icy.
Recent roles
In 2017, Stephen Dorff starred in the eighth of the world-famous Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror franchise. Chronologically, the picture is a prequel to the very first film in the series. In the same year, the actor appeared in another horror film called The Circles of the Devil.
In 2017, Steven also made his debut as a screenwriter, he played the main role in the musical drama Wheeler in his own script. The picture received mixed reviews from critics.
Soon, Stephen Dorff joined the main cast of the series Star from the creators of the television hit Empire. The actor appeared in the second season of the project, after which his character was removed from the musical drama by the scriptwriters.
Future projects
The most high-profile of Steven’s future projects is the third season of HBO’s popular detective series, The Real Detective. He will play the main role together with the winner of the Oscar in the category "Best Supporting Actor" Mahershala Ali. The premiere is scheduled for January 2019.
Personal life
The personal life of Stephen Dorff for many years has been the subject of close attention of the media. At different times, he was credited with novels with partners on the set, including the famous Hollywood actresses Reese Witherspoon and Alicia Silverstone. The actor is still not married, he has no children. In his own words, due to his rampant lifestyle in his youth, Stephen was sure that he would become a father before thirty.
At the moment, Dorff is still not settled down. He can often be seen at public events in the company of well-known models, many of which are almost two times younger than the actor. The media often publish photos of Stephen Dorff with a new passion.
Apparently, the man does not worry that he could not fully realize his potential, because he was considered one of the most promising actors in the nineties. He enjoys life, often relaxes in Saint-Tropez and other Mediterranean resorts. As Dorff himself says, he loves money and is not ashamed of it.