Who is Stephen Lang?

Stephen Lang is a distinguished and award-winning actor who commands considerable respect and is equally at home on the Broadway stage, on television and in film.

Though he is arguably most well-known for his acclaimed performance in James Cameron's Avatar (2009), Lang began his career in theater. Broadway roles include his Tony-nominated performance as Lou in "The Speed of Darkness", Happy in the Dustin Hoffman revival of "Death of a Salesman", Colonel Nathan Jessep in "A Few Good Men" and Mike Tallman alongside Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei in "Wait Until Dark".

Off-Broadway credits include John Patrick Shanley's "Defiance", Anne Nelson's "The Guys", Arthur Miller's "Finishing the Picture" and his own play, "Beyond Glory", for which he received numerous accolades. The play premiered in Washington, D.C. and has played the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the Roundabout in New York City and a USO tour to various military bases and battleships around the world. In the fall of 2010, Lang received the Patriot Award from the Medal of Honor Society in honor of his theatrical and charitable works for the United States military.

Television and film credits include celebrated performances as Babe Ruth in Babe Ruth (1991), Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals (2003) as well as acclaimed performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Tombstone (1993), Gettysburg (1993), Public Enemies (2009), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), Michael Mann's hit TV show Crime Story (1986) , the NBC revival of The Fugitive (2000), featuring Tim Daly, and Fox's sci-fi epic Terra Nova (2011).

He has been nominated for and won numerous awards including the Grace Prize, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Helen Hayes and Tony Awards, as well as acting prizes at 2010's VisionFest and the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.

Overview

Nicknames
Steve Lang, Slang

Trivia

  • Runs the famed Actors Studio in New York along with Lee Grant, Al Pacino and others.
  • Gave special performances of his one-man show "Beyond Glory" which deals with America's greatest war heroes who were awarded the Medal of Honor, for both the U.S. Senate in Washington and the U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf. The show was backed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Has narrated numerous audiobooks and was recently awarded the Audiofile Earphone award.
  • Lives in upstate New York.
  • While many Gettysburg (1993) cast members reprised their roles in the prequel Gods and Generals (2003), Lang was one of several actors (and the most prominent one) to play two different characters. He played George Pickett in "Gettysburg" and General Stonewall Jackson in "Gods and Generals". Even more, he appeared as the keynote speaker at the 2011 ceremonial rededication of Gettsyburg National Cemetery.