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American actor (1947–1986) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stephen Stucker (July 2, 1947 – April 13, 1986) was an American actor, known for portrayals of bizarre characters, notably the manic control-room worker Johnny in the early 1980s Airplane! movies and the stenographer in the courtroom sequence of 1977's The Kentucky Fried Movie.
Stephen Stucker | |
|---|---|
Stucker in Airplane! | |
| Born | July 2, 1947 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1986 (aged 38) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Chapel of the Chimes (Oakland, California) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–1986 |
Stucker was born in Des Moines, Iowa. His family moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, where he distinguished himself in school as a pianist and class clown.
He made his screen debut co-starring in the 1975 comedic sexploitation film Carnal Madness as Bruce Wilson, a gay fashion designer who escapes from an insane asylum with two fellow inmates, fleeing to an all-girls school. He went on to perform in the 1977 earthquake-in-Los-Angeles comedy Cracking Up, with Fred Willard, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer.
Stucker was a scene-stealing member of the cast of the Madison, Wisconsin Kentucky Fried Theater sketch comedy troupe founded by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker.[1] In 1977 he appeared in the John Landis film The Kentucky Fried Movie, based on the troupe's sketches. It led to his supporting role in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedy Airplane!, which he reprised in Airplane II: The Sequel. For the first film, the writers gave Stucker the straight lines for his scenes and let him write his character's off-the-wall responses.[1]
In 1982 he had a guest role in a three-episode sequence in the TV series Mork & Mindy and, in 1983, had a small featured role in Landis' Trading Places. In 1984, he had a co-starring role as the sex-obsessed psychiatrist Dr. Bender in the teen comedy film Bad Manners (aka: Growing Pains).
On July 12, 1984, Stucker was diagnosed with AIDS. He publicly disclosed his illness the following year, becoming one of the first recognizable entertainers to do so. In a November 1985 interview, Stucker claimed he had suffered from cancer-related symptoms as early as 1979, prior to public knowledge of what AIDS was, and that he had previously been an intravenous drug user.[2]
He died from AIDS-related complications in a Los Angeles hospital on April 13, 1986, at the age of 38. He is interred in the Chapel of the Chimes.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Carnal Madness | Bruce Wilson | Alternative titles: Delinquent School Girls / Sizzlers |
| 1977 | Cracking Up | Bruce "Tushy" Smith | |
| 1977 | The Kentucky Fried Movie | Stenographer | (Segment: "Courtroom") |
| 1980 | Airplane! | Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs | |
| 1981 | Marie | Himself | Episode # 1.7 |
| 1982 | Mork & Mindy | Billy Vincent | Episode: "Gotta Run: Part 3" |
| 1982 | Jimmy the Kid | 2nd Neighbor | |
| 1982 | Airplane II: The Sequel | Jacobs; Courtroom Clerk | |
| 1983 | Trading Places | Stationmaster | |
| 1984 | Bad Manners | Dr. Bender | Alternative title: Growing Pains |
| 1985 | Hot Resort | Bobby Williams | |
| 1988 | The Wizard of Speed and Time | Piano Choreographer | Scenes filmed in 1984; released posthumously |
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