Stephen Weaver Collins is an American former actor and former writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the long-running television series 7th Heaven from 1996 to 2007. Since then, Collins has played the roles of Dayton King on the ABCTV seriesNo Ordinary Family and Gene Porter in the television series Revolution, father of Elizabeth Mitchell's character, Rachel Matheson. Before 7th Heaven, Collins was known for his role as Commander Willard Decker in the 1979 film . His career largely ended in 2014 when he confessed to sexual misconduct with multiple minors.
Early life
Stephen Collins was born on October 1, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa, to mother Madeleine and father Cyrus Stickney Collins, an airline executive. Collins was raised with his two older brothers in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating cum laude. While at Amherst, he played bass guitar in a number of bands.
Career
Collins is known for his role as Eric Camden in the television drama series7th Heaven during the series' run from 1996 to 2007 and for his role as Captain Willard Decker in . His other notable television credits include Jake Cutter in the cult series Tales of the Gold Monkey and his role in Tattingers, as well as guest appearances in The Waltons, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, and numerous miniseries and made-for-television movies. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work opposite Ann-Margret in the miniseries The Two Mrs. Grenvilles and he played John F. Kennedy in the miniseries A Woman Named Jackie, which won the Emmy for Best Miniseries. He also played the lead role opposite Lauren Hutton in the made-for-TV movie The Rhinemann Exchange, based on Robert Ludlum's bestselling novel. Collins has co-starred with Diane Keaton in both The First Wives Club and Because I Said So. He has co-starred with Meredith Baxter in three films, All the President's Men,A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story, and Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter, both of which were made-for-television movies broadcast on CBS in 1992. In the 2010–11 television season, Collins starred in the short-lived ABC series No Ordinary Family. On ABC's Brothers & Sisters, he played a potential love interest for Ron Rifkin's character Saul Holden. Collins appeared in season eight of The Office playing Andy Bernard's father in the episode, "Garden Party". In 2013, Collins began appearing in the NBC series Revolution as Dr. Gene Porter, the leader of the town of Willoughby and father of Rachel Matheson. and in two episodes of Falling Skies in season three. Collins' recent guest spots include The Fosters, Penance, and Devious Maids.
Personal life
Collins was married to Marjorie Weinman from 1970 to 1978. In 1985, he married actress Faye Grant, whom he had met on the set of Tales of the Gold Monkey in 1982. Together they have a daughter, Kate, who was born in 1989. They separated in 2012, and, after 30 years of marriage, a final divorce decree was issued in January 2015. Collins is an Episcopalian and a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and has taken part in the advanced TM Yogic Flying technique since 1980. Until October 2014, he was a national co-director of the Committee for Stress-Free Schools, which advocates practicing TM in schools and funds TM research.
Sexual abuse allegations
In October 2014, the New York City Police Department began investigating Collins after an audio tape leaked to the media revealed a male voice—purported to be that of Collins—admitting to past sexual abuse of a minor. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson stated that Collins had been investigated by the department in 2012 after receiving a claim from 40 years earlier regarding sexual abuse. The LAPD further stated that its investigation did not allow it to "substantiate the allegation" against Collins. In a December 2014 interview with People magazine, Collins admitted he committed "inappropriate sexual conduct with three female minors" in 1973, 1982, and 1994.
