Stephen Geoffreys

Last updated
Stephen Geoffreys
Born
Stephen Geoffrey Miller

(1964-11-22) November 22, 1964 (age 59)
Other namesSam Ritter
Occupation Actor
Years active1984–present

Stephen Geoffrey Miller (born November 22, 1964), known professionally as Stephen Geoffreys, is an American actor. Rising to prominence in teen films in the 1980s, Geoffreys is perhaps best known for his role as high school misfit-turned vampire, "Evil Ed" in the 1985 horror film Fright Night , in addition to both starring and supporting performances in Heaven Help Us (1985), Fraternity Vacation (1985), At Close Range (1986), and 976-EVIL (1988).

Contents

Life and career

Born Stephen Geoffrey Miller in Cincinnati, Ohio, Geoffreys first began acting on the stage. In 1984, he was nominated for Broadway's Tony Award for "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical" for his performance in a play based on The Human Comedy . [1] For this role, he won the Theatre World Award in 1984. [2]

Geoffreys appeared in several horror and teen films in the 1980s, most notably Heaven Help Us (1985) as well as Fraternity Vacation and 976-EVIL with the director/actor Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1989. He also played a supporting part in the critically acclaimed drama At Close Range in 1986. He is best known for playing the teenage misfit-turned vampire "Evil" Ed in the 1985 vampire horror film Fright Night , also starring Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, and Chris Sarandon. Geoffreys was asked to reprise his role in Fright Night Part 2 but turned it down to play the lead role in 976-EVIL. [3]

During the 1990s, Geoffreys appeared for several years in gay pornographic movies, using the alias Sam Ritter. [4] [5] [6]

Geoffreys returned to horror in a supporting role as "Mr. Putski" in the independent film Sick Girl , released in October 2007, after an almost 9-year absence from mainstream film. [3] [7] [8] He went on to play a lead role in the horror film Do Not Disturb . [9] He later appeared in the horror film Emerging Past, [10] which also featured actor Brooke McCarter of The Lost Boys fame. [11] As part of the Mad Monster Party on 28 March 2015, Geoffreys wore his Evil Ed costume. [12]

Filmography

Prizes and nominations

Theater

Tony Award

Theatre World Award

  • 1984 The Human Comedy - winner

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Bearse</span> American actress

Amanda Bearse is an American actress, comedian and director. She starred in the 1985 supernatural horror film Fright Night, and later starred as Marcy Rhoades D'Arcy in the Fox sitcom Married... with Children (1987–1997). Bearse later began working as television director, directing over 90 episodes of comedy series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".

<i>Fright Night</i> 1985 American horror film written and directed by Tom Holland

Fright Night is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland, in his directorial debut. The film follows teenager Charley Brewster, who discovers that his next-door neighbor Jerry Dandrige is a vampire. When no one believes him, Charley decides to get Peter Vincent, a TV show host who acted in films as a vampire hunter, to stop Jerry's killing spree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles L. Grant</span> American novelist

Charles Lewis Grant was an American novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror". He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, Deborah Lewis, Timothy Boggs, Mark Rivers, and Steven Charles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Ragsdale</span> American actor (born 1961)

Robert William Ragsdale is an American actor. He is known for playing Charley Brewster in the cult horror-comedy film Fright Night (1985) and its sequel Fright Night Part 2 (1988), and Herman Brooks on the television series Herman's Head (1991–94).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Holland (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1943)

Thomas Lee Holland is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, penning the 1983 sequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, directing and co-writing the first entry in the long-running Child's Play franchise, and writing and directing the cult vampire film Fright Night. He also directed the Stephen King adaptations The Langoliers and Thinner. He is a two-time Saturn Award recipient. Holland made the jump into children’s literature in 2018 when he co-wrote How to Scare a Monster with fellow writer Dustin Warburton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vampire film</span> Film genre

Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of the 1872 novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. By 2005, the Dracula character had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character except Sherlock Holmes.

<i>Fright Night Part 2</i> 1988 American horror film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace

Fright Night Part 2 is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the sequel to the 1985 film Fright Night. Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale reprise their roles as Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent, alongside new cast members Traci Lind, Julie Carmen and Jon Gries. Composer Brad Fiedel also returned with another distinct synthesizer score.

Gerald "Jerry" Neal Williamson was an American horror writer and editor known under the name J. N. Williamson. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana he graduated from Shortridge High School. He studied journalism at Butler University. He published his first novel in 1979 and went on to publish more than 40 novels and 150 short stories. In 2003 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers of America. He edited the critically acclaimed How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction (1987) which covered the themes of such writing and cited the works of such writers as Robert Bloch, Lee Prosser, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Many important writers in the genre contributed to the book. Williamson edited the popular anthology series, Masques. Some of his novels include The Ritual (1979), Playmates (1982), Noonspell (1991), The Haunt (1999), among others.

Bradley Ira Fiedel is an American composer. He has written for film and television and became well known for his collaborations with James Cameron on The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994). On these scores he mostly used synthesizers, but composed a number of scores utilizing various acoustic instruments, including full orchestra.

<i>Salems Lot</i> (1979 miniseries) 1979 television miniseries

Salem's Lot is a 1979 American two-part vampire miniseries based on the 1975 horror novel 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Directed by Tobe Hooper and starring David Soul and James Mason, the plot concerns a writer who returns to his hometown and discovers that its citizens are turning into vampires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Howe</span> American childrens writer

James Howe is an American children's writer who has written more than 79 juvenile and young adult fiction books. He is best known for the Bunnicula series about a vampire rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetables.

<i>976-EVIL</i> 1988 film by Robert Englund

976-EVIL is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Robert Englund, and co-written by Brian Helgeland. It stars Stephen Geoffreys, Patrick O'Bryan, Jim Metzler, Maria Rubell, and Sandy Dennis.

<i>Fright Night</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by Craig Gillespie

Fright Night is a 2011 American supernatural horror film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Michael De Luca and Alison Rosenzweig. A remake of Tom Holland's 1985 film, the film's screenplay was adapted by Marti Noxon. It stars Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and David Tennant. The plot follows a teenaged boy who discovers that his neighbor is actually a vampire, which culminates in a battle between the two. The film held its world premiere at The O2 in London on August 14, 2011. It was released in the United States by Touchstone Pictures on August 19, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Dandrige</span> Fictional character

Jerry Dandrige is a fictional character from the Fright Night franchise, a vampire who first appears in the 1985 film Fright Night portrayed by Chris Sarandon, which was later spun-off into a comic book series that used Sarandon's likeness. Dandrige, portrayed by Colin Farrell, also appears in the 2011 remake, in both of which he is the main antagonist. The original screenplay and film credits spell his last name "Dandrige", but some secondary sources, including the makers of the tie-in comics, use the spelling, "Dandridge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fright Night Film Fest</span> Horror film festival

Fright Night Film Fest, also known as Louisville Fright Night Film Fest, is an annual horror film festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The festival was first founded in 2005 by Ken Daniels and is typically held in July at the Galt House, which is famous for housing guests for the Kentucky Derby. The focus of the Fright Night Film Fest focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, and cult from around the world including new films from Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America.

<i>Fright Night 2: New Blood</i> 2013 film by Eduardo Rodríguez

Fright Night 2: New Blood is a 2013 American horror film directed by Eduardo Rodríguez. It is a sequel to the 2011 remake of Fright Night. None of the actors from the previous film reprise their roles, and the plot is similar to both the original Fright Night and its remake. It was released in the United States by Touchstone Pictures on September 20, 2013.

<i>Fright Night</i> (comic series)

Fright Night is a 1988 comic book series published by Now Comics. It is based on the 1985 film Fright Night. The first two issues simply adapt the film, but after that the plots are original.

<i>Fright Night</i> (franchise) Film franchise article

The Fright Night franchise consists of American vampire horror-comedy films, including three theatrical releases with an original movie, its sequel and a remake, followed by one straight-to-home video sequel to the remake. Based on an original story by writer-director Tom Holland, the overall plot of each installment follows an adolescent hero who determines that his next door neighbor is a real-life vampire and his pursuits in defeating the monster.

Maggie Castle is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Jenny Kolinsky in cult horror comedy series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. She was also the little girl, Amy Kramer, that battles the evil ventriloquist's dummy Slappy in the Goosebumps television series and voiced Molly MacDonald in the animated series Arthur. She's appeared in various other series such as Vampire High, The Grid and Beach Girls. Film roles include Weirdsville, Hank and Mike, The Time Traveler's Wife and Tumbledown.

References

  1. The New York Times
  2. "Theatre World Awards Recipients". www.theatreworldawards.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 BD Horror News - Stephen Geoffreys Talks Return to Horror in 'Sick Girl' Archived 2008-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "From Top to Bottom: Stephen Geoffreys". PAPER . 28 February 1997. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  5. "I was just collecting myself. I did gay adult movies and TV and a lot of plays"; Interview granted to Scarlet Street Magazine , issue #26, January 1998
  6. Reel frights, The Advocate, N° 950, 8 November 1995
  7. BD Horror News - Stephen Geoffreys Returns to Horror! First Pics!!! Archived 2007-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Stephen Geoffreys Interview". Horror Hound. 20 June 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012.
  9. Gingold, Michael (December 1, 2008). "Exclusive NEW TERMINAL HOTEL pics". Fangoria . Archived from the original on May 1, 2009.
  10. "Official Emerging Past website". Archived from the original on 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  11. Emerging Past on Facebook
  12. Also appearing in full character makeup and costume is SID HAIG (as "Captain Spaulding" from The Devil’s Rejects) on Friday, March 27th, and STEPHEN GEOFFREYS (as "Evil Ed" from Fright Night with makeup by original artist and FX legend STEVE JOHNSON)