Laurin Sydney:

And finally today, an actor who leapt from stardom to obscurity and back to stardom in our Showbiz Profile.  Dean Stockwell is busy these days with films and the TV series Quantum Leap.  But as Bill Tush reports, things weren't always so hectic.

Bill:

(Voice-Over to scene from Quantum Leap)  Working on a one-hour weekly television show keeps Dean Stockwell so busy that he has to turn down some film roles.  But Stockwell really doesn't need the extra work.  Not bad for a guy who, less than ten years ago, was barely making ends meet.

Dean:

I figured out one time, that over from about 1967, '68, until 1982, I averaged about 10,000 a year.

Bill:

(Voice-Over to scenes from Paris, Texas and Married to the Mob)  Then came 1984's Paris, Texas.  Suddenly Stockwell, who had become a child star in the Forties and a has-been in the Sixties, was busier than ever.  Even closing out the Eighties with an Oscar nomination for his role in Married to the Mob.  So why would an actor in so much demand tie himself up with a TV series?

Dean:

I had never done a weekly series, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to.  Uh, if I had been offered a series in 1975, I would have jumped on it.  But up until 1988, or even '89, I didn't have any, I was told, 'doesn't have any TV Q.'  But once I got hot in films, all of a sudden I have TV Q.

Bill:

(Voice-Over to a scene from Quantum Leap)  Of course, Stockwell would choose a role that even he has trouble describing.

Dean:

I say that I'm a hologram in it, and they say 'What's that?'  And I try to describe what a hologram is, and then how it figures into the show, and how it enables me to go back into the past.  But all I can say is watch the show and you'll see.

Bill:

(Voice-Over to a scene from Blue Velvet)  With Quantum Leap ratings holding their own, it's star can sit back and enjoy his success with another amazing comeback story.

(now interviewing Dean directly)  Dennis Hopper's your best friend.  Both of you have made these incredible comebacks.  Do you two ever get together, look at each other, and go 'this is nuts'?

Dean:

Every time, there's that moment inevitably where we look at each other (laughs) and we go 'Wow!'  It's unbelievable.

Bill:

(Voice-Over to scene from Quantum Leap)  Now he's not resting on his laurels.  In addition to his small screen roles, Dean Stockwell will be seen on the big screen in three films between now and the end of the year.