Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins is an American former actor born on October 1 1947 in Des Moines Iowa He is best known for his role as Eric Camden the family patriarch on the television series 7th Heaven which aired from 1996 to 2007 Collins also played notable roles such as Commander Willard Decker in Star Trek The Motion Picture 1979 and had television roles in series like No Ordinary Family and Revolution He grew up in HastingsonHudson New York and graduated cum laude from Amherst College His career spanned television film and theater with early roles including appearances in All the Presidents Men and the cult TV series Tales of the Gold Monkey Collins was also nominated for an Emmy for his work in the miniseries The Two Mrs Grenvilles and played John F Kennedy in A Woman Named Jackie He acted alongside stars such as Diane Keaton and Shirley MacLaine in various films Collins career ended in 2014 following his public confession to sexual abuse against minors Beyond acting he also authored psychosexual thrillers and performed in Broadway productions Throughout his career he was recognized for playing wholesome and authoritative characters often embodying familyoriented roles