In Memoriam: Dean Stockwell

A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper
Go to sleep, everything is alrightFor readers of Multiversity, Dean Stockwell may not be the most likely person to get an In Memoriam piece. Sure, he was the voice of Tim Drake in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and he appeared in a few shows that fall squarely into the sci-fi/fantasy realm that we often cover. But no matter how deep we go into Stockwell’s career, it will likely be a bit reductive, as the guy just did so much.

As a kid, he acted alongside Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, and Lionel Barrymore, as well as appearing in a Thin Man film and an Abbot and Costello film.

After dropping out of Hollywood to become a hippie, Stockwell returned to acting in a mix of TV roles and underground films from folks like Dennis Hopper and Sam Katzman. After a decade and a half of these types of roles, he became an early favorite of David Lynch, appearing in Dune and stealing the show in Blue Velvet.

🎶 In Dreams 🎶 The late Dean Stockwell in David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET (1986) 💙🎙 pic.twitter.com/H3wZmmyvMC

— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) November 9, 2021

But to me, Stockwell willl always be Al Calavicci on Quantum Leap. Al is a man for all seasons, someone who is rarely at a loss for a quip or some advice from the wild life he’s led. Stockwell was both the comic relief and the steadying hand on the show, and his chemistry with Scott Bakula was really something to behold. Stockwell was so natural in the role of Al that it was jarring afterwards to see him play other characters, because it was like watching Al playing a southern judge (The Rainmaker) or a mafia boss (Married to the Mob).

In a time when TV and film stars were often silo’d away from each other, Stockwell continued to dip his toes into both media until his career slowed down when he was in his 70s. Even if we’re just talking his Multiversity credentials, the guy’s career was insane: voice acting in a Batman film, appearing on Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: Enterprise, guest starring in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Mission: Impossible, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and voice work on Captain Planet.

But when you factor in all the high-brow stuff, the studio churn, the endless TV spots, the indie cred, and the willingness to do just about anything on-screen, and you’ve got a career that will likely never happen again.

We’ll see you in our beautiful dreams.

I close my eyes then I drift away
Into the magic night, I softly say
A silent prayer like dreamers do
Then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you