Morgan Stevens, who played numerous roles on television before a tragic confrontation with police derailed his career, was discovered dead at age 70 in his home today as part of a police wellness check. No information on the cause of death was released by police.
His death was first reported by TMZ.
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Born October 16, 1951, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Stevens headed to Hollywood soon after graduating college. He appeared as Paul Northridge in one episode of The Waltons and in three reunion movies, including A Wedding on Walton’s Mountain, in which his character married Erin Walton (played by Mary Elizabeth McDonough).
His first major role was playing teacher David Reardon during two seasons of the TV show Fame. Stevens appeared in 20 episodes during season 2, then appeared as an occasional guest star when the show was syndicated, writing a third season episode, Catch A Falling Star.
While working on Fame, Stevens also had one shot roles on The Love Boat, The Return of Marcus Welby M.D., Airwolf, and the original Magnum P.I. among other shows. He also costarted in the TV movie Roses are for the Rich
All of that came to a halt in August 1989, when Morgan had a minor car accident and was arrested on suspicion of DUI by the Los Angeles police. While in custody, he was severely beaten, suffering a broken nose, fractured cheek, dislocated jaw and nerve damage to his face. A blood alcohol test cleared him of the DUI charge, and his treatment was later settled in a lawsuit against LAPD.
Morgan returned to acting in 1992, playing “Nick Diamond” in seven episodes of the tv hit Melrose Place. But work became sporadic, and his last appearance was in 1999 in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.
Information on survivors and memorial plans was not immediately available.
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