Anais Gutierrez
Stephen Furst, the actor who played “Flounder” in the 1978 classic comedy ‘Animal House’, died Friday following complication from diabetes.The sad news was broken by his sons via their father’s Facebook page.
The loss of Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst, the actor who portrayed Flounder, in the 1978 movie ‘Animal House,’ has died Friday at age 63. His sons, Nathan and Griffith confirmed the news in a candid Facebook post.Furst died of diabetes complications as his sons explained in the post, saying that over the last several years the disease continued getting worse and worse.
The children remarked their father’s accomplishments as an actor and filmmaker. They also highlighted his role in the family life and how he’ll be remembered.It read, “but to his family and many dear friends he was also a beloved husband, father and kind friend whose memory will always be a blessing.”
The family urged fans to not cry the loss of their father, “But rather, enjoy memories of all the times he made you snicker, laugh, or even snort to your own embarrassment.” They highlighted Stephen’s life perspective and urged fans to practice it. “He intensely believed that laughter is the best therapy, and he would want us to practice that now.”
A life full of laughter and joy
Stephen Furst was born May 8, 1955, in Virginia. He was orphaned at 16 and raised by an aunt. He started acting when he was a teen partly because he was self-conscious about his weight. He said in a 1985 interview with the Chicago Tribune.
“I’m one of the most insecure people in the world, always have been, and when you’re a fat kid, you try to make the fat jokes before other people make them,” he said.
However, in acting, he discovered a heaven and soon found out he was good at it and held on to it. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University before heading to Hollywood.
In Hollywood, he delivered pizzas and gave himself publicity by putting his picture and resume inside the pizza boxes. The publicity soon paid back and producer Matty Simmons discovered him and put Furst into “Animal House.” In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes. Furst dropped more than 85 pounds and appeared in an educational video produced by the American Diabetes Association
Memorable role and most famous line
Furst’s role as the innocent freshman Kent Dorfman in ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House,’ is his most remembered one. The role also ushered in a brand of raunchy comedy.
His character was rejected by other fraternities at the fictional Faber College. But got into the hard-partying, rule-breaking frat nicknamed Animal House.Bluto, the house wild man played by John Belushi in his own breakout role, gave Dorfman the nickname Flounder. A series of mishaps and humiliations followed.
Flounder accidentally killed a horse, apparently by inducing fright, by firing a pistol loaded with blanks into the air during a midnight prank in Dean Vernon Wormer’s office.He was also the recipient of one of the movie’s most famous lines, delivered by Wormer: “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”
Furst reprised the role as Flounder in the 1979 TV series ‘Delta House’, which only ran for one 13-episode season.
Among the many roles he played, Furst took on sci-fi as Vir Cotto in J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5. In the show, Furst played the diminutive and bumbling assistant to the station’s Centauri ambassador, Londo Mollari.
The show that ran from 1994 through 1997 depicted the rise of another interstellar war, with a nuanced portrayal of politics and diplomacy deep in space.Furst later went on to direct a handful of episodes of Babylon 5 and its sequel show, Crusade, as well as several films.
Long lasting career
Furst also starred in movies such as Swim Team, Scavenger Hunt, Midnight Madness, The Unseen, Getting Wasted, Silent Rage, Class Reunion and Up the Creek.He was also a series regular on the hit TV series St Elsewhere. Where he appeared in 93 episodes as Dr. Elliot Axelrod from 1983 to 1988. He had a recurring role on “Melrose Place” in the 1990s.
The actor continued to work regularly throughout the 2000s, appearing in Going Greek, Sorority Boys, Wild Roomies, Everything’s Jake, Seven Days of Jake and the TV movie Basilisk: The Serpent King, which he also directed.
Furst’s directing credits also include “Baby Huey’s Great Easter Adventure” in 1999 and “Magic Kid 2” in 1994.The actor also voiced characters on projects including TV’s Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and the video The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea.
Stephen worked as producer along with his son, Griff, in their Curmudgeon Film projects. Which includes the movies My Sister’s Keeper and Cold Moon, a suspense thriller set for release in October, Griff Furst said.
The actor is survived by his longtime wife Lorraine Furst, who had a cameo in Animal House as the cashier who sold him the marbles at the end of the movie.He’s also survived by his two sons and grandchildren.
Source: CNN
