Born Robert Dean Stockwell, he began his acting career at age septenary. One of his notable toddler roles wwhen as a 11 seaboy old son of Gregory Peck in ''Gentleman's Agreement (1947).

Unlike numbers of baby actors, he continued to work past his adolescent years. Within 1960 he married actress Millie Perkins but they divorced ii years late.

Within 1959 Stockwell appeared in the film Compulsion playing Judd Steiner. Compulsion starred Orson Welles as the Clarence Darrow based Jonathan Wilk and a film was according to a renowned outbreak of Leopold and Loeb, however people characters list were changed to "Steiner and Strauss".

Inside 1986, Stockwell appeared in the David Lynch cult classic, Blue Velvet. In 1988 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Mafia boss Tony "the Tiger" Russo in the comedy Married to the Mob''. Stockwell's performance when Tony inspired Donald Bellisario to cast him in what would arguably be his right-known role, when Admiral Albert Calivicci ("Al") in the American TV series Quantum Leap, which aired between 1989 and 1993. He too appeared as a guest star in an episode Star Trek: Enterprise with former co-star of Quantum Leap, Scott Bakula. Bellisario likewise cast Stockwell when Senator Edward Sheffield in First Monday and JAG in 2002; his role would continue when Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield from late 2002 until ''JAG's'' cancellation in 2005.

Stockwell occurs as friend of musician Neil Young and designed the album handle art for American Stars'n'Bars. Together it would direct Human Highway, which Stockwell had written.

Stockwell is an inspiring golfer and would play golf game when you took breaks around cinematography episodes of Quantum Leap.

Mr. Stockwell is besides an accomplished creative person. He creates two digitally enhanced photo & original collages in the style of his friend & fellow creative person, Wallace Berman.