# Stephen Collins
**Stephen Collins** (Stephen Weaver Collins, born 1947) is an American actor and director best known for playing the Reverend Eric Camden on the family drama *7th Heaven* from 1996 to 2007 and Captain Willard Decker in *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979). His career was derailed in October 2014, when allegations of child molestation became public and he was dropped from series and film projects then in production.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947, Des Moines, Iowa; birth name Stephen Weaver Collins[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) |
| Signature role | Rev. Eric Camden on *7th Heaven* (The WB/The CW, 1996–2007), 243 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) |
| Film roles | Captain Willard Decker in *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979); Hugh W. Sloan Jr. in *All the President's Men* (1976); *The First Wives Club* (1996); *Blood Diamond* (2006)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) |
| Nomination | Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special, for *The Two Mrs. Grenvilles* (1987)[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-collins/bio/3000230376/) |
| Education | Amherst College, B.A. cum laude, 1969[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) |
| Writing | Novels *Eye Contact* (1994) and *Double Exposure* (1998)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) |
| 2014 | NYPD investigation after a leaked audiotape; removed from *Ted 2* and *Scandal*; resigned from the Screen Actors Guild national board[4](https://time.com/3483040/stephen-collins-scandal-abc-child-abuse/) |
| Admission | In a statement to People, Collins admitted inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors[5](https://time.com/3637448/stephen-collins-sexual-abuse-people/) |
## Early life and stage beginnings
Collins was born in [Des Moines, Iowa](https://www.edgepedia.org/des-moines-iowa), the son of Cyrus Collins, an airline executive, and Madeline. After a period living in Peru, the family settled in Hastings-on-[Hudson, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/hudson-new-york), where he attended Hastings High School.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) His middle name honors his great-great-grandfather James B. Weaver, who was the Populist Party's presidential candidate in 1892.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-collins/bio/3000230376/)
At [Amherst College](https://www.edgepedia.org/amherst-college) he played bass guitar in several bands and turned to acting in his senior year, when a performance in a rock musical caught the attention of the New York theater producer Joseph Papp. Papp offered him a small role in *Twelfth Night*, which launched his professional career. After graduating cum laude in 1969, Collins took supporting and lead roles on Broadway and off-Broadway, including the male lead in the touring production of *Forty Carats* in 1969.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-01-wk-movies_1-story.html)
## Film and television career
**Feature debut and 1970s roles.** Collins made his feature film debut in *All the President's Men* (1976), playing Hugh W. Sloan Jr., the former Nixon White House aide who was a main source for [Bob Woodward](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-woodward)'s and [Carl Bernstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/carl-bernstein)'s Watergate investigation. He played a young [William Holden](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-holden) in Billy Wilder's *Fedora* (1978) and Henry Fonda in flashbacks in *Summer Solstice* (1981), and was frequently cast as straight-arrow heroes in adventure miniseries such as *The Rhinemann Exchange* (NBC, 1977).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
His widest early exposure came as Captain Willard Decker, interim commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, in [Robert Wise](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-wise)'s *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979). The role carried real dramatic weight, with Decker falling for an alien crew member played by [Persis Khambatta](https://www.edgepedia.org/persis-khambatta) and ultimately merging with her robotic double, but Collins was overshadowed by the returning original-series cast and the film's effects work.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) In a 2007 Los Angeles Times interview he called his own performance "so stiff and humorless" and said the movie phone stopped ringing after his next film, *Loving Couples* (1980), a quick flop.[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-01-wk-movies_1-story.html) He returned to the *Star Trek* cast in *Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home* (1986).[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-collins/bio/3000230376/)
**Series work before *7th Heaven*.** Collins headlined *Tales of the Gold Monkey* (ABC, 1982–83), an adventure series produced by Donald Bellisario in the wake of *Raiders of the Lost Ark*; it ran one season. He played Nazi recruiter [Karl Hanke](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-hanke) in *Inside the Third Reich* (ABC, 1982), and his portrayal of the ill-fated Billy Grenville in *The Two Mrs. Grenvilles* (NBC, 1987), based on [Dominick Dunne](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominick-dunne)'s book, earned him an Emmy nomination. Later series leads, including *Tattinger's* (NBC, 1988–89) and *Working It Out* (NBC, 1989–91), were short-lived. He played President John F. Kennedy in *A Woman Named Jackie* (NBC, 1991), attorney Dan Broderick in *A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story* (CBS, 1992), and Ashley Wilkes in the miniseries *Scarlett* (CBS, 1994).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
**7th Heaven.** In 1996 Collins took the role that defined his career: the Reverend Eric Camden, a Protestant minister and father of a large family, on *7th Heaven*. The show was exceptionally popular on the fledgling WB network and held the record as the most-watched series in the network's history; Collins appeared in all 11 seasons and 243 episodes, and made his directorial debut with three episodes.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) later ranked Rev. Camden No. 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-collins/bio/3000230376/) The WB canceled the show in 2005, it was renewed by [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) for two further seasons, and it ended in 2007.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
The show's popularity opened larger film roles: an ambassador in *Blood Diamond* (2006) and [Diane Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-keaton)'s suitor in *Because I Said So* (2007), and he spoofed his clean image as the kindhearted father on *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*. In 2008 he returned to Broadway as [King Arthur](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-arthur) in the Tony-winning *Spamalot*, followed by recurring roles on *Private Practice*, *No Ordinary Family*, *Devious Maids*, and *Revolution* (2012–14).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
## Other work
Collins recorded two albums of pop music, including a collection of [Ricky Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricky-nelson) covers, and wrote two novels, the thrillers *Eye Contact* (1994) and *Double Exposure* (1998). His play *Super Sunday* was produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1988.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
## 2014 allegations and their consequences
In October 2014, an audiotape recorded during couples counseling with his then-estranged wife, actress Faye Grant, in which a male voice purporting to be Collins discussed incidents from 1972 and 1983, was released by an online celebrity news site, and the New York City Police Department opened an investigation.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) Within days ABC removed Collins's footage from upcoming *Scandal* episodes and he was released from *Ted 2*; he also resigned his position on the Screen Actors Guild's national board.[4](https://time.com/3483040/stephen-collins-scandal-abc-child-abuse/) In December 2014, Collins admitted to inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors in a statement to People magazine.[5](https://time.com/3637448/stephen-collins-sexual-abuse-people/)
## Personal life
Collins married writer Marjorie Weinman in 1970; they divorced in 1978. He married Faye Grant in 1985 and they divorced in 2015; they have one daughter. He has been married to Jenny Nagel since 2019.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/) • [7](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stephen-collins/3140/)
## References
1. [Stephen Collins (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004834/)
2. [Stephen Collins, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-collins/)
3. [Stephen Collins Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-collins/bio/3000230376/)
4. [Stephen Collins Loses Another Role Amid Molestation Allegations, Time](https://time.com/3483040/stephen-collins-scandal-abc-child-abuse/)
5. [Stephen Collins Confesses to Child Molestation, Time](https://time.com/3637448/stephen-collins-sexual-abuse-people/)
6. [He's having a heavenly time, Los Angeles Times (2007)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-01-wk-movies_1-story.html)
7. [Stephen Collins Biography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stephen-collins/3140/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Co to C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license