Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is a Tony Award-nominated American actor and playwright. He started in Broadway theatre but is more widely known for his film roles in Gods and Generals (2003) and Avatar (2009).

From 2004 to 2006, Lang was a co-artistic director of Actors Studio.

Biography

Lang was born in New York City, the youngest child of Theresa (née Volmer, dec. 2008) and Eugene Lang, a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist. He has two elder siblings - Jane, an attorney and activist, and David, who served as an executive at REFAC, the company their father founded in 1952. Lang's father has donated much of his net worth (in excess of $150 million) to charity and will not leave an inheritance to his children, believing they each needed to learn to become self-sufficient. Lang's mother was of Irish Catholic descent, and his father is Jewish (Lang's paternal grandparents were immigrants from Hungary).

Lang attended school in Jamaica Estates, Queens. For high school, he attended George School, a Quaker boarding school in Newtown, PA. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1973 with a degree in English Literature; on May 30, 2010, Swarthmore awarded him an Honorary Degree from College in recognition of his distinguished career in theatre, television, and film. His youngest son, Noah, received his bachelor's degree during the same ceremony. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Jacksonville University and was an artist in residence at Northeastern University in 2011.

Lang has been married to Kristina Watson, a costume designer and teacher, since June 1, 1980. They have four children.

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