He was once the boy every magazine wanted — a smiling face in America’s living rooms through the 1980s. But behind the fame was a young actor struggling with identity, pressure, and purpose.
Before he could drive, he was already a full-time Hollywood star. The world saw confidence; inside, he was just a kid searching for himself.
A childhood on set
Born in 1974, he landed his first role at eight in St. Elsewhere, later appearing in Airwolf, Our House, and My Two Dads. While others did homework, he memorized scripts and grew up under studio lights.
“I played pretend, and I was good at it… and all of a sudden people were making a lot of money, and I didn’t want to do it anymore,” he said.
By his teens, fame had shaped his identity. At 16, he walked away from Hollywood to live like a normal teenager, joining his high school drama club and finding comfort among the “uncool” theater kids.
Addiction and recovery
Raised Catholic, he struggled as adulthood and addiction collided. Alone and spiraling, he nearly lost everything before entering recovery. Helping others became his path to healing.
Outed and reborn
In 1996, a tabloid outed him with photos of him kissing another man. Fear and pain followed, but so did support — letters from young gay fans thanking him for being visible.
“It helped me to know I wasn’t alone,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s love. I’ll take it, whatever it looks like.”
Hollywood doors closed, but he refused to hide.
From actor to psychologist
In 2015, he left acting, earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and opened Confluence Psychotherapy — a name symbolizing two rivers joining as one.
Now, he helps others heal from the same struggles he once faced, living quietly with his dog, nature, and purpose.
The boy who once graced every magazine cover grew into a man who chose meaning over fame, truth over image, and healing over applause.