Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst
Stephen Furstis an American actor and film and television director. Furst was a regular in the science fiction series Babylon 5 playing Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto and as Dr. Elliot Axelrod on St. Elsewhere. He was also featured, before appearing in either of those roles, as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the film National Lampoon's Animal House and its spin-off series, Delta House...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActor
Date of Birth8 May 1955
CountryUnited States of America
When my parents died they both were 47, and they died of complications of different diseases; one being diabetes.
I finally admitted that obesity and diabetes were part of a life-threatening legacy - and I had to deal with that reality or die.
One of the key things I did to stay on my diet is I never allowed myself to get hungry. As soon as I got hungry, I'd eat healthy foods.
The first time I ever did a play, in junior high school, I said to myself, 'Hey, people like me doing this. I'm making them laugh.'
I felt different from everyone else - like an alien. The looks I received when I was 320 pounds were ones usually reserved for three-eyed monsters, half-man half-woman reptiles, creatures with hideous rolls of skin that sweated profusely and jiggled when they walked. That last one really was me.
I tell people I'm on a diet. If somebody sees me with a muffin, they'll think I'm off my diet. It's like secret little police that I've made for myself.
I'll make a diet cheesecake, but I'll put it in a Sara Lee box. Or I'll have a huge bowl of pasta, but it's actually just a cup of pasta - the rest is vegetables. It makes me feel less deprived.
When you left this one theater in Norfolk, the actors had to walk through the lobby to get out to the street. People would see you and say nice things, tell you that you were good. So, pretty soon I'm pretending to forget things backstage, going through the lobby a couple of times.