Stephan W. Burns
Stephan William Burns (November 14, 1954 – February 22, 1990), also credited as Stephan W. Burns, Stephen W. Burns, and Stephan Burns, was an American actor. He is best known for Pete Stancheck in Herbie Goes Bananas and Jack Cleary in The Thorn Birds miniseries.
Burns was born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Chews Landing, New Jersey. After high school, he moved to New York City to study theater, working various jobs to pay rent and for acting classes. He eventually landed the lead in the national tour of Grease.
He moved to Hollywood, and within six months was cast as Li'l Abner in the 1978 TV special Li'l Abner in Dogpatch Today. His career included roles on television shows and in The Thorn Birds miniseries, with other credits such as Eight Is Enough, Heart of the City, and Simon & Simon.
In 1984, a traffic collision led to a blood transfusion that was contaminated, and he contracted HIV. Burns died at age 35 on February 22, 1990, in Santa Barbara, California.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:08 (CET).