Stephen Schnetzer
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Stephen Paul Schnetzer (born June 11, 1948) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Cass Winthrop on ''Another World'' from 1982 to 1986, returning in 1987 until the show's cancellation in 1999. He won a
Soap Opera Digest Award ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, was an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977–1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presented ...
for Outstanding Comic Actor in 1989 for his role on ''Another World'' and received a
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
nomination in 1990 for Outstanding Lead Actor.


Early life

Schnetzer was born in
Canton, Massachusetts Canton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,370 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Canton is part of Greater Boston, about southwest of Downtown Boston. History The area that is present ...
. His father was a postal worker and his mother was secretary to the superintendent of schools in Canton. His father had
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and Irish ancestry. His mother was a
war bride War brides are women who married military personnel from other countries in times of war or during military occupations, a practice that occurred in great frequency during World War I and World War II. Allies of World War II, Allied servicemen ...
from
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. Schnetzer attended Catholic Memorial School and The University of Massachusetts, earning a degree in French, with a minor in Spanish. He studied acting at
Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...
and The American Conservatory Theater in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. While at Juilliard, he took circus classes and learned to juggle. Schnetzer trained with William Esper, using the
Meisner technique The Meisner technique is an approach to acting developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The goal of the Meisner approach is for the actor to not focus on themselves and instead concentrate on the other actors in the immediat ...
.


Career

Early in his career, he was sometimes billed under the names Steven Schnetzer, Stephen St. Paul, and Steven St. Paul. He made his film debut with a small role in ''
Hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...
'' (credited as Steven Schnetzer)''.'' In 1976, he played Lucentio in a TV movie production of ''
The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...
'' and guest-starred on ''
Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...
'' (credited for both roles as Stephen St. Paul). Schnetzer played the role of
Julie Olson Williams Julie Olson Williams is a fictional character and member of the Horton family on the NBC daytime drama, ''Days of Our Lives''. Julie has been played by daytime legend, Susan Seaforth Hayes, off and on since 1968, making her one of the longest te ...
' brother, Steven Olson, on the NBC soap opera ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
'' from 1978 to 1980. He guest-starred on ''
The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
'' and ''
Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
.'' In 1980, he made his Broadway debut in ''Filumena'', playing the son of
Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier (; 28 October 1929 – 16 January 2025), commonly known as Dame Joan Plowright, was an English actress whose career spanned over six decades. She received several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, an ...
. The play was directed by
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
. Schnetzer joined the cast of the ABC soap opera ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
,'' playing Marcello Salta from 1980 to 1982. Schnetzer returned to Broadway in 1981, playing Mark Harrison in ''
A Talent For Murder A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...
'' at the Biltmore Theater. On television, he appeared in the 1983 TV movie ''
Rage of Angels ''Rage of Angels'' is a novel by Sidney Sheldon published in 1980. The novel revolves around young attorney Jennifer Parker; as she rises as a successful lawyer, she gets into a series of ongoings that lead to intrigue with the mob and a rival ...
''. He landed the role of attorney
Cass Winthrop Cass Winthrop is a fictional character on the soap opera ''Another World (TV series), Another World''. He was portrayed by Stephen Schnetzer from 1982 to 1999. Schnetzer also appeared as Cass on ''As the World Turns'' from 1999 to 2002 and again ...
on '' Another World'' in 1982 and stayed until 1986. He decided to leave to pursue other opportunities in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, while also spending time with his newborn son. Schnetzer returned to ''Another World'' in 1987, continuing to play Cass until the show's final episodes aired in June 1999. He won a
Soap Opera Digest Award ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, was an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977–1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presented ...
in 1989 for Outstanding Comic Actor for his work on the show. He also received Soap Opera Digest Award nominations in 1986, 1991, 1992, and 1999. He was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1990. During his time on ''Another World'', Schnetzer appeared in the TV movie '' Shattered Innocence''. He guest-starred on ''
The Cosby Mysteries ''The Cosby Mysteries'' is an American mystery comedy television series starring Bill Cosby that aired on NBC from September 21, 1994, to April 12, 1995. 19 episodes were made. It was the first television series to star Cosby since ''The Cosby ...
'' and ''
Prince Street Prince Street is a street in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It runs for around , from Causeway Street and Commercial Street in the northwest to North Square at Garden Court Street in the southeast. It is one-way, so ...
''. After ''Another Worlds cancellation, Schnetzer continued to appear as Cass Winthrop on the CBS soap operas ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'' (1999 to 2002; 2005 and 2006) and ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' (2002). He made guest appearances on ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'' He played Mr. Hammon in the 2005 drama film '' Brooklyn Lobster''. Schnetzer returned to Broadway in 2002, replacing
Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...
in the role of Ross in
Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...
's ''The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?'' He went on to play the role of Martin in a production of ''The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?'' at Lyric Stage in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, opening in February 2006. He starred as Garry Lejeune in ''
Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 farce by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funni ...
'' at Arena Stage in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
from December 2006 to 2007. He co-starred with his son,
Ben Schnetzer Ben Schnetzer is an American actor. He was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards for his performance in the film ''Pride'' (2014). His other films include ''The Book Thief'' (2013), '' The Riot Club'' (2014), and '' The Grizzlies'' ...
, in the 2007 film ''Ben's Plan''. From 2008 to 2013, he had guest-starring roles on ''
The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
'', ''
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...
'', ''
Damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...
'', ''
The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', and ''
Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...
''. He appeared on ''
Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
,'' playing a character named Dr. Cass Winthrop. From May to June 2009, Schnetzer played
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
in '' Legacy of Light'' at Arena Stage in
Crystal City, Virginia Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, approximately south of Downtown (Washington, D.C.), Downtown Washington, D.C. Due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential h ...
. He returned to the same venue in September 2009, appearing in ''The Quality of Life,'' co-starring with
Annette O'Toole Annette O'Toole (born Annette Toole; April 1, 1952) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She is known for portraying Lisa Bridges in t ...
and Kevin O'Rourke. In October 2015, he starred in
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's ''Broken Glass'' at the
Westport Country Playhouse Westport Country Playhouse is a not-for-profit regional theater in Westport, Connecticut, Westport, Connecticut. It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality ...
in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. Schnetzer became a prolific voiceover talent in English and French, advertising for many companies, such as Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. He continued to land guest-starring roles, appearing from 2014 to 2018 on ''
Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...
'', ''
The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives ...
'', '' Flesh and Bone'', ''
Blue Bloods ''Blue Bloods'' is an American police procedural drama (film and television), drama television series that aired on CBS from September 24, 2010, to December 13, 2024, across 14 seasons and 293 episodes. Its main characters were members of the fi ...
, Billions,'' and ''
Elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
.'' Schnetzer appeared in the 2017 film ''
Aardvark Aardvarks ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa. Aardvarks are the only living species of the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. They have a long proboscis, similar to a pi ...
''. He starred as Richard in the independent film ''A Case of Blue''. Since 2022, Schnetzer has appeared on the web series '' The Bay.'' In 2024, it was announced that he would be returning to ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...
'' as Steven Olson.


Personal life

Schnetzer married Amy Ingersoll at the Swedenborgian Church in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, on November 24, 1976. They later divorced. He met actress Nancy Snyder while they were both on ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...
'' (she played Katrina Karr). They were married on March 18, 1982 and had two sons. They are now divorced. Their younger son,
Ben Schnetzer Ben Schnetzer is an American actor. He was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards for his performance in the film ''Pride'' (2014). His other films include ''The Book Thief'' (2013), '' The Riot Club'' (2014), and '' The Grizzlies'' ...
, is also an actor.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Awards and nominations


References


External links

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Stephen Schnetzer
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Playbill

Stephen Schnetzer
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IBDb

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AllMovie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnetzer, Stephen 1948 births American people of German descent American male soap opera actors Living people People from Canton, Massachusetts Catholic Memorial School alumni Male actors from Massachusetts Juilliard School alumni American stage actors American male voice actors American male television actors American male film actors American Conservatory Theater alumni 21st-century American actors