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Randy Stone

Randy Stone (August 26, 1958 – February 12, 2007) was an American casting director, producer, and actor whose career spanned film and television, culminating in an Academy Award for producing the (1994), which depicted a young boy's and inspired the creation of , a he co-founded for and questioning teenagers. Stone began his professional life as a before pivoting to at age 17, amassing credits on over 50 television series and feature films, including selecting and for , for , and contributions to movies such as (1983), Say Anything... (1989), and (2000). He received Emmy recognition for work on The Incident (1990) and multiple Artios Award nominations from the for episodic comedy and drama. In producing Trevor—directed by Peggy Rajski and featuring a performance by James Lecesne as the title character—Stone helped earn the film's 1994 for Best Live Action , a project that directly led to the 1998 establishment of alongside Rajski and Lecesne to address youth suicide risks through a national 24-hour hotline and educational resources. Stone's later productions included the Lifetime movie The Devil Made Me Do It (2006), and he passed away from at age 48 in .

Early life

Childhood and family background

Randy Stone was born on August 26, 1958, in , . He grew up in the epicenter of the American film and television industry, with his family consisting of mother Beverly Stone, father , and stepmother Carolyn Stone, alongside two sisters, Mari and Malia, and one brother, Jeffrey. This locale offered inherent proximity to studios and production activities, fostering an environment immersed in culture from childhood, though specific familial professions in the industry remain undocumented in available records. Early biographical accounts note no overt parental involvement in , emphasizing instead the geographic influence of on his formative years.

Initial entry into entertainment

Stone made his debut in the entertainment industry as a , appearing uncredited as Kohana Child in the 1966 Elvis Presley film at age eight. This minor role represented his earliest verifiable on-screen experience amid the competitive landscape of child performers during the mid-1960s. By his late teens, Stone secured additional small parts, including the role of a stable boy in a 1976 episode of the television series . These early acting credits, though limited in scope and visibility, provided foundational exposure to set dynamics and production processes. At age 17, around 1975, Stone shifted toward production roles, beginning as a to gain practical industry insight. He advanced the following year at age 18 to a apprenticeship, immersing himself in talent selection and audition logistics, which honed skills essential for his subsequent career pivot away from performing.

Professional career

Acting roles and appearances

Stone's acting career commenced in childhood with a minor role as a stable boy in the Charlie's Angels episode "Consenting Adults," which aired on October 20, 1976. His subsequent on-screen work as an adult remained limited to supporting and cameo capacities, spanning guest appearances rather than leading parts. In film, Stone portrayed Bruce, a minor character, in , released on July 22, 1983. He later appeared as the Man in Car in Home for the Holidays, a 1995 holiday dramedy directed by . His most visible film role came in , where he played a flight attendant aboard the doomed Volée Airlines Flight 180; the premiered on March 17, 2000, and grossed over $112 million worldwide against a $23 million . On television, Stone guest-starred as Spud, a brief military figure, in episodes of Space: Above and Beyond during its 1995–1996 run, including "The Angriest Angel." In 1997, he depicted Michael Beebe, an affluent transplant entangled in a small-town mystery involving canine attacks, in the Millennium episode "," which aired September 26. These roles, totaling fewer than a dozen credited performances across three decades, underscored a modest footprint that garnered limited public recognition and primarily served as an entry point to broader industry involvement.

Casting director contributions

Randy Stone began his casting career in the late 1970s, eventually serving as casting director for over 50 television movies, with credits spanning series, pilots, and feature films. His work emphasized identifying actors capable of embodying complex roles, as seen in early projects like Jaws 3-D (1983), where he handled principal casting amid the film's high-stakes production demands. Stone's approach involved rigorous auditions to match performers with character requirements, contributing to efficient talent pipelines at studios like The Landsberg Company, where he started full-time roles in 1981. A hallmark of Stone's tenure as head of casting at 20th Century Fox Television was his selection of leads for genre-defining series. For The X-Files pilot in 1993, he cast David Duchovny as FBI agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, pairings that anchored the show's 11-season run and cultural impact through their chemistry and interpretive depth. Similar discernment appeared in Say Anything... (1989), where Stone assembled a ensemble including John Cusack and Ione Skye, enabling director Cameron Crowe's vision of nuanced teen romance and elevating the film's box office performance of $40.7 million on a modest budget. Stone's casting influenced project outcomes by prioritizing actors with range for sustained narrative arcs, as in Millennium (1996–1999), where he selected for the lead, supporting the series' 67-episode exploration of . Industry recognition included a 1990 Emmy Award for outstanding casting in the miniseries or special category for The Incident, validating his role in assembling casts that enhanced dramatic authenticity and viewer engagement. Collaborations with producers like and James Wong across properties underscored his reliability, with tributes noting how his selections reduced reshoots and bolstered creative confidence in untested talents.

Producing credits and projects

In the early , Randy Stone expanded from into producing, marking an entrepreneurial toward executive oversight in independent and feature projects. His role as on Little Man Tate (1991), Jodie Foster's directorial debut, contributed to the film's domestic gross of $25,010,896 on a $10 million budget, reflecting solid commercial performance for a character-driven . Stone's producing highlight was the 20-minute short Trevor (1994), co-produced with and adapted from Celeste Lecesne's one-man play . The film, depicting a 13-year-old boy's struggles with and attempted in 1981, premiered at film festivals and secured the Academy Award for Best Live Action at the 67th Oscars on March 27, 1994, validating Stone's investment in low-budget, socially resonant content amid limited theatrical distribution for shorts. Later credits included producing the Lifetime original movie A Little Thing Called Murder (2006), a true-crime biopic starring as convicted murderer , which aired on January 23, 2006, and won the Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture Made for Television from the International Press Academy, underscoring Stone's continued success in television production despite mixed critical reception (36% on ).

Philanthropy and activism

Founding and role in The Trevor Project

Randy Stone co-founded on March 25, 1998, alongside filmmakers and , motivated by the need for dedicated resources for LGBTQ youth following the Academy Award-winning Trevor, which depicted a gay teenager's and which the trio had produced in 1994. The initiative originated from concerns raised during the film's promotion, where young viewers shared personal stories of isolation and , prompting the establishment of a as the organization's core service to offer immediate, confidential support. The TrevorLifeline launched publicly on August 11, 1998, operating 24 hours a day as the first nationwide service in the United States focused exclusively on LGBTQ youth and . On its inaugural day, the hotline fielded over 1,500 calls from across the country, demonstrating immediate demand and underscoring the gap in tailored support for this demographic. Stone played a pivotal role in these formative stages, leveraging his entertainment industry connections for initial fundraising to sustain operations and expand reach. As a board member until his death in 2007, Stone contributed to the organization's infrastructure development, including the setup of dedicated call centers that enabled consistent national coverage. His efforts helped transition the from a nascent service to a reliable, round-the-clock resource, handling thousands of interactions annually in its early years to address acute risks faced by LGBTQ youth.

Broader advocacy efforts

Stone produced the 1994 Academy Award-winning short film , which depicted a young gay boy's following rejection by peers and family, thereby drawing public attention to the vulnerabilities faced by LGBTQ in the pre-legalized era. The film's narrative emphasized personal and familial acceptance as key to , predating broader politicized framings of distress and aligning with empirical observations that interpersonal dynamics, rather than solely external societal pressures, contribute significantly to such outcomes. As one of the few openly executives in during the and early , Stone advocated for visibility and acceptance within the industry amid ongoing stigma from the epidemic's heightened scrutiny of homosexual lifestyles. His public identification as challenged entrenched norms in an sector where such openness risked professional repercussions, contributing to gradual shifts in representation without reliance on institutional narratives of systemic oppression alone. In 1998, Stone filed a discrimination complaint with the California Labor after his termination as senior of talent and casting at 20th Century Television, alleging bias due to his stemming from executive remarks alluding to his personal life. The ruled in his favor, finding illegal , though contested compliance, prompting a 2000 state lawsuit that settled without admission of wrongdoing and mandated cessation of orientation-based bias. This legal effort exemplified Stone's direct challenge to workplace prejudice in , prioritizing individual accountability over generalized societal indictments.

Personal life

Relationships and personal identity

Stone publicly identified as , a fact central to his 1998 termination from , after which he filed a complaint with the California Labor Commission alleging discrimination on the basis of his . He resided in , where he died in 2007, maintaining ties to entertainment industry figures and broader LGBTQ social networks amid his career in . No public documentation or contemporary tributes detail any long-term romantic partnerships or spouses for Stone.

Health challenges and death

Randy Stone died on February 12, 2007, at the age of 48, from at his residence in . No publicly documented prior health conditions or ongoing medical issues were reported in contemporaneous accounts of his passing. Funeral services for Stone took place on February 16, 2007, at 8:30 a.m. in the area. Colleagues in the entertainment industry, including those from his casting and producing circles, expressed condolences following the announcement of his death.

Awards and recognition

Key honors received

Randy Stone received the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1995 for producing the 1994 short , shared with co-producer ; the film tied with Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. In 1990, Stone won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a or a Special for the television film The Incident, in collaboration with casting director Holly Powell. Posthumously, in 2021, Stone was honored with the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP) Founders Award, alongside Trevor collaborators Peggy Rajski and Celeste Lecesne, recognizing their establishment of The Trevor Project.

Legacy and impact

Contributions to film and television

Randy Stone began his career in the entertainment industry as a child actor, appearing in films such as Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) and episodes of Charlie's Angels, before transitioning to production assistance at age 17 and casting apprenticeship at 18. He established himself as a casting director starting in the early 1980s, contributing to over 50 television series and films through roles at companies like The Landsberg Company and later as head of casting at 20th Century Fox Television. Notable casting credits include the film Jaws 3-D (1983), Say Anything... (1989), and Final Destination (2000), as well as television projects that shaped ensemble casts for long-running series. In his executive role at 20th Century Fox Television, Stone supervised casting for science fiction series such as (1993–2002), where he selected leads and , contributing to the show's breakthrough success with 202 episodes and multiple Emmy wins, and (1996–1999), featuring in the protagonist role. These decisions empirically advanced the actors' careers, as Duchovny and Anderson became synonymous with their roles in a franchise grossing over $1 billion in related media by 2002. Stone's casting work earned recognition, including a 1990 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a or Special for the TV movie The Incident, shared with Holly Powell. Stone also transitioned into producing, focusing on shorter-form and independent content. He served as executive producer on Little Man Tate (1991), directed by , and producer for the anthology Boys Life 2 (1997). His production of the short film Trevor (1994), directed by , resulted in an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1995, highlighting themes of youth identity through a runtime of 20 minutes and a budget under $1 million. This body of work bridged his early performing background to executive oversight, emphasizing efficient, targeted projects that garnered awards and visibility for emerging talent.

Influence on youth suicide prevention

Randy Stone co-founded in August 1998 alongside filmmaker and performer James Lecesne, establishing the organization's inaugural 24/7 dedicated to and intervention for LGBTQ youth under age 25. This initiative marked the first national service of its kind, providing immediate telephone counseling to address acute and distress, drawing directly from the themes of isolation and rejection in the Oscar-winning Trevor that inspired the founders. During Stone's active involvement through his death in 2007, the hotline expanded operationally, including the of dedicated call centers such as the Randy Stone West Coast Call Center, which trained 27 counselors across three classes by 2008 and operated seven days weekly to handle incoming crises. These efforts scaled the service's reach, with the fielding nearly 16,000 calls from youth in crisis in the fiscal year ending July 2008, reflecting cumulative growth from its nascent phase. Funding sources during this period supported infrastructure, though specific annual figures remain limited in public records; partnerships with foundations and individual donors enabled the transition from a volunteer-led startup to a structured intervention network. Empirical assessments of show the hotline's role in proximate interventions but limited of broader causal reductions in population-level risks. Same-sex oriented reported suicide attempt rates 2–5 times higher than heterosexual peers in studies from the and early , even after adjusting for confounders like and family dynamics. CDC surveillance data from Youth Risk Behavior Surveys in this era consistently documented elevated (e.g., 20–40% prevalence among lesbian//bisexual adolescents versus 10–15% among heterosexuals) and attempts, with no observed decline attributable to early hotline services amid persistent social stressors. Overall U.S. rates rose approximately 24% from 1999 to 2014, underscoring that while individual contacts may avert immediate harms, systemic factors sustained disparities in LGBTQ outcomes.

Criticisms and debates surrounding associated initiatives

Critics have accused The Trevor Project of union-busting tactics during periods of financial strain, particularly in 2023 when layoffs targeted bargaining unit employees amid contract negotiations with the Communications Workers of America. Union representatives claimed the dismissals, affecting nearly 12% of staff including prominent organizers, were retaliatory and aimed at undermining collective bargaining efforts. Similar issues resurfaced in January 2025 with additional restructuring and layoffs, prompting union complaints of inadequate consultation and ongoing mistreatment. Debates over the organization's research methodology have centered on the validity of its annual surveys, which report rates as high as 41% among LGBTQ youth but rely on opt-in, non-representative samples recruited via and partner networks. Analysts have argued this approach introduces self-selection , potentially inflating figures by attracting distressed respondents while underrepresenting resilient subgroups, thus questioning the generalizability of claims linking policy changes to outcomes. The 's advocacy for unrestricted access to blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors with has drawn scrutiny amid growing evidence reviews highlighting methodological weaknesses in supportive studies. The organization's internal data, used to assert that such interventions reduce risk, has been contrasted with systematic analyses like the UK's 2024 Cass Review, which evaluated over 100 studies and found the evidence for puberty suppression "remarkably weak," with insufficient long-term data on benefits versus risks such as bone density loss and impacts. This has fueled debates on causal efficacy, as European health authorities in , and —citing similar low-quality evidence—restricted these treatments for youth in 2021–2022, prioritizing psychological exploration over medicalization despite The 's opposition to such bans. Proponents of caution argue that affirmation may overlook comorbidities like or , which systematic reviews indicate affect up to 70% of gender-dysphoric youth, potentially masking more effective non-medical interventions.