Steve Akahoshi

To be a "series regular" on a primetime network television show is a plateau of success to which many actors aspire. For Steven, who starred as "Doc" Randy Matsuda on the critically acclaimed Emmy Award winning CBS Vietnam drama series Tour of Duty (1987) (1987-88; and currently in syndication on TNT), that success came early in his career. That followed five days after his first break in show business: a co-starring role as Detective Shigeta in the Whoopi Goldberg/Sam Elliott feature film Fatal Beauty (1987) for MGM/UA in which he earned his Screen Actors Guild card. An impressive body of work in over 100 feature films, television, theater and commercial productions ensued including such fare as the successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III for New Line Cinema; the family drama A Year in the Life (opposite Richard Kiley and Sarah Jessica Parker) for NBC; The O.J. Simpson Story (1995) bio-pic for Fox TV; and the actioner Back to Back (1996) for HBO. Steven's interest in front of the camera spread to other facets of the entertainment industry. A friend introduced him to filmmakers at the American Film institute where he lent his talents to the renowned Directing Workshop for Women program. Steven also worked in the television /MOW arena including Harpo Films' Before Women Had Wings (ABC) with Ellen Barkin, John Savage, Tina Majorino and its producer/star Oprah Winfrey; and Little Girls in Pretty Boxes (NBC) starring Swoosie Kurtz and John Ashton. Steven's penchant for filmmaking continued to grow and, in 1998, formed North River Pictures. The primary objective with North River Pictures is to create and collaborate on projects, be it independent or studio, which reflect societal changes and positive messages. He made his directorial debut with North River Pictures' At Face Value (1999), a 35mm. live-action short produced in association with the Academy Award winning Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance (The Long Way Home, Genocide). At Face Value was recognized in the top 3 out of 400 competitive short submissions at the 1999 Newport Beach International Film Festival. Steven also wrote and produced the project which featured veteran actors Felton Perry; Anna Maria Horsford; Terence Knox; John Capodice and the late Helen Martin in one of her last performances. The film was made possible with generous in-kind gifts from Panavision, Deluxe Labs, Soundelux, Castle Rock Ent., Kodak, and a host of others. Steven then collaborated with Silver Sky Productions on the genre pic Hollywood Vampyr (2002) starring Trevor Goddard and Muse Watson. He also produced the cable television anthology pilot Tales of the Fly on the Wall starring Curtis Armstrong and Leslie Easterbrook. Both projects are currently in postproduction and anticipating a late 2002 release. Currently, Steven is producing the mystery feature Sweet Deadly Dreams starring Hollywood veterans Bill Cobbs, J.A. Preston, John Ashton, best selling author and legendary film star Terry Moore and Roscoe Lee Browne. Starring in his breakout role is indie film's most talked about rising star Steven Man. Dr. Walter Stewart, Ph.D., author of the screenplay, is helming the project.