Steve Railsback
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Steve Railsback (born November 16, 1945, in Dallas, Texas) is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is best known for his performances in the films The Stunt Man and Lifeforce, and his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television mini-series Helter Skelter. Railsback was a student of Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio and in the late 1960s and early 1970s spent 10 years working in theatre in New York City. He once said that he found Strasberg extremely difficult to work with. He made his film debut in The Visitors, directed by Elia Kazan. He portrayed two notorious murderers, appearing as Charles Manson in the 1976 television miniseries Helter Skelter and as Ed Gein in the 2000 film In the Light of the Moon. He also served as executive producer of the latter film. Other notable roles include the part of Cameron in The Stunt Man with Peter O'Toole, the astronaut Tom Carlsen in Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce, Duane Barry in two episodes of The X-Files, and Joseph Welch in the pilot episode of Supernatural. In 2008, he appeared in the science fiction/horror movie film Plaguers.
Known for
Credits
In the Line of Fire (1993)
as CIA Agent David Coppinger (uncredited)
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009)
as Alumnus Guy #5
Lifeforce (1985)
as Col. Tom Carlsen
Barb Wire (1996)
as Colonel Pryzer
The Devil's Rejects (2005)
as Sheriff Ken Dwyer
Sunstroke (1992)
as Biggs
Scissors (1991)
as Alex Morgan / Cole Morgan
Angela (1977)
as Jean
UnConventional (2004)
as Self
Helter Skelter (1976)
as Charles Manson
Armed and Dangerous (1986)
as The Cowboy
Disturbing Behavior (1998)
as Officer Cox
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003)
as Deputy Jessup (uncredited)
Best Served Cold: How a Revenge Film was Buried for Decades (2026)
as Himself
Good Cops, Bad Cops (1990)
Actor
Storytelling (2001)
as Mr. Kirk
Alligator 2: The Mutation (1991)
as Vinnie Brown
Turkey Shoot (1982)
as Paul Anders
The Stunt Man (1980)
as Cameron
Once Fallen (2010)
as Aryan Boss
Calendar Girl (1993)
as Eddie Darpinian
Gone Are the Days (2018)
as Jaden
Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (2008)
as The Owner
Vanishing Point (1997)
as Sergeant Preston
Intermedio (2005)
as Old Man
Made Men (1999)
as Kyle
King of the Lost World (2005)
as Larry
Plaguers (2010)
as Tarver
Save Me (1994)
as Robbins
Pressure Point (1997)
as Arno Taylor
Blue Monkey (1987)
as Det. Jim Bishop
Deadly Games (1982)
as Billy Owens
Stranger in the House (1997)
as Jack Derby
The Visitors (1972)
as Mike Nickerson
Me and Will (1999)
as Rob
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. (2020)
as (archive footage)
Ed Gein (2000)
as Ed Gein
The Wind (1986)
as Kesner
Neo Ned (2005)
as Mr. Day
Street Corner Justice (1996)
as Sergeant Ryan Freeborn
Not Quite Hollywood (2008)
as Self
Final Mission (1994)
as Colonel Glen Anderson
Private Wars (1993)
as Jack Manning
The Golden Seal (1983)
as Jim Lee
The Forgotten (1989)
as Lt. Jesse Brady
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid (1972)
as Billy the Kid
Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall of Sleep (2024)
Actor
Separated by Murder (1994)
as Jesse Dixon
Ready or Not (2009)
as Pilot
The Assassin (1990)
as Hank Knight
Scenes from the Goldmine (1987)
as Harry Spiros
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault (2020)
as (archive footage)
Wild in Blue (2014)
as Charlie's Father
Night Caller (2022)
as Andrew Lubitz
The Box (2003)
as Jake Ragna
Trick or Treats (1982)
as Bret
Spearfield's Daughter (1986)
as Tom Border
Slash (2002)
as Jeremiah
Cockfighter (1974)
as Junior
Deadly Intent (1988)
as Jeff Kirkwood
The Making Of Lifeforce (1985)
as Self
The Survivalist (1987)
as Jack Tillman
Zigs (2001)
as Charlie
Quake (1992)
as Kyle
Great Transport (1983)
as Pavle Paroški
Bonds of Love (1993)
as Ken Smith
Follow the Prophet (2009)
as Senator Stanton
Nukie (1987)
as Dr. Eric Harvey
The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man (2000)
Actor
The Cross of Iberia (1990)
as Novak
H: The Story of a Teen-Age Drug Addict (1951)
as Bill
Forever (1992)
as William Desmond Taylor
Infiltrators (2014)
as Sebastian Koenig
Torchlight (1984)
as Jake Gregory
Distortions (1987)
as Scott Marshall
Termination Man (1998)
as Dylan Pope