French Stewart Biography

Early on in his career, French Stewart toured in regional theatre for seven years, during which period he worked for Hanna-Barbera's Shakey Quakey tour wearing a Yogi Bear costume at conventions and fund-raisers. While it earned him his 'Screen Actors Guild' card, it was later terminated after he removed the head of his bear costume in front of children. In 1992, he got his television break appearing in the role of Razor Dee, a spaced-out DJ, on the final season of 'The New WKRP in Cincinnati'. Two years later, he appeared as a guest in the 'Seinfeld' episode 'The Opposite', and made his film debut as Lieutenant Ferretti in the sci-fi adventure 'Stargate'. He gained widespread popularity after being cast in the main role of squinting alien Harry Solomon in the sitcom '3rd Rock From the Sun' (1996). He portrayed the role for six seasons until the show ended in 2001.

While still working on '3rd Rock From the Sun', French Stewart voiced Icarus in Disney's animated series 'Hercules' (1998) and provided voice for the main character Bob Alman on the short-lived and controversial animated series 'God, the Devil and Bob' (2000). His early television appearances included guest roles on sitcoms like 'Just Shoot Me!', 'That '70s Show', 'Becker', 'Less Than Perfect' and 'The Drew Carey Show'. He also appeared as a genie in the WB show 'Charmed' in 2000.

In his early film career, he played the supporting character Dennis in the Ben Affleck movie 'Glory Daze' (1995), which was followed by small roles in movies such as 'Magic Island' and 'McHale's Navy'. He played the lead in the black comedy 'Love Stinks' and had major roles in the sci-fi action film 'Clockstoppers' and the direct-to-video movies 'Home Alone: Taking Back The House' and 'Inspector Gadget 2'. Apart from small appearances in various movies, he also had notable roles in the comedy films 'Dog Gone' and 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2', and the crime movie 'Give 'em Hell, Malone'. Known primarily for his television appearances, he had guest roles on 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', 'Pepper Dennis', the unsold pilot 'Pandemic', 'Bones', 'The Closer', 'Cavemen', 'Castle', 'True Jackson, VP', 'Days of Our Lives', 'The Middle', 'Secrets and Lies', '2 Broke Girls', 'NCIS', 'K.C. Undercover', 'Deadly Class' and many more series. However, the biggest role of his recent career has been Chef Rudy on the CBS sitcom 'Mom'.

French Stewart was born as Milton French-Stewart on February 20, 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother, Helene Haushalter, a housewife, later married microfilm technician Russ Haushalter. He was interested in acting since he was a child, and at the age of five, made his first television appearance in a local kids' show called 'Captain Billy’s Clubhouse'. He went to Del Norte High School in Albuquerque before attending West Texas State University. He studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts in 1986. He has a sister named Kelly McEwen.

French Stewart first met actress, former ballet dancer and choreographer, Katherine LaNasa, when she made a guest appearance on the episode 'Green-Eyed Dick' of '3rd Rock from the Sun' in 1996. They soon began dating and later tied the knot on May 19, 1998. They lived in their Hancock Park home until they purchased a 3,000 square-feet four-bedroom Hollywood Hills house in late 2000. The couple also operated several zoos in Albuquerque until they divorced eleven years after their marriage in December 2009. The same year, he met actress, producer, and writer Vanessa Claire while she was performing at the Geffen Playhouse. They later became romantically involved and got married on June 11, 2011. Vanessa took his surname Stewart following their marriage. They welcomed their first child, daughter Helene Claire, in 2013. They currently live in Los Angeles, California.