Steve Railsback
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- November 16, 1945
- Birthplace
- Dallas, Texas, USA
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.
Filmography
Best Served Cold: How a Revenge Film was Buried for Decades 2026
as Himself
Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall of Sleep 2024
Actor
Night Caller 2022
as Andrew Lubitz
AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A. 2020
as (archive footage)
The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault 2020
as (archive footage)
Gone Are the Days 2018
as Jaden
Infiltrators 2014
as Sebastian Koenig
Wild in Blue 2014
as Charlie's Father
Once Fallen 2010
as Aryan Boss
Plaguers 2010
as Tarver
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love 2009
as Alumnus Guy #5
Follow the Prophet 2009
as Senator Stanton
Ready or Not 2009
as Pilot
Rest Stop: Don't Look Back 2008
as The Owner
Not Quite Hollywood 2008
as Self
King of the Lost World 2005
as Larry
The Devil's Rejects 2005
as Sheriff Ken Dwyer
Neo Ned 2005
as Mr. Day
Intermedio 2005
as Old Man
UnConventional 2004
as Self
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting 2003
as Deputy Jessup (uncredited)
The Box 2003
as Jake Ragna
Slash 2002
as Jeremiah
Storytelling 2001
as Mr. Kirk
Zigs 2001
as Charlie
Ed Gein 2000
as Ed Gein, Executive Producer
The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man 2000
Actor
Me and Will 1999
as Rob
Made Men 1999
as Kyle
Disturbing Behavior 1998
as Officer Cox
Termination Man 1998
as Dylan Pope
Pressure Point 1997
as Arno Taylor
Vanishing Point 1997
as Sergeant Preston
Stranger in the House 1997
as Jack Derby
Street Corner Justice 1996
as Sergeant Ryan Freeborn
Barb Wire 1996
as Colonel Pryzer
Final Mission 1994
as Colonel Glen Anderson
The Spy Within 1994
Director
Terminal Voyage 1994
Second Unit Director
- Separated by Murder
Separated by Murder 1994
as Jesse Dixon
Save Me 1994
as Robbins
Private Wars 1993
as Jack Manning
Calendar Girl 1993
as Eddie Darpinian
In the Line of Fire 1993
as CIA Agent David Coppinger (uncredited)
Bonds of Love 1993
as Ken Smith
Sunstroke 1992
as Biggs
Quake 1992
as Kyle
Forever 1992
as William Desmond Taylor
Alligator 2: The Mutation 1991
as Vinnie Brown
Scissors 1991
as Alex Morgan / Cole Morgan
Good Cops, Bad Cops 1990
Actor
The Assassin 1990
as Hank Knight
The Cross of Iberia 1990
as Novak
The Forgotten 1989
as Lt. Jesse Brady, Executive Producer, Writer
Deadly Intent 1988
as Jeff Kirkwood
Blue Monkey 1987
as Det. Jim Bishop
Scenes from the Goldmine 1987
as Harry Spiros
Nukie 1987
as Dr. Eric Harvey
Distortions 1987
as Scott Marshall
The Survivalist 1987
as Jack Tillman
The Wind 1986
as Kesner
Armed and Dangerous 1986
as The Cowboy
Lifeforce 1985
as Col. Tom Carlsen
- The Making Of Lifeforce
The Making Of Lifeforce 1985
as Self
Torchlight 1984
as Jake Gregory
The Golden Seal 1983
as Jim Lee
Great Transport 1983
as Pavle Paroški
Trick or Treats 1982
as Bret
Deadly Games 1982
as Billy Owens
Turkey Shoot 1982
as Paul Anders
The Stunt Man 1980
as Cameron
Angela 1977
as Jean
Helter Skelter 1976
as Charles Manson
Cockfighter 1974
as Junior
The Visitors 1972
as Mike Nickerson
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid 1972
as Billy the Kid
H: The Story of a Teen-Age Drug Addict 1951
as Bill
Credits from TMDB.