Eric Stoltz was born on the 30th September 1961 in Los Angeles, California, USA and he grew up in both American Samoa and Santa Barbara California. In Santa Barbara he started to make his own money at age 14 by playing piano for the local musical theater productions.

He attended the University of Southern California, but dropped out in his junior year. At college he was roommate with Anthony Edwards. After leaving college, he joined a repertory company, and worked with them in Scotland, UK. After moving to New York in 1981, he soon got his very first film role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) He was originaly cast for the role of Marty McFly in the movie Back To The Future (1985), but didn't get the role for the reason 'Didn't act enough like a teenager', Instead he landed the role of Rocky Dennis in Mask (1985), for whom he got a Golden Globe Nomination. In 1988, he made his Broadway debut in Our Town. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. Over the years Eric has appeared in movies, theatre plays and on the small screen. Among his mentionable TV roles are Chicago Hope (1994) and The Triangle (2005).

Eric was the director of My Horrible Year, for which he was nominated for a daytime Emmy. His work as a producer includes produced Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993), Sleep with Me (1994), and Mr. Jealousy (1997).