Burns was born Stephan William Burns on November 14, 1954, in
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the small town of
Chews Landing, New Jersey. As soon as he graduated high school, Burns moved to
New York City to study theater. He worked odd jobs during the day to pay for his rent and the acting classes he attended at night. Auditions eventually led to an offer for the lead role in the national touring production of the Broadway hit
Grease. Burns moved to
Hollywood and within six months, he was offered the role of
Li'l Abner in the 1978 TV special ''Li'l Abner in Dogpatch Today''. During his short career, Burns starred as Pete Stancheck in
Walt Disney Productions' Herbie Goes Bananas and appeared on several television shows, as well as starring in the
ABC series
240-Robert and
The Thorn Birds miniseries. Other credits include
Eight Is Enough,
Heart of the City and
Simon & Simon. ==Death==