Stephen Starkweather was born Stephen C. Denny in North Wilkesboro, N.C. and raised in Ossining, NY in Westchester County. He graduated High School from the New York Military Academy, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY and college from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, in Charleston. He served 4 years as a US Navy Officer and 10 years as a Special Agent in the FBI before working in the private sector. As an FBI Agent he spent his entire 10 years working on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces in both New Jersey and New York City. In the early 2000s, Steve frequently appeared on national news segments like FOX News and NBC Nightly News as a guest commentator on terrorism. In 2007 he appeared in the award winning PBS Documentary "America at A Crossroads". He is married to Actress Traci Gardner. They have two sons, Masefield and Garrison, who are both actors. He now resides in Western North Carolina.