Stephen Collins (born October 1, 1947) is a former American actor and writer well known for playing Reverend Eric Camden in the long-running family drama 7th Heaven which aired from 1996-2006 on The WB and 2006-2007 on The CW. His career as an actor ended in 2014 when he confessed to sexual misconduct with three female minors between 1973 and 1994.[1]]