A child actor who made the transition to adult roles, Christian Slater began his career in NYC on stage and in the world of daytime dramas. The gifted young performer appeared alongside Dick Van Dyke in "The Music Man" (1980) and appeared in the Broadway musicals "Copperfield" (1981) and "Merlin" (1983). Almost simultaneously, he made inroads in soap operas like "One Life to Live" and "All My Children". In 1985, he joined "Ryan's Hope" as the delinquent boyfriend of Ryan Fennelli (Yasmine Bleeth)--a show on which his father had played the leading character of Frank Ryan in the late 1970s.

Slater segued to the big screen in a small role in "The Legend of Billy Jean" (1985) and garnered some attention as Sean Connery youthful apprentice in "The Name of the Rose" (1986) and as Jeff Bridges' son in "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" (1988). But it was his sterling turn as the sardonic teenaged killer in the black comedy "Heathers" (1989) that catapulted him to stardom. As Winona Ryder's sociopathic boyfriend who matter-of-factly kills several classmates, the actor seemed to be channeling Jack Nicholson, replete with vocal inflections and mannerisms. He continued his ascendant career and solidified his position as a teen idol as the rebellious high school student who operates a pirate radio station in "Pump Up the Volume" (1990). While he held his own against Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991), he stumbled with leading roles in the duds "Mobsters" (also 1991) and "Kuffs" (1992).

Attempting more adult fare, Slater had his first real romantic role opposite Marisa Tomei in the bittersweet "Untamed Heart" and teamed with Patricia Arquette in the Quentin Tarantino-scripted "True Romance" (both 1993). When actor River Phoenix died suddenly, Slater was tapped to replace the late performer in the coveted role of the reporter in Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire" (1994). He acquitted himself as an idealistic attorney defending an accused killer (Kevin Bacon) in the period drama "Murder in the First" (1995) and proved a serviceable action lead in both "Broken Arrow" (1996) and "Hard Rain" (1997). 

Slater's troubled personal life has often threatened to overshadow his career accomplishments. There have been many scrapes with the law, including a 1989 arrest for driving under the influence (with a 10-day jail sentence) and a 1994 infraction for attempting to bring an unlicensed handgun on board an airplane (resulting in community service). But a 1997 incident involving alcohol and drug abuse, attacks on a former girlfriend and a male acquaintance and a scuffle with police landed Slater in deep trouble. He spent over 100 days in a rehabilitation facility while out on bail and then was sentenced to a three-month term in jail followed by three months in a residential rehab center with an additional three years probation. Prior to his arrest, Slater had completed work on the period drama "Basil" (aired on Romance Classics, 1998) and the black comedy "Very Bad Things" (also 1998).

Slater's film career was far from over following his troubles with the law however, and his first major role in 2000 was as young defiant member of congress in "The Contender." Slater's complex role as a democrat who switches party lines to oppose Joan Allen's female presidential candidate character was a bold return to the big screen for Slater. He followed up this role with several smaller parts in significant movies. He also starred in the Canadian film "Who is Cletis Tout" (2001) and worked with Val Kilmer and L.L. Cool J in the crime thriller "Mindhunters" (lensed 2002).