Born October 16, 1951, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Stevens headed to Hollywood soon after graduating college. He appeared as Paul Northridge in one episode of The Waltons and in three reunion movies, including A Wedding on Walton’s Mountain, in which his character married Erin Walton (played by Mary Elizabeth McDonough).

His first major role was playing teacher David Reardon during two seasons of the TV show Fame. Stevens appeared in 20 episodes during season 2, then appeared as an occasional guest star when the show was syndicated, writing a third season episode, 'Catch A Falling Star.' While working on Fame, Stevens also had one shot roles on The Love Boat, The Return of Marcus Welby M.