Stewart Petersen was born on April 16, 1960 in Cokeville, Wyoming, USA. He is an actor, known for Where the Red Fern Grows (1974), The First Vision (1976), Against a Crooked Sky (1975), Rivals (1981) and Seven Alone (1974).

He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In high school he won the state's wrestling championship for his weight division. After serving a mission for his church he attended Rick's College in Rexburg, Idaho and then Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.