Moving to New York in 1981, he studied with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury, and soon appeared in his first film, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). In the 1980s he garnered attention (and a Golden Globe Nomination) starring as Rocky Dennis in "Mask" (1985), and in John Hughes' "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987). In 1988, he made his Broadway debut in "Great Performances: Our Town" (1989), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

In the 1990's he went back and forth from stage to film, building up an eclectic resume that included studio films ("Pulp Fiction" (1994)), independent films (Sundance Festival Winner "The Waterdance" (1992)), and films that he himself produced ("Mr. Jealousy" (1997)). He also continued to appear on the New York Stage both on Broadway ("Three Sisters," "Two Shakespearean Actors") and off-Broadway ("The Importance of Being Ernest," "The Glass Menagerie").

He continues to work in television as well, doing a recurring role as Helen Hunt's ex on "Mad About You" (1992), a year on "Chicago Hope" (1994), and in the tv and cable movies "Inside" (1996) (TV) (directed by Arthur Penn), "A Killer in the Family" (1983) (TV) (with Robert Mitchum) and "The Passion of Ayn Rand" (1999) (TV) (with Helen Mirren). Mr. Stoltz lives in New Mexico, and has been romantically linked to Ally Sheedy, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lili Taylor, Bridget Fonda, and most recently (in the summer of 1999 during the shooting of "The House of Mirth" (2000)) the Australian actress Rachel Griffiths.