Stephen Galaida

Puzzlehead/Walter

Stephen Galaida was born in Miami, Florida where he learned to build radio airplanes from his father, a Pan American captain. He spent a part of his childhood growing up in Germany, where he received his soaring instruction and certificate. His plans to become a pilot were dashed when he was discovered to be color blind. Lost and without direction, he succumbed to licentiousness and got into trouble with the law. Asked by his father what he was going to do with his life, Stephen, then a ripe 16 years old, pointed to the dusty baby grand in the basement and said, “I am going learn to play that piano.” Undaunted by his late start, Stephen passionately applied himself to the piano, practicing for 12 to 14 hours each day. A little over a year later, he was accepted to a conservatory of music, where he chose to focus on music composition and theory. This late-blooming prodigy then went on to compose a symphony, which was performed at his commencement ceremony. After college, Stephen toured the music capitals of Europe, then returned to pursue a master’s degree at Ithaca College. However, a risky investment forced Stephen to quite school and enter the work force. For the next 20 years, he worked as a taxi driver, aircraft fueler, campus police officer and administrator. Finally, he discovered yet another latent artistic talent -- acting. He has starred starred in Cornell University productions of The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. At the Firehouse Theater, Stephen is a perennial lead. Roles such as Raul in Extremities and Lingk in Glengarry Glen Ross, to William Cubbert in The Nerd and Harry Levine in Chinese Coffee, define him as a versatile and highly disciplined actor. After attaining his secret dream of being cast in a movie, Stephen has been content to return to a quiet life of music and local theater. He is currently a union carpenter in Ithaca, NY, and has two daughters, Jessica Morgan and Carol Ann Morgan.