Scott Bakula pays memorial to Quantum Leap costar Dean Stockwell following actor's death at 85

Scott Bakula remembered late Quantum Leap costar Dean Stockwell following the actor’s death at 85 on Sunday.

The St. Louis-born actor, 67, issued a statement Tuesday detailing his relationship with Stockwell, who he called ‘a dear friend and a mentor’ who he ‘grew very close [to] over … five, very intense years’ on the NBC series from 1989-1993, Deadline reported.

Bakula, who played Dr. Sam Beckett to Stockwell’s Admiral Al Calavicci on the sci-fi series, said he first crossed paths with Stockwell when he auditioned for the series in 1988.

The latest: Scott Bakula, 67, remembered late Quantum Leap costar Dean Stockwell following the actor’s death at 85 on Sunday. The actors were snapped with one another in 2014 

‘He had agreed to “read” for the Network, I was already cast,’ Bakula said. ‘We connected immediately and my career and my life were changed that day in Brandon Tartikoff’s office.

‘How lucky were we to get him? A few months later he would be nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Married to the Mob, but he was stuck with us. Serendipity? All I know is, he never tried to get out or complain, he loved the role and the show and the rest was history.’

Bakula described Stockwell as ‘such a passionate man … about life, his work, his art (he was an amazing artist!), his family, all kinds of causes, people, music, the planet, cigars, golf, and on and on!’

Bakula referenced Stockwell’s past as ‘a famous child actor’ and noted that the veteran actor ‘had a soft spot for every young actor who came on our set.’

Bakula said of his late costar: ‘I loved him dearly and was honored to know him. He made me a better human being…’

Bakula played Dr. Sam Beckett to Stockwell’s Admiral Al Calavicci on the sci-fi series

The costars were seen with one another in 1989 in LA 

Stockwell ‘was very protective of their rights and safety and always checked in with them to make sure that they were ok,’ Bakula said. ‘His big hearted response to the kids made all of us take notice and be better guardians ourselves.’

Bakula noted that Stockwell ‘was always grateful and delighted to have the chance to keep working’ amid ‘a career that came and went several times during his seventy plus years in the business.’

Bakula said that Stockwell’s only complaint came ‘when we called him on the golf course and told him we were ready for him to come to work!

‘He used to announce his presence on the sound stage (if we hadn’t already caught a whiff of cigar smoke trailing in behind him), with a bellowed, “The fun starts now!” Truer words were never spoken.’

Bakula wrapped up in saying of his late costar: ‘I loved him dearly and was honored to know him. He made me a better human being…’

Among Stockwell’s other notable career credits include roles in the 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet, 1984’s Paris, Texas from Wim Wenders, and the 1988 Jonathan Demme movie Married to the Mob, which garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Stockwell also received four consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series from 1990-1993 for his work on Quantum Leap.

His family released a statement saying: ‘Dean spent a lifetime yo-yoing back and forth between fame and anonymity. Because of that, when he had a job, he was grateful. He never took the business for granted. He was a rebel, wildly talented and always a breath of fresh air.’