>Fred Savage
WORKING HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE
THE WONDER YEARS ARE OVER. Fred Savage, who, as prepubescent Kevin Arnold, agonized over his first kiss on the critically acclaimed ABC series (1988-93) about growing up in the '60s, is now 19, a sophomore at Stanford University and the star of No One Would Tell, a chilling NBC movie (Mon., May 6 at 9 p.m. ET). "To show people another dimension of myself," Savage says, he took off two weeks last January to take on the part of a volatile high school jock who physically abuses his girlfriend (Growing Pains alumna Candace Cameron).
Shedding his cute-kid image may be Savage's choice now, but it wasn't back in March 1993, when a former Wonder Years wardrobe assistant filed a sexual-harassment suit against him and Jason Hervey, who played Kevin's big brother Wayne. The suit was dropped nine months later. "It's over and done with, not even worth talking about," says Savage.
At Stanford, the part-time actor is a BMOC in the making. A double major in English and Communications, he is social chair of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. "I plan all the parties," he says, noting that he's not looking for a steady relationship. "I date girls," Savage told PEOPLE, "but it's not a driving force in my life right now."
Family matters more. Savage chose Stanford's Palo Alto campus over Ivy League schools back East to remain closer to his parents—Lew, a real estate executive, and Joanne, a home-maker—who live in Los Angeles with his brother Ben, 15, a star of ABC's Boy Meets World, and sister Kayla, 17, an L.A. stage actress.
After he earns his B.A., Savage plans to keep acting—and try his hand at directing too. "My goal by graduation," he says, "is to have written a 15-or 20-minute short and then shoot that. Just a short," he emphasizes. "To see if I'm any good at it."
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