Edgar Stehli (July 12, 1884 – July 25, 1973) was a French-born American actor of the stage, the screen and television.

Early years

The son of an English mother and a German-Swiss father, Stehli was born in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France. The family moved to New York in 1886 and later moved to

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

. He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

with a bachelor's degree in 1907 and a master's degree in 1908. While at Cornell, he acted in university theatrical productions.

Career

Stehli's professional acting debut came with a stock theater company in Bayonne as he had understudy and bit-part responsibilities and worked with props. He worked there and with other stock companies until 1919, when he was invited to join the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

. Stehli appeared in the films ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

''; '' Executive Suite''; '' Drum Beat''; '' The Cobweb''; ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

''; '' No Name on the Bullet''; '' 4D Man''; '' Cash McCall''; '' Atlantis, the Lost Continent''; '' Parrish''; '' Pocketful of Miracles''; '' The Spiral Road''; '' Twilight of Honor''; ''

Seconds The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of ...

''; '' The Tiger Makes Out'' and '' Loving'', among others. His television appearances include episodes of '' Dennis the Menace'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', '' Perry Mason'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', ''

Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...

, ''and The Texan(Western TV series starring Rory Calhoun.) On

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

, Stehli portrayed Dr. Huer in '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', D.A. Miller in '' Crime Doctor'', and the title character in ''Gramps''. Stehli's acting on Broadway spanned a half-century, beginning on November 27, 1916, in ''Six Who Pass While the Lentils Boil'' and ending on November 26, 1966, in ''Those That Play the Clowns''. In 1941 he created the role of Dr. Einstein in '' Arsenic and Old Lace''. At the time of Stehli's death, he was one of the oldest active members of

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

Personal life

Stehli was married to Emilie Greenough.

Death

Stehli died on July 25, 1973, at his home in

Upper Montclair, New Jersey Upper Montclair is a census-designated place (CDP), Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community and neighborhood within Montclair, New Jersey, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U. ...

, at age 89.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stehli, Edgar 1884 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Male actors from Montclair, New Jersey American male radio actors American male stage actors Cornell University alumni French emigrants to the United States Male actors from Lyon