John Steppling
actor, director, writer
- Birth name:
- John C. Steppling
- Born:
- 1870-08-08, Essen, Germany
- Died:
- 1932-04-05, Hollywood, California, USA
- Professions:
- actor, director, writer
Biography
Essen, 8 August 1870: a restless boy named John Steppling first opened his eyes. Within decades he had slipped across the Atlantic, trading sooty Ruhr streets for the flicker of nickelodeons and the hiss of carbon arcs. Audiences of 1913 gasped as he embodied the tormented clergyman in the first screen version of Tess of the D’Urbervilles; six years later he steered Lombardi, Ltd. from script to screen, proving he could command both sides of the camera; and in 1924 he lit up The Reckless Age with a performance that aged like bootleg bourbon. Hollywood finally claimed him on 5 April 1932, but the reels he left behind still turn, keeping Steppling forever in motion.
