Landers Stevens

Landers Stevens
Stevens in 1914
Born
John Landers Stevens[1]

February 17, 1877
DiedDecember 19, 1940 (aged 63)
OccupationActor
Years active1920–1940 (film)
ChildrenGeorge Stevens, Jack Stevens
RelativesAshton Stevens (brother)

John Landers Stevens (1877–1940) was an American stage and film actor.[2] A character actor he appeared in prominent screen roles in the early 1920s before switching to smaller supporting parts, often authority figures, in the following decade. He was the brother of the journalist Ashton Stevens and the father of film director George Stevens. He appeared in the 1936 musical film Swing Time directed by his son.[3] His final screen appearance was in Citizen Kane.

Early years

Stevens was born on February 17, 1877, in San Francisco. He came from a theatrical family, and his brother, Ashton, became a drama critic in San Francisco and later in Chicago.[4]

Career

After having acted with an amateur company, Stevens directed plays at the Majestic theater.[5]

Personal life and death

Landers married actress Fanny Gillette on April 15, 1896, in San Francisco.[6] They were divorced on April 28, 1903. He married actress Georgie Cooper in San Jose, California, on April 29, 1903.[7] They had two sons, film producer and director George Stevens and cameraman Jack Stevens. He died in Hollywood Hospital on December 19, 1940, aged 63.[8]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ Truitt, Evelyn Mack (1977). Who was Who On Screen. New York: R. R. Bowker. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-8352-0914-4.
  2. ^ Moss p.7
  3. ^ Green p.61
  4. ^ "John L. Stevens, Veteran of Oakland Stage, Dies". Oakland Tribune. December 20, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Jones, Idwal (April 4, 1926). "Landers Stevens Back in San Francisco; Other Notes". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 6 E. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  6. ^ "Dramatic Notes". The Siunday Oregonian. Oregon, Portland. April 26, 1896. p. 13. Retrieved April 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Stevens Weds an Actress". Oakland Tribune. April 29, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Stage and Screen Veteran Passes". Los Angeles Times. p. 26. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

  • Green, Stanley. Hollywood Musicals Year by Year. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1999.
  • Moss, Marilyn Ann. Giant: George Stevens, a Life on Film. Terrace Books, 2015.