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Legendary casting director Lynn Stalmaster has passed away at the age of 93. According to the Los Angeles Times, the casting director died from natural causes on Feb. 12, 2021. They further say that he was in his Los Angeles, California home when he passed. This information was given to them by his family.
Stalmaster was born on Nov. 17, 1927, in Omaha, Nebraska. He is most known for his work on “The Steel Helmet” in 1951, “In the Heat of the Night” in 1967, and “Superman” in 1978.
Before that, he had enlisted as a private in the United States Army on Feb. 26, 1945. He served during World War II.
By 2017, he had provided cast members for eight films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. These films include, “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Deliverance,” “Coming Home,” and “Tootsie.” The only film that he cast actors — that won an Oscar — was the film “In the Heat of the Night.”
On April 7, 1956, Stalmaster married Gloria McGough. It is unclear how long they were married before they divorced. Stalmaster then married Shirley A. Alexander on Dec. 6, 1962. The couples had two children together before they divorced in 1972.
In 2016, he became the first casting director to receive an honorary Oscar. Stalmaster was also the first one to receive a solo title card in a movie’s credits. He received this honor for the 1968 film “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
From 1955 to 2017 he was the casting director for roughly 400 movies and TV shows. He helped launch the career of many famous stars.
Stalmaster helped boost Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Christopher Reeve, and LeVar Burton’s careers. He helped a lot of actors to achieve their stardom just by giving them a part in a movie or TV show he was casting.
Many people took to social media to pay the legend and his family some respect. One of those people was Jerry Winsett. Who tweeted:
Lynn Stalmaster once gave me some advice I’ll never forget, “Movies are made of moments, the more great moments the greater the film. So no matter how large or small you role, make great moments!” Our industry’s lost a giant! My love to his family.
Many others send their condolences to his family as well. May he rest in peace.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
IMDb: Lynn Stalmaster
Los Angeles Times: Legendary casting director Lynn Stalmaster dies at 93; by MICHAEL ORDOÑA
Featured Image Courtesy of Marika Bortolami’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
