Lynn Stalmaster was the first casting director to be conferred an Academy Award, having received an Honorary Oscar in 2016.
He worked with Desilu on several projects, the first being the “I Love Lucy” summer replacement series “Those Whiting Girls” (1957).
He moved on to the Desilu Western “The Sheriff of Cochise” (1957-58)...
Desilu’s crime series “Official Detective” (1957-58)...
and Desilu’s helicopter series “Whirlybirds” (1957-59).
He cast the second episode of Desilu’s “Guestward Ho!” in 1960.
Starting with Desilu’s gangster series “The Untouchables” (1960-63), Stalmaster teamed with James Lister to create Stalmaster-Lister Co.
Stalmaster-Lister cast Desilu’s circus series “The Greatest Show On Earth” (1963-64) one episode of which featured Lucille Ball.
Lynn Stalmaster’s last collaboration with Lucille Ball and Desilu was casting her feature film Yours, Mine, and Ours in 1968.
He provided the cast of eight films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Deliverance (1972), Bound for Glory (1976), Coming Home (1978), Tootsie (1982) and The Right Stuff (1983). Of those, only In the Heat of the Night (1967) was a winner in the category.
Lynn Stalmaster died on February 12, 2021 at age 93.
[Governors Awards] - Jackie Chan ha ritirato ieri l 'Oscar alla carriera
[#GovernorsAwards] - #JackieChan ha ritirato ieri l 'Oscar alla carriera
In attesa di entrare ufficialmente nel percorso che porterà alla consegna degli Oscar il prossimo febbraio, ieri sera sono stati assegnati gli Academy Honorary Awards, i cosiddetti Oscar alla carriera assegnati ogni anno dall’Academy durante la cerimonia dei Governors Awards.
I quattro premiati con l’Academy Honorary Award sono stati la montatrice Anne V. Coates, il direttore del casting Lynn…
El famoso actor, comediante y artista marcial nacido en Hong Kong cuenta con 131 películas, siendo uno de los intérpretes chinos más exitosos de la historia Cómo no recordar con aprecio a Jackie Chan, quien seguramente ha salvado la tarde de cualquier persona tras una de sus características películas de acción y comedia; todo el mundo lo ha visto lanzar patadas voladoras por doquier, desarmando a…
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 30) to present Honorary Awards to actor Jackie Chan, film editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. The four Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 12, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”
After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career. He starred in – and sometimes wrote, directed and produced – more than 30 martial arts features in his native Hong Kong, charming audiences with his dazzling athleticism, inventive stunt work and boundless charisma. Since “Rumble in the Bronx” in 1996, he has gone on to enormous worldwide success with the “Rush Hour” movies, “Shanghai Noon,” “Shanghai Knights,” “Around the World in 80 Days,” “The Karate Kid” and the “Kung Fu Panda” series of animated films.
A native of Reigate, England, Coates worked her way up to lead editor on a handful of features before collaborating with David Lean on “Lawrence of Arabia” and winning her first Oscar. In her more than 60 years as a film editor, she has worked side by side with many leading directors on an impressive range of films, including Sidney Lumet (“Murder on the Orient Express”), Richard Attenborough (“Chaplin”) and Steven Soderbergh (“Erin Brockovich”). She also earned four additional Oscar nominations, for “Becket,” “The Elephant Man,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Out of Sight.”
Stalmaster, a one-time stage and screen actor from Omaha, Nebraska, began working in casting in the mid-1950s. Over the next five decades, he applied his talents to more than 200 feature films, including such classics as “Inherit the Wind,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “The Graduate,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Harold and Maude,” “Deliverance,” “Coming Home,” “Tootsie” and “The Right Stuff.” He has enjoyed multiple collaborations with directors Stanley Kramer, Robert Wise, Hal Ashby, Norman Jewison and Sydney Pollack, and has been instrumental in the careers of such celebrated actors as Jon Voight, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Wilson, Jill Clayburgh, Christopher Reeve and John Travolta.
From his home base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Wiseman has made one film almost every year since 1967, illuminating lives in the context of social, cultural and government institutions. He created a sensation with his first documentary feature, “Titicut Follies,” which went behind the scenes at Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane. The film established an unobtrusive, observational storytelling style that has strongly identified his work, from the gritty (“Law and Order,” “Public Housing,” “Domestic Violence”) to the uplifting (“La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet,” “National Gallery,” “In Jackson Heights”).
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
You should probably watch this, it's a really interesting documentary about 2 very fabulous casting directors: Marion Dougherty and Lynn Stalmaster! Also check out what a HUGE asshole Taylor Hackford is. =\
Casting By is available to watch on HBOGo and HBO OnDemand!
'Casting By': Highlighting a Hidden Role at the LA Film Festival
by LAUREL PECCHIA
Reflections from a documentary screening at the LA Film Festival on art and the value of casting directors.
I was thrilled to make my summer journey from Stanford back to SoCal and find myself sitting at a film premiere during this year’s renowned Los Angeles Film Festival. I must admit that it’s slightly difficult to critique a film called “Casting By” after having for years been an actor with one hope in life—to be cast. For us once- struggling actors in the audience, or for those who are cognizant of this struggle, I can guarantee the film hit a personal note. It gave a unique behind-the-scenes look at something that is, for most, behind the scenes—the casting process.
The tale of unsung casting director Marion Doughertyfollows both her career and that of her West-Coast successor, Lynn Stalmaster. Smartly tracing Dougherty’s casting choices from project to project, director Tom Donahue highlights her significant impact in vaulting the careers of once-blossoming (and now iconic) Hollywood actors.
Donahue focuses on the unique experiences of actors such as Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, and Bette Midler—just to name a few. In interviewing such major stars and playing off recollections of their colorful histories with Dougherty, Donahue serves multiple purposes. He not only gives industry know-hows an in-depth look at some of the most widely respected films in the cinematic realm, but also selects classic films familiar and accessible to the casual movie viewer. Behind the scenes looks at films such as Bonnie & Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Great Gatsby help Donahue illustrate Dougherty’s significance as a casting director—also the wider message of the film.
Dougherty looked beyond actors’ looks when casting a role, and rather sought out those who had a raw quality and brought a certain charisma to the screen, even if they didn’t nail their initial audition. Humorous insider anecdotes highlight Dougherty’s skill and bring the documentary to life. Hearing about Lynn Stalmaster begging a young and naïve Travolta to stay in LA to pursue his acting career or about Jon Voight making a fool out of himself in his first role not only brings subtle shock factor to the film, but also makes it an indulgent treat for cinephiles. Donahue’s interview with Dustin Hoffman about his experience with The Graduate director Mike Nichols is equally amusing. Hoffman recounts his confusion with Dougherty’s casting, telling the director that main character Benjamin Braddock was tall and handsome and he, Dustin Hoffman, was just a “short Jew.” Nichols replied by telling Hoffman that Benjamin might have been tall and handsome on the outside, but that he was a “short Jew” at heart.
Donahue’s actor interviews illustrate that Dougherty’s unique skill in casting a different type of actor made her a true stand out in her field, enabling Dougherty to gain a name for herself in the film world by consistently churning out noteworthy films. With numerous successes under her belt, Dougherty strengthened the importance of the casting director by being the first to gain a separate title card on a film credit. But casting directors remain overlooked. While honoring Dougherty’s role in elevating the status of casting directors within the industry, Donahue also points to the unfortunate fact that casting directors still lack their own Golden Globe or Academy Award category, while editors, cinematographers, and even costume designers do. Fair or not? Well, like the casting process itself, the answer is highly subjective. In the meantime, I guess I'll just share a secret moment with an unsung artist in the waning scrolls of the film credits.
