
John M. Stahl
Biography
John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was an American film director and producer.
Born in New York City, New York, he began working in the city's growing motion picture industry at a young age and directed his first silent film short in 1914. In the early 1920s Stahl signed on with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in Hollywood and in 1924 was part of the Mayer team that became MGM Studios.
In 1927, John Stahl was one of the thirty-six founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With the industry's transition to talkies and feature-length films, John Stahl successfully made the adjustment and for Universal Pictures he directed the 1934 film Imitation of Life which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The following year, he directed Magnificent Obsession, starring Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor.
John Stahl continued to produce and direct major productions as well filler shorts right up to the time of his death. Some of his other notable directorial work was with The Keys of the Kingdom in 1944 and the 1945 film noir, Leave Her to Heaven with Gene Tierney who was nominated for Best Actress.
Stahl died in Hollywood, California in 1950 of a heart attack, aged 63, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Directing (41 movies)

Magnificent Obsession
1935

Imitation of Life
1934

The Keys of the Kingdom
1944

Leave Her to Heaven
1945

Immortal Sergeant
1943

Our Wife
1941

Letter of Introduction
1938

Back Street
1932

The Walls of Jericho
1948

Only Yesterday
1933

Holy Matrimony
1943

When Tomorrow Comes
1939

Strictly Dishonorable
1931

Seed
1931

Her Code of Honor
1919

The Foxes of Harrow
1947

Oh, You Beautiful Doll
1949

Parnell
1937

A Lady Surrenders
1930

The Eve of St. Mark
1944
Lovers
1927
Suspicion
1918

Father Was a Fullback
1949

Wives of Men
1918

The Boudoir Diplomat
1930

The Gay Deceiver
1927

The Dangerous Age
1923

The Woman Under Oath
1919

The Child Thou Gavest Me
1921

Why Men Leave Home
1924

In Old Kentucky
1927

Suspicious Wives
1921

The Song of Life
1922

The Lincoln Cycle
1917

Memory Lane
1926

Husbands and Lovers
1924

One Clear Call
1922

Sowing the Wind
1921

The Wanters
1923

Fine Clothes
1925

Greater Than Love
1919
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| Wives of Men | 1918 | Screenplay | 
| The Child Thou Gavest Me | 1921 | Producer | 
| Wild Geese | 1927 | Producer | 
| The Scarlet Dove | 1928 | Producer | 
| Stormy Waters | 1928 | Producer | 
| Clothes Make the Woman | 1928 | Producer | 
| Beautiful But Dumb | 1928 | Producer | 
| The Power of Silence | 1928 | Producer | 
| The Cavalier | 1928 | Producer | 
| The Devil's Apple Tree | 1929 | Producer | 
| Seed | 1931 | Producer | 
| Magnificent Obsession | 1935 | Producer | 
| Letter of Introduction | 1938 | Producer | 
| When Tomorrow Comes | 1939 | Producer | 
| Our Wife | 1941 | Producer |