Lynn Arlen Stalmaster (November 17, 1927 – February 12, 2021) was an American casting director. He was noted as the first casting director to be conferred an Academy Award, having received an Honorary Oscar in 2016.

Early life Stalmaster was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on November 17, 1927. He was the son of Estelle (Lapidus) and Irvin A. Stalmaster, a lawyer who became a judge. Irvin was the first Jew, as well as the youngest person, to be appointed to a Nebraska district judgeship.The Jewish Press (Omaha): "Hollywood insiders return Home for Jewish Reunion" by Sherrie Saag July 30, 2014The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle: "Young Jewish Lawyer appointed Judge of Dist. Court, Nebraska" April 27, 1928 – Page 17 He was also active in the local Jewish community, serving as president of the Omaha B'nai B'rith.Jewish Telegraph Agency: "Stalmaster is Appointed Judge in Nebraska Court", April 17, 1928 Lynn Stalmaster's younger brother is actor Hal Stalmaster (born 1940), best known for his starring role in the Disney film Johnny Tremain.Interview with Hal Stalmaster

Stalmaster initially attended Dundee Elementary School in Omaha's Dundee–Happy Hollow Historic District. In order to ameliorate his severe asthma, his family later relocated to Beverly Hills, California, where he attended Beverly Hills High School. There he overcame his shyness by immersing himself in theatre and radio. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he studied theater arts at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, obtaining a Master of Arts in 1952.Oscar Biographies: "Lynn Stalmaster" retrieved July 22, 2017

Career Stalmaster got his first job in show business as an actor, appearing in the war movies The Steel Helmet (1951), The Flying Leathernecks (1951), and the TV series Big Town. As a fail-safe plan, he was employed by Grosse-Krasne as a production assistant. He subsequently became casting director after the incumbent retired, and went on to cast five on-air series.

After several years in that capacity, Stalmaster became an independent casting director. He established himself quickly as a solid casting director, finding steady work in both television and motion pictures. He was credited with casting more than 60 movies of the decade, among them; Fiddler on the Roof, Harold and Maude, The Cowboys, Deliverance, Rollerball, Silver Streak, Black Sunday, Coming Home, Convoy, The Rose, Superman and Being There.

Stalmaster was responsible for casting TV shows such as Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, and My Favorite Martian. He was also a part of Academy Award winning movies such as In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Right Stuff, and Brian De Palma's The Untouchables.

Stalmaster was the first casting director to receive credit on a separate card in the main titles of a feature film, starting with The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968. His name subsequently appeared in the main titles of over 180 films, credited as "Casting by Lynn Stalmaster."

Later life Stalmaster was conferred the Career Achievement Award by the Casting Society of America (CSA) in 2003. Thirteen years later, in November 2016, he received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was the first casting director to receive an Academy Award. Two years later, the Casting Society of America began honoring entertainment professionals with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement. Recipients include Annette Bening, Laura Dern, and Geena Davis.

Stalmaster died on the morning of February 12, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 93.

Partial filmography

Screaming Eagles, 1956 The Invisible Boy, 1957 Trooper Hook, 1957 I Want to Live!, 1958 Pork Chop Hill, 1959 Inherit the Wind, 1960 West Side Story, 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg, 1961 Two for the Seesaw, 1962 A Child Is Waiting, 1963 Toys in the Attic, 1963 Lady in a Cage, 1964 Kiss Me, Stupid, 1964 The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1965 The Hallelujah Trail, 1965 A Rage to Live, 1965 The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, 1966 The Fortune Cookie, 1966 Return of the Seven, 1966 Cast a Giant Shadow, 1966 In the Heat of the Night, 1967 Hour of the Gun, 1967 Fitzwilly, 1967 The Scalphunters, 1968 The Thomas Crown Affair, 1968 The Killing of Sister George, 1968 The Stalking Moon, 1968 Yours, Mine and Ours, 1968 The Bridge at Remagen, 1969 What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?, 1969 They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, 1969 Viva Max, 1969 Too Late the Hero, 1970 They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, 1970 Monte Walsh, 1970 Lawman, 1971 Valdez Is Coming, 1971 The Grissom Gang, 1971 Fiddler on the Roof, 1971 Harold and Maude, 1971 The Cowboys, 1972 Pocket Money, 1972 The Wrath of God, 1972 Deliverance, 1972 Junior Bonner, 1972 Jeremiah Johnson, 1972 The New Centurions, 1972 The Mechanic, 1972 The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, 1972 Lolly-Madonna XXX, 1973 Scorpio, 1973 The Iceman Cometh, 1973 The Last Detail, 1973 Sleeper, 1973 Cinderella Liberty, 1973 Executive Action, 1973 Rhinoceros, 1974 Billy Two Hats, 1974 Conrack, 1974 Mandingo, 1975 Rollerball, 1975 Silver Streak, 1976 Bound for Glory, 1976 Black Sunday, 1977 New York, New York, 1977 The Other Side of Midnight, 1977 Coming Home, 1978 The Fury, 1978 Foul Play, 1978 Go Tell the Spartans, 1978 Convoy, 1978 Superman, 1978 Being There, 1979 Stir Crazy, 1980 Caveman, 1981 First Blood, 1982 Tootsie, 1982 Airplane II: The Sequel, 1982 The Right Stuff, 1983 Supergirl, 1984 Jagged Edge, 1985 Santa Claus: The Movie, 1985 9½ Weeks, 1986 Spaceballs, 1987 The Untouchables, 1987 Weekend at Bernie's, 1989 See No Evil, Hear No Evil, 1989 Casualties of War, 1989 Crazy People, 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, 1991 Stay Tuned, 1992 Clifford, 1994 To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, 1996 Battlefield Earth, 2000

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