John Steppling
Acting
Biography
John Steppling (8 August 1870 in Essen, Germany – 5 April 1932 in Hollywood, California) was a German-American silent film actor. He moved to America at a young age and entered film in 1912 aged 42. He starred in a total of 230 films between then and 1928, beginning with one of the first feature films ever made, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. He is also credited with directing 7 films. He is the grandfather of playwright John Steppling.
Born: August 8, 1870
Place of Birth: Essen, Germany
Known For
Broken Lullaby
A young French soldier in World War I is overcome with guilt when he kills a German soldier who, like himself, is a musically gifted conscript, each having attended the same musical conservatory in France. The fact that the incident occurred in war does not assuage his guilt. He travels to Germany to meet the man's family.
California Straight Ahead
Wealthy racing driver Tom Hayden loses his inheritance and his fiancé due to a wacky mishap on his wedding day.
Let's Go
The no-good son of a company owner is sent to investigate a problematic business deal.
Soft Shoes
Sheriff Pat Halahan comes into an inheritance and travels to San Francisco to collect. Faith O’Day, a cat burglar armed with pistol and flashlight breaks into his hotel room and demands that Halahan cough up his dough. Halahan sees her threat and raises her a one-dollar bet that he can return a brooch she stole earlier the same evening before its loss is discovered. Pulling off his boots to slip on his own “soft shoes,” Halahan sets off to do a little second-story work, not realizing the trouble he’s in for.
Behind the Counter
Eddie, a prim store salesman, gets locked in overnight and battles hoodlums.
Bell Boy 13
Harry Elrod takes a job as a bellboy when he is disinherited by his uncle and fails in his efforts to elope with actress Kitty Clyde. He causes so much confusion that Uncle Elrod buys the hotel so that he may fire Harry. But Harry induces the other employees to strike until Uncle Elrod consents to Harry's marriage to Kitty.
Johanna Enlists
A young girl, stifling on her father's backwoods farm, is reinvigorated by the arrival of an army regiment, come to train in the area.
A Bathtub Bandit
Bathtub movers on the job.
Billions
Princess Triloff, an emigrée from Czarist Russia, escapes to America where she becomes a patron of the arts. She falls in love with the verses of impoverished poet Owen Carey and becomes his anonymous benefactor. When Owen inherits a fortune from his rich Uncle Krakerfeller, he assumes his uncle's identity and confers his own upon an impoverished friend, Frank Manners. At a resort, Owen meets the princess and falls in love with her, but is chagrined to discover that she is enamored with Manners. The princess finally discovers Owen's real identity and the two fall in love.
The Reckless Age
Lord Harrowby takes out an $100,000 insurance policy to be paid if his wedding to Cecilia Meyrick is cancelled. The insurance company sends Dick Minot to make sure the wedding takes place, but he falls in love with the bride.
Filmography
as Her Father
as Uncle
as John Hamilton
as Phineas Ward
as John Steppling
as Mary's Father
as Jeffrey Browne
as Burton Gregg
as Markham
as Mr. Rodney
as Spencer Meyrick
as Cato Dodd
as Banker Day
as Chairman of delegation
as Andrew J. Macklin
as William Douglas
as David Wisner
as Maxfield
as Swift
as Henry Tuttle
as Simon Stecker
as The Lawyer
as Deacon Ballantine
as Vicar
as Squire Gordon
as Isaac Colben
as Rudolph Cleeberg
as Otis Tucker
as John Weems
as Joe Mosenstein
as George Mott / Smith
as Jacob Abbott
as Kelly
as Abraham Armsberg
as Max Strohan
as Chef
as Tobias
as Bird
as Antoine Jardee
as Maj. Wappington
as Batiste Boudeaux
as Neddy Jerome
as Fallon
as Heinie, the Weinie Man
as Undetermined role
as Mike Guffy
as The Professor
as Mr. Myers
as Senator Locke
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
as Mr. Ramsey
as John Durbeyfield
as Billy McGrath