Harvey Stephens
Harvey Stephens (August 21, 1901 – December 22, 1986) was an American actor, known initially for his performances in Broadway productions, and thereafter for his work in film and on television. He was most active in film beginning in the 1930s and through the mid-1940s. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he transitioned to television and enjoyed success there through the 1960s.
Harvey Stephens

Film screenshot · Swing High, Swing Low. · Public domain
- Name
- Harvey Stephens
- Born
- 21 August 1901
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 22 December 1986
- Place of death
- Laguna Hills, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Harvey Stephens (August 21, 1901 – December 22, 1986) was an American actor, known initially for his performances in Broadway productions, and thereafter for his work in film and on television. He was most active in film beginning in the 1930s and through the mid-1940s. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he transitioned to television and enjoyed success there through the 1960s.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Harvey Stephens. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3128047 · wikipedia · Harvey Stephens
In this article
Biography
Biography
Stephens was also an avid competitive glider pilot. He was inducted into the Soaring Hall of Fame in 1966 for his contributions to the sport.

Promotional photograph of Katharine Cornell in the Broadway production of Dishonored Lady From left: Fred L. Tiden (Rufus Cary), Francis Lister (Marquess of Farnborough), Katharine Cornell (Madeleine Cary), Harvey Stephens (Richard Wadsworth)
Stage Publishing Company, Inc., Vandamm Studio · Stage, November 1938 (page 43) immediate source source for actor identification
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Harvey Stephens • Born — 21 August 1901 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 22 December 1986 • Place of death — Laguna Hills, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1931–1965 • Children — 2
Early years
Early years
Stephens was born on August 21, 1901, in Los Angeles, California. As a student at the University of California at Los Angeles, he earned letters in basketball and football. Before he turned to acting, Stephens worked in western copper mines and Mexican oil fields in addition to working around the world on a freighter.
Stage
Stage
• Illustration — Stephens (right) opposite Katharine Cornell in the 1930 Broadway production of Dishonored Lady Stephens' debut in the theater came in 1920 at the Pilgrimage Play in Hemet, California. Following that, he toured for two years in a troupe headed by Walter Hampden and worked in stock theater companies in several cities. On Broadway, Stephens appeared as Sam Worthing in Other Men's Wives, written by Walter Hackett, late in 1929. He also appeared as Richard Wadsworth in Dishonored Lady (1930); as Gail Redman in Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1931); as Joe Fisk in The Animal Kingdom (1932); Fred Barton in Best Years (1932); Bruce Blakely in The Party's Over (1933); and John Palmer in Conquest (1933). He also appeared in South Pacific as Commander Harbison, alongside Mary Martin; he was one of only two cast members who did not sing. For the summer of 1931, Stephens was a member of the Summer stock cast at Elitch Theatre.
Television
Television
Stephens appeared on a number of television shows beginning in the early 1950s and continuing through the late 1960s, including The Aquanauts, Ripcord, 77 Sunset Strip, Ben Casey and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, as well as multiple episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, Bat Masterson, Perry Mason, and Bonanza.
Activities outside of acting
Activities outside of acting
Beginning in the late 1930s, Stephens was one of the earliest major proponents of gliders, and pursued an interest in the sport throughout his life. In 1937, Harland Ross custom built a glider for Stephens, which became the Ross RS-1 Zanonia (The "RS" designation stands for "Ross-Stephens"). He organized a number of competitions and was still participating after his retirement from acting into the 1960s.
Personal life
Personal life
On January 20, 1946, Stephens married Barbara Adams, a stage director. He had previously been married to stage actress Beatrice Nichols.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
• The Cheat (1931) – Jeffrey Carlyle • Paddy the Next Best Thing (1933) – Jack Breen • Jimmy and Sally (1933) – Ralph Andrews • The Worst Woman in Paris? (1933) – John Strong • Sleepers East (1934) – Martin Knox (uncredited) • Evelyn Prentice (1934) – Lawrence Kennard • After Office Hours (1935) – Tommy Bannister • One New York Night (1935) – Collis • Baby Face Harrington (1935) – Ronald • Let 'Em Have It (1935) – Van Rensseler • The Murder Man (1935) – Henry Mander • Orchids to You (1935) – George Draper • It's in the Air (1935) – Sidney Kendall • Whipsaw (1935) – Ed Dexter • Tough Guy (1936) – Chief Davison • Robin Hood of El Dorado (1936) – Captain Osborne • Absolute Quiet (1936) – Barney Tait • The Three Wise Guys (1936) – Ambersham • Sworn Enemy (1936) – District Attorney Paul Scott • All American Chump (1936) – Jim Crawford • Maid of Salem (1937) – Dr. John Harding • Murder Goes to College (1937) – Paul Broderick • Swing High, Swing Low (1937) – Harvey Howell • King of Gamblers (1937) – J.G. Temple • Night of Mystery (1937) – Dr. Von Blon • Forlorn River (1937) – Les Setter • Night Club Scandal (1937) – Frank Marsh • Dangerous to Know (1938) – Philip Easton • Tip-Off Girls (1938) – Chief Agent Jason Baardue • The Texans (1938) – Lieutenant David Nichols • The Oklahoma Kid (1939) – Ned Kincaid • The House of Fear (1939) - Richard 'Dick' Pierce • You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939) – Fred Burke • Grand Jury Secrets (1939) – Michael Keefe • Beau Geste (1939) – Lieutenant Martin • Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) – Ninian Edwards • The Fighting 69th (1940) – Major Anderson • Parole Fixer (1940) – Bartley Hanford • Stagecoach War (1940) – Neal Holt • When the Daltons Rode (1940) – Rigby • The Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) – Ranger Blair • Sergeant York (1941) – Captain Danforth • Our Wife (1941) – Dr. Cassell • Joe Smith, American (1942) – Freddie Dunhill • The Lady Is Willing (1942) – Dr. Golding • The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942) – Roderick O. Nesbit • Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942) – Morgan Earp • George Washington Slept Here (1942) – Jeff Douglas • Lady in the Dark (1944) – Liza's Father • The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944) – Captain in Charge of Evacuation (uncredited) • Three Young Texans (1954) – Jim Colt • Cell 2455, Death Row (1955) – Prison Warden • The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) – Dr. Hollingshead DDS • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) (Season 2 Episode 7: "Alibi Me") - Lieutenant James Larkin • Oregon Passage (1957) – Captain Boyson • Wagon Train (1958) S1 E39 "The Sacramento Story" - Maxwell Revere • Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958) (Season 3 Episode 25: "Flight to the East") - European Bureau Manager • The World Was His Jury (1958) – Judge Arthur Farrell • Official Detective "Tinseled Alibi" – Houston – (1958) • The Young Lions (1958) – Brigadier General Sam Rockland (uncredited) • In Love and War (1958) – Amory Newcombe • North by Northwest (1959) – US Intelligence Agency official (uncredited) • The Bat (1959) – John Fleming • The Flight That Disappeared (1961) – Walter Cooper • Diary of a Madman (1963) – Louis Girot • Advance to the Rear (1964) – General Dunlop (uncredited) • Joy in the Morning (1965) – Dr. Marson
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Putney
Residences
Los Angeles.
Birth place
Laguna Hills.
Death place
Film
Stephens made his leading debut opposite Tallulah Bankhead in The Cheat (1931). After appearing in The Texans (1938) and The Oklahoma Kid (1939), he began appearing in many Western films, although he also appeared with Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, and Walter Brennan in Sergeant York (1941).
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,928 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Harvey KormanPerson
- Harvey MillerPerson
- Harvey S. LaidmanPerson
- Harvey Spencer StephensPerson
- Harvey WeinsteinPerson
- Hasan HadiPerson
- Hasan KaracadağPerson
- Hasan MammadovPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Harvey Stephens?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.