Lynn Stalmaster

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. He was also active in the local Jewish community, serving as president of the Omaha B'nai B'rith. Lynn Stalmaster's younger brother is actor Hal Stalmaster (born 1940), best known for his starring role in the Disney film Johnny Tremain.

Stalmaster initially attended Dundee Elementary School in Omaha's Dundee–Happy Hollow Historic District. As a fail-safe plan, he was employed by Grosse-Krasne as a production assistant. and went on to cast five on-air series.

Later life Stalmaster was conferred the Career Achievement Award by the Casting Society of America (CSA) in 2003. 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. 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 The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1965 Rhinoceros, 1974 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