Stewart Stern was an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, best known for writing the classic film Rebel Without a Cause, which centered on rebellious teen Jim Stark, played by James Dean. Stern also wrote the documentary The James Dean Story, directed by Robert Altman, shortly after Dean’s death.
He later wrote the 1976 television film Sybil, starring Sally Field, about a woman who experienced a traumatic childhood and developed multiple personality disorder as a result. His script earned Stern an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special Program, Adaptation. The 1951 film Benjy about a young handicapped boy, narrated by Henry Fonda, earned Stern an Oscar win for best short documentary.
Stern’s writing for television included various episodes for The Gulf Playhouse, Goodyear Playhouse, and Playhouse 90. In addition to Sybil, he wrote the television films Thunder of Silence, The Glass Menagerie and A Christmas to Remember, the latter of which earned him a WGA Award for Anthology Adaptation. His experience on set watching Paul Newman direct The Glass Menagerie provided material for his book No Tricks in My Pocket: Paul Newman Directs.
Stern earned four other nominations for his film work: Oscar and WGA nominations for Rachel, Rachel, starring Joanne Woodward, an Oscar nomination for Teresa, and another WGA nomination for The Ugly American, starring Marlon Brando. Stern also co-wrote Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie, about a film shoot in Peru that goes all wrong.
Born and raised in New York City, Stern was the nephew of Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor, and his cousins were the Loews, who formerly controlled MGM. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His service earned him a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Badge.
Later in life Stern taught at USC, the University of Washington and at the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriting Lab. In 2005 he co-founded TheFilmSchool, a nonprofit dedicated to training the next generation of screenwriters. That same year he was the subject of the documentary film Going Through Splat: The Life and Work of Stewart Stern.
Stern died February 2, 2015, in Seattle, Washington. He was 92.
