- Born
- DiedJanuary 5, 1977 · Van Nuys, California, USA (pneumonia resulting from a broken hip suffered under apparent maltreatment at a nursing home)
- Birth nameOnslow Ford Stevenson
- Height6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
- Son of character actor Houseley Stevenson, brother of actor Houseley Stevenson Jr., Onslow Stevens was highly active from mid-1920s at the Pasadena Community Playhouse, where his entire family worked frequently as performers, directors and teachers. he scored a major success on Broadway in "Stage Door" in 1936. He played many leading roles and even more character parts over the years. Although at first a stalwart and reliable figure in films, in later years his career was adversely affected by alcohol. Nevertheless, he was a familiar and respected performer for many years. His final months were spent in a Van Nuys, California, nursing home where, in November 1976, he suffered a broken hip under unclear circumstances. Pneumonia set in and he died in January 1977. A coroner's inquest ruled that the broken hip had occurred "at the hands of another, not an accident."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
- SpousesRose Heit (aka Rose Marsel)(October 21, 1961 - January 5, 1977) (his death)Marley Shofner(February 28, 1959 - 1960) (divorced)Vicki Clark(August 1944 - 1946) (divorced)Anne Buchanan(March 5, 1936 - 1942) (divorced)Phyllis Cooper Stevens(August 26, 1934 - November 1934) (divorced)
- Parents
- RelativesHouseley Stevenson Jr.(Sibling)
- Smooth, resonant voice
- According to Laura Wagner in her article on Onslow in Films of the Golden Age, Issue #81, Summer 2015, Onslow, suffering from a serious heart ailment, was checked into the Hacienda Convalescent Hospital in Van Nuys, California, in the fall of 1976, by his wife. In November, he was brutally pushed by another patient and suffered a broken hip from the fall. An ambulance was called and Onslow was "treated" at a nearby hospital. His wife claims he was grossly neglected, developed pneumonia, and died. An inquest was held by the coroner and it was determined that he died "at the hands of another, other than by accident." Charges were brought up but they eventually were dropped.
- Suffered from bipolar disorder and alcoholism in middle age and received electro-shock treatments which affected the output of his later career. Thereafter on stage he became increasingly known for ad-libbing his lines and causing problems for the other actors.
- Met his first wife, socialite/actress Phyllis Cooper, at the Pasadena Playhouse. They eloped but separated almost immediately and divorced by two months time. He eloped with his second wife, Anne Buchanan, also a socialite/actress, when he directed her in a stage production of "Many Mansions." They divorced after a few years. He met and married third wife Vicki Clark while she was a student of his at the Pasadena Playhouse. That marriage lasted two years.
- An avid nudist. Stevens would often try to convince his fellow cast members of the health benefits associated with naturalism.
- Received critical praise for his appearances as a playwright in the film Once in a Lifetime (1932) and in Peg o' My Heart (1933), when he replaced Leslie Howard in the lead, but the two roles did not lead to anticipated film stardom.
- One of my earliest memories is of going on the stage with Mother and Dad in one of their plays. I wore a wig of golden curls and played a girl.
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