A German-born, Pennsylvania-educated stage actor, John Steppling had appeared opposite E.H. Sothern in The Prisoner of Zenda, Olga Nethersole in Sappho, and William Gillette in Secret Service, all very successful plays that ran for years. The dark-haired actor reportedly began his long screen career with Essanay in Chicago in 1912 and by 1915 he was appearing opposite Carol Holloway in Billy Van Deusen comedies for the American company in Santa Barbara, CA. While with American, Steppling played perhaps his best known role, that of Senator Locke, whose daughter is infected with syphilis in Damaged Goods, a heartfelt if rather sensationalist melodrama produced by its star, Richard Bennett. Extremely busy in the 1920s as well, Steppling retired due to illness shortly before sound. His relationship, if any, to the later screenwriter of the same name has not been established.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Their Hour
Actor |
1928 | |||
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By Whose Hand?
Actor |
1927 | |||
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California or Bust
Actor |
1927 | |||
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God's Great Wilderness
Actor |
1927 | |||
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Her Father Said No
Actor |
1927 | |||
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The Gay Old Bird
Actor |
1927 | |||
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Wedding Bells
Actor |
1927 | |||
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Memory Lane
Actor |
1926 | |||
| 1925 | ||||
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Eve's Lover
Actor |
1925 | |||
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Soft Shoes
Actor |
1925 | |||
| 1924 | ||||
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Abraham Lincoln
Actor |
1924 | |||
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Cafe in Cairo
Actor |
1924 | |||
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Fast Worker
Actor |
1924 | |||
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Galloping Fish
Actor |
1924 | |||
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The Reckless Age
Actor |
1924 | |||
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Bell Boy 13
Actor |
1923 | |||
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Going Up
Actor |
1923 | |||
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Let's Go!
Actor |
1923 | |||
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Man Next Door
Actor |
1923 | |||
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What a Wife Learned
Actor |
1923 | |||
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Too Much Business
Actor |
1922 | |||
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Black Beauty
Actor |
1921 | |||
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Nobody's Kid
Actor |
1921 | |||
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The Hunch
Actor |
1921 | |||
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The Silver Car
Actor |
1921 | |||
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Sick Abed
Actor |
1920 | |||
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The Inferior Sex
Actor |
1920 | |||
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The Divorce Trap
Actor |
1919 | |||
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Cupid by Proxy
Actor |
1918 | |||
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Good Night, Paul
Actor |
1918 | |||
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Damaged Goods
Actor |
1914 | |||
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Let No Man Put Asunder
Actor |
1913 | |||
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Billy and the Butler
Actor |
1912 | |||
|
House of Pride
Actor |
1912 | |||
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The Butterfly Net
Actor |
1912 |