Hal Stalmaster

1950s juvenile actor Harry Lapidus Stalmaster was born in Los Angeles of Russian/Jewish ancestry, the younger son of District Court Judge Irvin Abel Stalmaster (1897-1952) and his wife Estelle (née Lapidus, 1903-1971). While working in the office of his older sibling, legendary Hollywood casting director Lynn Stalmaster, Hal was approached by a talent agent. Before long, the sixteen-year old was cast in an anthology drama on TV, and, soon after, successfully auditioned at Disney studios for the title role in the film Johnny Tremain (1957). Set in Boston during the years preceding the American Revolution, it was based on a 1943 historical novel. In his best remembered role, Hal starred as the youthful protagonist, an initially cocky apprentice silversmith, who becomes a delivery boy for an anti-British Whig newspaper and finally takes up arms when his best friend is killed. On the strength of his performance, Disney later cast him in another Revolutionary tale, the miniseries 'The Swamp Fox' (released as part of the anthology series Le monde merveilleux de Disney (1954)), which starred Leslie Nielsen as Continental Army hero Frances Marion.

During this time, Hal had already commenced studies at the University of California (graduating in 1963), becoming a cadet with the U.S. Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. He was subsequently based at the Presidio in San Francisco for another two years. Briefly tempted to return to acting, he appeared in a couple of television episodes in 1966, before making the decision to work behind the camera, first in the casting department for Disney studios and later as a booking agent..