Editing George Stevens (section)

==Early life ==
Stevens was born on December 18, 1904, in [[Oakland, California]], the son of [[Landers Stevens]] and Georgie Cooper, both stage actors.{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=6}} A brother of theatre critic [[Ashton Stevens]], Landers Stevens began his acting career at age 20, and established his own theatrical stock company when he was 24. Landers met Cooper where she was performing at the Tivoli Theatre in San Francisco, and the two were married in 1902.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=7–9}} He also had two brothers, [[Jack Stevens (cinematographer)|Jack]], a cinematographer, and writer Aston Stevens. He learned about the stage by watching his parents, and himself, acting in plays in [[San Francisco]].<ref name=":0">''George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey'' (1984)</ref>{{Rp|page=9:00}} George remembered, "As a kid I helped my father, setting up the entrances and marking the script and holding the lines. Because he was usually acting in the play and because he also was directing, I helped, holding the script."{{sfn|Cronin|2004|p=32}} 

At the age of 5, George made his stage debut in the play ''[[Sappho (play)|Sappho]]'', appearing alongside [[Nance O'Neill]], at the [[Alcazar Theatre (1885)|Alcazar Theatre]].{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=8}} At the age of 10, his mother gave him a [[Brownie camera]], and he began photographing the city and portraits of his mother.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=9:00}} Landers's theatre troupe toured throughout the West Coast, [[Utah]], [[Vancouver]], and [[Canada]]. By 1920, the theatre stock company had waned in popularity, and Stevens's parents set up a [[tent show]] in downtown San Francisco.{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=8}} 

Stevens's parents relocated to [[Sonoma County, California]], where Jack and George were enrolled in the Flowery School and then [[Sonora Union High School]]. The 1920–1921 theatre season was financially unsuccessful, so much that Landers closed his theatre company.{{sfn|Moss|2004|pp=8–9}} Decades later, George reflected: "A movie palace was built right across the street from the theatre where my father worked. First one was built on this corner, then one was built on that corner, and the people were going to them in great numbers. I remember my father peeking out through the brass ring before the curtain went up on his stage show, and there weren't many people out front."{{sfn|Cronin|2004|p=32}} 

In 1921, the family relocated once more to [[Glendale, California|Glendale]] so Landers could pursue work in Hollywood. By the age of 16, George was forced to drop out of high school in order to drive his father to acting auditions. To compensate for his lack of a formal education, George regularly visited the [[Glendale Public Library]].{{sfn|Moss|2004|p=9}}