The son of an English mother and a German-Swiss father, Stehli was born in Lyon, France.

[1] Stehli's professional acting debut came with a stock theater company in Bayonne as he had understudy and bit-part responsibilities and worked with props.

[2] Stehli appeared in the films Boomerang; Executive Suite; Drum Beat; The Cobweb; The Brothers Karamazov; No Name on the Bullet; 4D Man; Cash McCall; Atlantis, the Lost Continent; Parrish; Pocketful of Miracles; The Spiral Road; Twilight of Honor; Seconds; The Tiger Makes Out and Loving, among others.

His television appearances include episodes of Dennis the Menace, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and Hazel.

[4] At the time of Stehli's death, he was one of the oldest active members of Actors' Equity Association.