Her father, a widower, died in 1921 in a hospital in New York City at the age of 77, survived by Stahl, her sister and her three brothers.

[citation needed] She had until this time remained largely unknown to the theatre watching public, yet by 1907 had "jumped to the front in the theatrical firmament" and drewcomparisons with David Warfield.

Following her performances in The Chorus Lady, she was held in high regard by critics, describing her as "a comedienne with an exquisite sense of humor" while praising her naturalness in acting.

Sullivan, an actor famous for starring in the hugely popular play and later (1916) film The Black Crook; they divorced in the mid-1890s.

[citation needed] In the 1980 film Somewhere in Time, Christopher Reeve played a journalist researching an Edwardian actress in the library of a large hotel.