Born in Chicago, Illinois. Began selling stories in 1915 and writing screenplays two years later. When the U.S. entered WW I Furthman used the name "Stephen Fox" for his screenplays because he thought his name sounded too German, but reverted to his real name after the war. Furthman produced outstanding work in virtually every genre and proved himself compatible with a wide range of directing styles. He wrote or co-wrote eight scripts for Josef von Sternberg (including MOROCCO, 1930 and SHANGHAI EXPRESS and BLONDE VENUS, both 1932) and six for Howard Hawks [COME AND GET IT (1936), ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939), THE OUTLAW (1943), TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), THE BIG SLEEP (1946) and RIO BRAVO (1959)]. Other notable writing credts include MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) and SPAWN OF THE NORTH (1938). He directed three films in the early 1920s (THE LAND OF JAZZ, 1920 and THE BLUSHING BRIDE and COLORODO PLUCK, both 1921) and JET PILOT (1957, uncredited). Brother Charles Furthman (1884-1936) was also a screenwriter.    Nominated for Writing (Screenplay) 1935: MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (w. Talbot Jennings & Carey Wilson) 1 nomination