Born in
Venice, at a young age, Stival founded an amateur dramatics in which he served both as director and as actor. He made his professional debut in 1927, with the stage company led by
Emma Gramatica. During his career Stival worked with some of the major stage companies of his time, including the ones led by
Ruggero Ruggeri,
Antonio Gandusio,
Memo Benassi,
Armando Migliari,
Dina Galli (with whom he shared the huge success of the comedy play
Felicita Colombo) and the Compagnia dell'Eliseo, with whom he enjoyed significant critical acclaim for his performances in some
George Bernard Shaw's adaptations. He also appeared in several films, even if mainly in supporting roles. Stival died in a car accident, while he was driving from
Milan (where he was performing with his stage company) to
Turin (where he was shooting the
Vittorio Cottafavi's musical drama ''Traviata '53''). == Selected filmography ==