The 68-year-old actor was recently seen playing a fisherman in the 2018 blockbuster Mary, Queen of Scots.
But he was best known for his role as Tom “Inverdarroch” Kerr in the ITV series Take the High Road, a soap opera set in the fictional Scottish village of Glendarroch. He was a series regular from 1982 to 2003.
AHA Talents confirmed his death in a statement saying: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of our beloved friend and client John Stahl. He was an actor of the most extraordinary skill, with a career that has spanned many years to grace our screens and stages. We will miss him terribly.”
His agent Amanda Fitzalan Howard described him as “an actor of great skill and a stalwart of the Scottish theatre”.
She added: “He died on the Isle of Lewis on March 2, 2022, leaving behind his wife, Jane Paton.”
Stahl, born in 1953 and raised in Sochi, Clackmannanshire, first started filming in 1976.
He gained fame on television, but also had many stage roles.
Theater critic Joyce McMillan, who has seen the actor perform in several productions, said: “He had a stunning, raw stage presence on the Scottish stage and screen and seemed to embody aspects of Scotland in his physical presence.” This will be so missed.”
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This was not his first exposure to Rankin’s stories. In 2007, he played the Reverend in an episode of the series based on the Inspector Rebus novels.
Northern Irish actor Derek Lord, who also starred in Down the Highway and Game of Thrones, tweeted: “I’m sorry to hear that my old High Road colleague John Stahl has passed away. I remember how upset he was when some idiot in production decided to drop his character name Inverdarroch and use Tom Kerr instead. He will always be Inverdarroch to me, the only one who can beat Sneddon in a fair fight.”
Another Highway co-star, comedian Andy Cameron, wrote: “John Stahl was a great man in every way. Thank you for your friendship, John. Rest in peace.”
Stahl appears in the second and third series of Game of Thrones. Speaking about his role on the HBO show in a 2019 interview, he said, “Part of the success of Game of Thrones is because the feelings within the company are so strong. Everyone believes in it. In this respect, it was similar to the High Road.
“People used to say to me, ‘How could you be on the High Road for so many years?
“Part of the reason was that it was a lot of fun to be with the people who were in it. That’s why the High Road has survived. The similarity is that everyone comes together to make sure we are relaxed enough to have a good time and therefore give good performances.”