Robert Neilson Stephens was born in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, in 1867. Following the early death of his father, he was raised by his mother, a schoolteacher, and graduated from high school in Huntingdon. Stephens worked in various local industries, including a printing office, a bookstore, and a railroad office, before securing a position with the Philadelphia Press in 1886. He served as the newspaper's drama editor until 1893, during which time he also began publishing short stories in magazines.
Transitioning to New York City, Stephens worked as a theatrical agent and began writing plays aimed at popular audiences. His debut play, On the Bowery, featured the famous bridge jumper Steve Brodie. Though his early theatrical works were designed for commercial appeal rather than critical acclaim, they paved the way for his most successful endeavor, An Enemy to the King. Originally written as a play, Stephens later adapted it into a highly successful novel, which was eventually adapted into a silent film in 1916.
Throughout his career, Stephens struggled with poor health. In 1889, he married Maude Helfenstein, and in 1899, he relocated to England in search of recovery. He remained there until his death in Bournemouth in 1906 at the age of thirty-eight, leaving behind a legacy of popular American melodrama and historical romance.
