US character actor; he of the close-cropped gray hair, thick spectacles
and clipped, ominous tones who would serve most memorably as the
nemesis of evil-doers and monsters in 30's and 40's horror movies and
suspensers, antagonizing first the likes of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff and
then, years later, Erich von Stroheim.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Bill Takacs <kinephile@aol.com>
Often portrayed European doctors or experts in Universal horror films who are often the enemy of the monsters (examples include Professor Van Helsing in Dracula (1931), Dr. Waldman in Frankenstein (1931) and Doctor Muller in The Mummy (1932).
Had two roles in Frankenstein (1931). He played Dr. Waldman and was the man who came out in the prologue to warn movie-goers that the film might be too much.
Stage: Played Van Helsing in the 1927 Broadway production of
"Dracula", with Bela Lugosi playing the Count.
Profiled in "Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960" by Laurence Raw (2012).