John Wengraf(1897-1974)
- Actor
A great number of Austrian and German actors were forced to flee their
homeland during the rise of Adolf Hitler
and the Nazis in the late 1930s only to find themselves smack dab in
Hollywood pictures playing thoroughly nefarious Gestapo commanders.
Viennese performer John Wengraf was one such actor. Born in 1897, his
father was a theatre critic whose occupation obviously encouraged
John's early interest in performing. His acting career began on the
repertory stage in 1920, eventually becoming a member of the Vienna
Volkstheater. He went on to earn a sturdy reputation as a dramatic
performer both in his homeland and in Berlin.
Because he was Jewishm Wengraf emigrated to England in 1933
as the Nazis began their rise to power. There he appeared unbilled in a
couple of films there, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television
shows ever presented, but his career began to languish. In late 1941,
however, he had the good fortune of appearing on Broadway with
Helen Hayes in "Candle in the Wind"
and decided to stay in the United Stes, where he eventually was
naturalized. The following year he headed west and settled
permanently in the Los Angeles area. A dark, cold-eyed, thin-lipped
player with a precise, meticulous air about him, he found himself
invariably playing the very characters he detested. Some of his more
nefarious nasties surfaced in such films as the
Humphrey Bogart classic
Sahara (1943), as well as
The Boy from Stalingrad (1943),
U-Boat Prisoner (1944) and
Till We Meet Again (1944).
In postwar years, he was often spotted portraying ethnic professionals
(scientists, doctors, professors, foreign royalty). Some of the higher
quality roles he portrayed were
Tomorrow Is Forever (1946);
Count Von Papen in 5 Fingers (1952);
and Ronchin in the Ethel Merman musical
Call Me Madam (1953). Although
Wengraf never made it to the very top of the Hollywood character ranks,
he remained a thoroughly strong and reliable player. In the 1950s and
1960s he transferred his talents to TV, appearing on a number of
dramatic showcases and on such popular programs as
The Untouchables (1959),
Hawaiian Eye (1959),
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
and The Time Tunnel (1966).
His last few films included minor roles in the war-themed
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961),
Hitler (1962) and
Ship of Fools (1965). He retired in
1966, and died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 77, on May 4, 1974.
homeland during the rise of Adolf Hitler
and the Nazis in the late 1930s only to find themselves smack dab in
Hollywood pictures playing thoroughly nefarious Gestapo commanders.
Viennese performer John Wengraf was one such actor. Born in 1897, his
father was a theatre critic whose occupation obviously encouraged
John's early interest in performing. His acting career began on the
repertory stage in 1920, eventually becoming a member of the Vienna
Volkstheater. He went on to earn a sturdy reputation as a dramatic
performer both in his homeland and in Berlin.
Because he was Jewishm Wengraf emigrated to England in 1933
as the Nazis began their rise to power. There he appeared unbilled in a
couple of films there, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television
shows ever presented, but his career began to languish. In late 1941,
however, he had the good fortune of appearing on Broadway with
Helen Hayes in "Candle in the Wind"
and decided to stay in the United Stes, where he eventually was
naturalized. The following year he headed west and settled
permanently in the Los Angeles area. A dark, cold-eyed, thin-lipped
player with a precise, meticulous air about him, he found himself
invariably playing the very characters he detested. Some of his more
nefarious nasties surfaced in such films as the
Humphrey Bogart classic
Sahara (1943), as well as
The Boy from Stalingrad (1943),
U-Boat Prisoner (1944) and
Till We Meet Again (1944).
In postwar years, he was often spotted portraying ethnic professionals
(scientists, doctors, professors, foreign royalty). Some of the higher
quality roles he portrayed were
Tomorrow Is Forever (1946);
Count Von Papen in 5 Fingers (1952);
and Ronchin in the Ethel Merman musical
Call Me Madam (1953). Although
Wengraf never made it to the very top of the Hollywood character ranks,
he remained a thoroughly strong and reliable player. In the 1950s and
1960s he transferred his talents to TV, appearing on a number of
dramatic showcases and on such popular programs as
The Untouchables (1959),
Hawaiian Eye (1959),
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
and The Time Tunnel (1966).
His last few films included minor roles in the war-themed
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961),
Hitler (1962) and
Ship of Fools (1965). He retired in
1966, and died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 77, on May 4, 1974.