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IMDbPro

Francis Lederer(1899-2000)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Francis Lederer
Trailer for this motion picture that dares to unlock the secrets of the unknown
Play trailer1:13
Terror Is a Man (1959)
6 Videos
99+ Photos
Frantisek Lederer was born on November 6th, 1899, in Czechoslovakia. His father was a leather merchant, and young Frantisek began his working life as a department store delivery boy in Prague. He fell in love with acting from a young age, and was soon on stage touring Moravia and then all over Central Europe with people like Peter Lorre.

Lederer was easily lured into film by German actress Henny Porten and her producer husband. And it wasn't long before he was starring in the legendary German silent movie Pandora's Box (1929).

Whilst Lederer, who was using the German name of Franz, shifted from silents to talkies easily and was fast becoming one of Germany's top stars, he hadn't yet learned to speak any English.

By 1934, Lederer, (now using Francis), had begun working in America. And he was getting top billing too. Irving Thalberg had planned to make Lederer "the biggest star in Hollywood" but Thalberg's untimely death put a stop to that. But Lederer continued successfully in film and TV for many years.

After two brief marriages his third lasted 59 years. He invested in property well and made a fortune in the Canoga Park, California area. He founded the National Academy of Performing Arts on which his close friend Joan Crawford was on the Advisory Board. He loved to teach.

Lederer was still teaching the week before he died in 2000, aged 100 years.
BornNovember 6, 1899
DiedMay 25, 2000(100)
BornNovember 6, 1899
DiedMay 25, 2000(100)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 7 wins total

Photos121

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+ 115
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Known for

Francis Lederer and Ida Lupino in One Rainy Afternoon (1936)
One Rainy Afternoon
5.9
  • Philippe Martin
  • 1936
Ginger Rogers and Francis Lederer in Romance in Manhattan (1934)
Romance in Manhattan
6.8
  • Karel Novak
  • 1934
Norma Eberhardt, Francis Lederer, Ray Stricklyn, Virginia Vincent, and John Wengraf in The Return of Dracula (1958)
The Return of Dracula
5.7
  • Count Dracula - posing as Bellac Gordal
  • 1958
Frances Dee and Francis Lederer in The Gay Deception (1935)
The Gay Deception
6.7
  • Sandro
  • 1935

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Rod Serling in Night Gallery (1969)
    Night Gallery
    7.9
    TV Series
    • The Count (segment "The Devil Is Not Mocked")
    • 1971
  • It Takes a Thief (1968)
    It Takes a Thief
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Hoffman
    • 1969
  • That Girl (1966)
    That Girl
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Vittorio Barrini
    • 1967
  • Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)
    Mission: Impossible
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Senko Brobin
    • 1967
  • Blue Light (1966)
    Blue Light
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Kurt Hausman
    • 1966
  • Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)
    Kraft Suspense Theatre
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Dr. Jeremias Lipp
    • 1965
  • Ben Casey (1961)
    Ben Casey
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Otto Mueller
    • Dr. Alfred Littauer
    • 1962–1965
  • The Best of the Post (1960)
    The Best of the Post
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Siegfrid
    • 1961
  • Abel Fernandez, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni, and Robert Stack in The Untouchables (1959)
    The Untouchables
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Walter Messlinger
    • 1960
  • John Forsythe, Larry Blyden, and Barbara Rush in Sunday Showcase (1959)
    Sunday Showcase
    4.5
    TV Series
    • Mario Morgan
    • 1960
  • The DuPont Show of the Month (1957)
    The DuPont Show of the Month
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Dr. Gottlieb
    • 1960
  • Richard Derr, Francis Lederer, and Greta Thyssen in Terror Is a Man (1959)
    Terror Is a Man
    5.3
    • Dr. Charles Girard
    • 1959
  • Behind Closed Doors (1958)
    Behind Closed Doors
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Brauer
    • 1958
  • Marsha Hunt and John Rodney in Studio One (1948)
    Studio One
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Rene d'Arcy
    • 1958
  • Maracaibo (1958)
    Maracaibo
    5.8
    • Miguel Orlando
    • 1958

Director



  • Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
    77 Sunset Strip
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1962

Soundtrack



  • Francis Lederer and Ida Lupino in One Rainy Afternoon (1936)
    One Rainy Afternoon
    5.9
    • performer: "One Rainy Afternoon"
    • 1936
  • Ginger Rogers and Francis Lederer in Romance in Manhattan (1934)
    Romance in Manhattan
    6.8
    • Soundtrack ("Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)" (1850), uncredited)
    • 1934

Videos6

Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:22
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:02
Trailer
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
Trailer 2:19
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
Terror Is A Man
Trailer 1:13
Terror Is A Man

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Franz Lederer
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • November 6, 1899
    • Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]
  • Died
    • May 25, 2000
    • Palm Springs, California, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouses
      Marion Eleanor IrvineJuly 10, 1941 - May 25, 2000 (his death)
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared on Broadway in "Autumn Crocus".
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 2 Interviews
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Founded the American National Academy of Performing Arts and continued to give acting seminars up until the time of his death at age 100. His more famous students include Helen Hunt, Michael Nader and Paul Gleason.
  • Quotes
    My theory about acting was created by the fact that I had the good fortune immediately to play important parts on the stage and on the screen with these big stars, and I acquired a a theory that I still pursue, and that is concentration on what the whole situation, what the whole scene is about.

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