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IMDbPro

Sig Ruman(1884-1967)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Sig Ruman in Miehet hänen päiväkirjassaan (1945)
Trailer for this classic comedy
Play trailer2:17
Ninotchka (1939)
3 Videos
76 Photos
Wonderfully talented German-born actor, capable of tremendous comedic and dramatic performances, usually as some type of pompous bureaucrat or similarly arrogant individual. Ruman was born on October 11, 1884, in Hamburg, Germany, and actually studied electrotechnology in college before making the switch to acting. He served with the Imperial German Forces in World War I before coming to the United States in 1924. He became friendly with playwright George S. Kaufman and critic Alexander Woollcott and was regularly appearing in high-quality stage productions on Broadway.

With the advent of talkies, he was kept very busy in the cinema and became a favorite of the Marx Brothers, appearing as stiff-shirted NYC opera owner Herman Gottlieb in the comedy classic Ilta oopperassa (1935). He played a know-it-all surgeon crossing swords with Groucho Marx over what exactly was wrong with hypochondriac Margaret Dumont in Päivä kilpa-ajoissa (1937). and a dual role in Yö Casablancassa (1946). With his German accent, he was also a regular in several WWII espionage thrillers, including Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), They Came to Blow Up America (1943), and Hitler & kumpp. (1944), and gave a superb portrayal of the two-faced POW guard Schulz in the splendid Vankileiri 17 (1953). He was also popular with famed director Ernst Lubitsch, who cast Ruman in Ninotchka (1939), and Ollako vai eikö olla (1942). In all, he notched up over 100 feature film appearances as well as guest star spots on many TV shows.

Ruman suffered ill health for the final two decades of his life and passed away on February 14, 1967, from a heart attack.
BornOctober 11, 1884
DiedFebruary 14, 1967(82)
BornOctober 11, 1884
DiedFebruary 14, 1967(82)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos76

Jimmy Cross and Sig Ruman in Addams Family (1964)
John Astin, Jimmy Cross, Carolyn Jones, and Sig Ruman in Addams Family (1964)
Sig Ruman and Felix Silla in Addams Family (1964)
Jimmy Cross, Carolyn Jones, and Sig Ruman in Addams Family (1964)
Sig Ruman and Monty Woolley in Ei mikään pyhää... (1937)
Sig Ruman and Monty Woolley in Ei mikään pyhää... (1937)
Sig Ruman in Ei mikään pyhää... (1937)
Sig Ruman in Under Pressure (1935)
Greta Garbo, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, and Sig Ruman in Ninotchka (1939)
Jeanne Crain and Sig Ruman in Neljä helmeä (1952)
Sig Ruman in Under Pressure (1935)
Jane Bryan, Elisabeth Risdon, and Sig Ruman in Mustat enkelit (1938)

Known for:

Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Ollako vai eikö olla (1942)
Ollako vai eikö olla
8.2
  • Colonel Ehrhardt
  • 1942
William Holden, Harvey Lembeck, and Robert Strauss in Vankileiri 17 (1953)
Vankileiri 17
8.0
  • Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
  • 1953
Groucho Marx, Kitty Carlisle, Allan Jones, Chico Marx, and Harpo Marx in Ilta oopperassa (1935)
Ilta oopperassa
7.8
  • Herman Gottlieb(as Siegfried Rumann)
  • 1935
Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
Ninotchka
7.8
  • Iranoff(as Sig Rumann)
  • 1939

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Jerry avaruudessa (1966)
    Jerry avaruudessa
    5.3
    • Russian Delegate
    • 1966
  • Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, and Judi West in Onnenonkijat (1966)
    Onnenonkijat
    7.2
    • Professor Winterhalter
    • 1966
  • Vihoviimeiset agentit (1966)
    Vihoviimeiset agentit
    4.6
    • Professor Werner von Koenig
    • 1966
  • Robert Vaughn, Leo G. Carroll, and David McCallum in Napoleon Solo (1964)
    Napoleon Solo
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Conductor Schultz
    • 1965
  • Hank (1965)
    Hank
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Prof. Max Wagner
    • 1965
  • Jackie Coogan, John Astin, Marie Blake, Ted Cassidy, Carolyn Jones, Lisa Loring, and Ken Weatherwax in Addams Family (1964)
    Addams Family
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Eric Von Bissell
    • 1965
  • The Story of Dr. Lister (1965)
    The Story of Dr. Lister
    Short
    • Lecture Attendee
    • 1965
  • Bea Benaderet, Edgar Buchanan, Frank Cady, Linda Henning, Jeannine Riley, Pat Woodell, and Higgins in Petticoat Junction (1963)
    Petticoat Junction
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Professor Lieberschmit
    • 1965
  • Fess Parker in Daniel Boone (1964)
    Daniel Boone
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Van Coot
    • 1964
  • James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, and Rod Taylor in 36 tuntia (1964)
    36 tuntia
    7.3
    • German Guard
    • 1964
  • Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Barbara Rush in Chicagon Robin Hood (1964)
    Chicagon Robin Hood
    6.4
    • Hammacher (uncredited)
    • 1964
  • Munroe
    5.4
    TV Movie
    • Professor Hendrick Von Schmidt
    • 1963
  • Bob Denver and Dwayne Hickman in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959)
    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Himelmayer
    • 1962
  • James Garner and Jack Kelly in Maverick (1957)
    Maverick
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Klaus Jonckbloet
    • August Bockenheimer
    • Professor Kronkhite ...
    • 1958–1962
  • Pete and Gladys (1960)
    Pete and Gladys
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Otto Bergner
    • Otto
    • 1962

Videos3

Ninotchka
Trailer 2:17
Ninotchka
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Trailer 1:58
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Thank You, Mr. Moto
Trailer 1:45
Thank You, Mr. Moto

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • the Movie Director
  • Height
    • 1.83 m
  • Born
    • October 11, 1884
    • Hamburg, Germany
  • Died
    • February 14, 1967
    • Julian, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Else RumannOctober 30, 1905 - February 14, 1967 (his death, 1 child)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Preysing") in the original production of "Grand Hotel" on Broadway.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Appears in gym clothes as a portly physical trainer, Herr Hanfstangel, and even gets to sing part of Irving Berlin's "Let's Go Slumming on Park Avenue" in the grand finale of On the Avenue (1937).
  • Trademarks
      Wacky, daft comic characters
  • Nickname
    • Sigfried Rumann

FAQ10

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