John Wengraf

Actor: John Wengraf

Born: 1896 in Vienna, Austria
Died: May 04, 1974 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Actor
Active: '40s-'60s
Major Genres: Drama, Spy Film
Career Highlights: The Pride and the Passion, Sofia, U-Boat Prisoner
First Major Screen Credit: U-Boat Prisoner (1944)

Biography

The son of a Viennese drama critic, John Wengraf enjoyed an extensive -- and expensive -- theatrical training. Wengraf made his stage debut in repertory in 1920, then graduated to the Vienna Volkstheater. He flourished as an actor and director in Berlin until the Nazis came to power in 1933. Moving to England, he appeared in a few films there, and also participated in some of the first BBC live-television presentations. In 1941, he made his Broadway bow, and in 1942 launched his Hollywood career. An imposing-looking fellow who somewhat resembled British actor Leo G. Carroll, Wengraf was frequently cast as erudite Nazi officials; after the war, he specialized in portraying mittel-European doctors and psychiatrists. From the 1950s until his retirement in 1963, John Wengraf made several TV appearances, including two guest-star gigs on The Untouchables. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide