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Conrad Veidt

Acting 50 (deceased) years old Berlin, Germany ★ 0.6
Born: January 22, 1893
Died: April 3, 1943

Biography

Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent film, where he was one of the best-paid stars of Ufa, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with his new Jewish wife after the Nazis came to power. They settled in Britain, where he participated in a number of films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the United States around 1941, which lead to him having a supporting role in Casablanca (1942).

From 1916 until his death, Veidt appeared in more than 100 films. One of his earliest performances was as the murderous somnambulist Cesare in director Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a classic of German Expressionist cinema, with Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover. His starring role in The Man Who Laughs (1928), as a disfigured circus performer whose face is cut into a permanent grin, provided the (visual) inspiration for the Batman villain the Joker, created in 1940 by Bill Finger. Veidt also starred in other silent horror films such as The Hands of Orlac (1924), another film directed by Robert Wiene, The Student of Prague (1926) and Waxworks (1924) where he played Ivan the Terrible.

Veidt also appeared in Magnus Hirschfeld's film Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others, 1919), one of the first films to sympathetically portray homosexuality, although the characters in it do not end up happily. He had a leading role in Germany's first talking picture, Das Land ohne Frauen (Land Without Women, 1929).

He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s and made a few films, but the advent of talking pictures and his difficulty with speaking English led him to return to Germany. During this period he lent his expertise to tutoring aspiring performers, one of whom was the later American character actress Lisa Golm.

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

Casablanca
Casablanca Major Heinrich Strasser 1942
Napoleon
Napoleon Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade 1927
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Cesare 1920
The Thief of Bagdad
The Thief of Bagdad Jaffar 1940
A Woman's Face
A Woman's Face Torsten Barring 1941

Filmography

Acting Credits (121)

Vito
Vito Self (archive) 2011
Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad
Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad Jaffar (archival footage) 2008
The Many Faces of Dracula
The Many Faces of Dracula Self (archive footage) 2000
Universal Horror
Universal Horror (archive footage) 1998
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute Self (archive footage) 1974
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion Hassert Seidel 1943
Casablanca
Casablanca Major Heinrich Strasser 1942
Nazi Agent
Nazi Agent Otto Becker / Baron Hugo von Detner 1942
All Through the Night
All Through the Night Franz Ebbing 1942
The Men in Her Life
The Men in Her Life Stanislas Rosing 1941
Whistling in the Dark
Whistling in the Dark Joseph Jones 1941
A Woman's Face
A Woman's Face Torsten Barring 1941
Escape
Escape General Kurt von Kolb 1940
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound Self 1940
Contraband
Contraband Capt. Andersen 1940
The Thief of Bagdad
The Thief of Bagdad Jaffar 1940
The Spy in Black
The Spy in Black Captain Ernst Hardt 1939
The Chess Player
The Chess Player Le baron de Kempelen 1938
Tempête sur l'Asie
Tempête sur l'Asie Erich Keith 1938
Dark Journey
Dark Journey Baron Karl Von Marwitz 1937
Under the Red Robe
Under the Red Robe Gil de Berault 1937
King of the Damned
King of the Damned Convict 83 1935
The Passing of the Third Floor Back
The Passing of the Third Floor Back The Stranger 1935
Bella Donna
Bella Donna Mahmoud Baroudi 1934
Jew Süss
Jew Süss Josef 'Jew Süss' Oppenheimer 1934
Wilhelm Tell
Wilhelm Tell Gessler 1934
The Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew Matathias / The Unknown Knight / Dr Matteos Battadios 1933
I Was a Spy
I Was a Spy Commandant Oberaertz 1933
F.P.1
F.P.1 Maj. Ellissen 1933
The Only Girl
The Only Girl Marquis de Pontignac 1933
Rome Express
Rome Express Zurta 1932
The Black Hussar
The Black Hussar Captain Hansgeorg von Hochberg 1932
Rasputin, Demon of the Women
Rasputin, Demon of the Women Grigori Rasputin 1932
The Other Side
The Other Side Hauptmann Stanhope 1931
Congress Dances
Congress Dances Fürst Metternich 1931
The Night of the Decision
The Night of the Decision General Gregori Platoff 1931
The Man Who Committed the Murder
The Man Who Committed the Murder Oberst Marquis de Sévigné 1931
The Love Storm
The Love Storm Kingsley 1930
The Great Passion
The Great Passion Himself 1930
The Last Company
The Last Company Hauptmann Burk 1930
The Last Performance
The Last Performance Erik the Great 1929
Das Land ohne Frauen
Das Land ohne Frauen Dick Ashton 1929
The Movie City of Hollywood
The Movie City of Hollywood Self 1928
The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie 1928
Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed!
Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed! 1927
A Man's Past
A Man's Past Paul La Roche 1927
The Beloved Rogue
The Beloved Rogue King Louis XI 1927
Napoleon
Napoleon Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade 1927
The Flight in the Night
The Flight in the Night Count di Nolli, Heinrich IV 1926
The Student of Prague
The Student of Prague Balduin, Student 1926
Love is Blind
Love is Blind 1926
Should We Be Silent?
Should We Be Silent? Paul Hartwig, Maler 1926
Two Brothers
Two Brothers Wenzel Schellenberg / Michael Schellenberg 1926
Impetuous Youth
Impetuous Youth Renées Vater 1926
The Wife's Crusade
The Wife's Crusade Der Staatsanwalt 1926
The Ingmar Inheritance
The Ingmar Inheritance Hellgum 1925
Le Comte Kostia
Le Comte Kostia Comte Kostia 1925
Schicksal
Schicksal 1925
Husbands or Lovers
Husbands or Lovers Der Liebhaber, ein Dichter 1924
Waxworks
Waxworks Ivan the Terrible 1924
The Hands of Orlac
The Hands of Orlac Paul Orlac 1924
The Film in the Film
The Film in the Film Self 1924
Don Carlos und Elisabeth
Don Carlos und Elisabeth Don Carlos 1924
Wilhelm Tell
Wilhelm Tell Hermann Gessler 1923
Paganini
Paganini Niccolo Paganini 1923
Glanz gegen Glück
Glanz gegen Glück 1923
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia Cesare Borgia 1922
The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur
The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur 1921
The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi
The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur 1921
Lady Hamilton
Lady Hamilton Lord Nelson 1921
Danton
Danton Minor Role (rumored) 1921
Landstraße und Großstadt
Landstraße und Großstadt Raphael, der Geiger 1921
Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon
Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon Christian Wahnschaffe 1921
Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft
Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft 1921
Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore
Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore Hektor Dalmore 1921
Liebestaumel
Liebestaumel Jalenko 1921
Journey into the Night
Journey into the Night Der Maler 1921
People in Ecstasy
People in Ecstasy Professor Munk 1921
Das Geheimnis von Bombay
Das Geheimnis von Bombay Tossi 1921
Desire: The Tragedy of a Dancer
Desire: The Tragedy of a Dancer Ivan 1921
The Count of Cagliostro
The Count of Cagliostro Minister 1920
Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand
Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand Christian Wahnschaffe 1920
Manolescu's Memoirs
Manolescu's Memoirs Manolescu 1920
Evening – Night – Morning
Evening – Night – Morning Brilburn - Maud's brother 1920
Moriturus
Moriturus Wilmos, sanatorium director 1920
The Head of Janus
The Head of Janus Dr. Warren 1920
Künstlerlaunen
Künstlerlaunen 1920
Kurfürstendamm
Kurfürstendamm The devil 1920
Die Augen der Welt
Die Augen der Welt Johannes Kay 1920
Patience
Patience Sir Percy Parker 1920
Die Nacht auf Goldenhall
Die Nacht auf Goldenhall 1920
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Cesare 1920
The Merry-Go-Round
The Merry-Go-Round Petre Karvan 1920
Figures of the Night
Figures of the Night The clown 1920
Eerie Tales
Eerie Tales Der Tod / Various Other Roles 1919
Wahnsinn
Wahnsinn Bankier Lorenzen 1919
Prinz Kuckuck
Prinz Kuckuck Carl Kraker 1919
Prostitution II
Prostitution II Alfred Werner 1919
Die Okarina
Die Okarina 1919
Different from the Others
Different from the Others Paul Körner 1919
Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod
Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod 1919
Around the World in 80 Days
Around the World in 80 Days Phineas Fogg 1919
Prostitution
Prostitution Alfred Werner 1919
The Japanese Woman
The Japanese Woman 1919
Opium
Opium Dr. Richard Armstrong Jr. 1919
Nocturno der Liebe
Nocturno der Liebe Frederic Chopin 1919
The Mexican
The Mexican Dr. von Dossen 1919
Opfer der Gesellschaft
Opfer der Gesellschaft 1919
Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby
Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby Doktor Köstling 1918
The Story of Dida Ibsen
The Story of Dida Ibsen Erik Norrensen 1918
Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter
Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter Kramer 1918
Colomba
Colomba Henryk von Rhyn 1918
Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert
Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert Doktor Köstling 1918
Diary of a Lost Woman
Diary of a Lost Woman Dr. Julius 1918
Not of the Woman Born
Not of the Woman Born Satan 1918
Das Dreimäderlhaus
Das Dreimäderlhaus Schober 1918
The Mystery of Bangalore
The Mystery of Bangalore Dinja 1918
Fear
Fear Indian Priest 1917
Der Spion
Der Spion Steinau 1917
Wenn Tote sprechen
Wenn Tote sprechen Richard von Worth 1917
Der Weg des Todes
Der Weg des Todes 1917

Directing Credits (2)

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