Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for his performance as

Captain Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...

in the film ''

The Life of Emile Zola ''The Life of Emile Zola'' is a 1937 American biographical film about the 19th-century French author Émile Zola starring Paul Muni and directed by William Dieterle. It premiered at the Los Angeles Carthay Circle Theatre to great critical and f ...

'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for his performance as

Otto Frank Otto Heinrich Frank (12 May 1889 – 19 August 1980) was a German businessman who later became a resident of the Netherlands and Switzerland. He was the father of Anne and Margot Frank and husband of Edith Frank, and was the sole member o ...

in the film ''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'' (1959) and a

Primetime Emmy The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for his performance as Rabbi Gottlieb in a 1962 episode of the television series ''

Sam Benedict ''Sam Benedict'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman. The character Sam Benedict is based on real-life lawyer Jake Ehrlich, who served as t ...

''.

Early life

Schildkraut was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Erna (née Weinstein) and stage (and later motion picture) actor

Rudolph Schildkraut Rudolph Schildkraut (27 April 1862 – 15 July 1930) was an Austrian film and theatre actor. Life and career Schildkraut was born in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire to a Jewish family. His parents ran a hotel. He grew up in Brăila, Rom ...

. His family was Jewish. In 1910, he accompanied his father on his tour to the U.S. and returned to Europe in 1913. He began stage training with

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...

in Berlin shortly afterward, began his career on the stages of Germany and Austria, then made the transition to film. Schildkraut moved to the U.S. in 1920 and appeared in many Broadway productions. Among the plays in which he starred was a notable production of ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

''.

Career

Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13226, Josef Schildkraut und Maria Olszewska

In 1921, Schildkraut played the title role in the first American stage production of

Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playw ...

's ''

Liliom ''Liliom'' is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was well known in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 musical ''Carousel''. P ...

'', the play that eventually became the basis for

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

''. He then began working in

silent movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

, but he returned to the stage occasionally. He had early success in film as the Chevalier de Vaudrey in

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

's ''

Orphans of the Storm ''Orphans of the Storm'' is a 1921 American silent drama film by D. W. Griffith set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution. The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial fail ...

'' with

Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...

. Later, he was featured in

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

's epic 1927 film '' The King of Kings'' as

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

. Schildraut's father Rudolf also appeared in the film. Joseph Schildkraut also played a Viennese-accented, non-singing

Gaylord Ravenal Gaylord Ravenal is the leading male character in Edna Ferber's 1926 novel ''Show Boat'', in the famous Jerome Kern- Oscar Hammerstein II 1927 musical play of the same name based on the novel, and in the films made from it. He is a handsome, comp ...

in the 1929 part-talkie film version of Edna Ferber's ''Show Boat''. The character as written in the 1929 film was much closer to Ferber's original than to the depiction of him in the classic Kern and Hammerstein musical play based on the novel as well as the 1936 and 1951 film versions of the musical, but the 1929 film was not a critical or box-office success. Schildkraut received an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...

for his role as

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...

in ''

'' (1937). Additional accolades came for playing the ambitious duc d'Orléans in the historical epic ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

'' (1938), and he gave a notable performance as the villainous

Nicolas Fouquet Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux (27 January 1615 – 23 March 1680) was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV. He had a glittering career, and acquired enormous wealth ...

in '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939). Schildkraut is perhaps best remembered today for playing the role of Otto Frank in both the original stage production and film version of ''

'' (1959). He was also an active

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

and appeared in guest roles on several early television shows, including the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'', in which he played Claudius in the 1953 television production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', with Maurice Evans in the title role. Schildkraut also hosted and starred in '' Joseph Schildkraut Presents'', a short-lived series on the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

from October 1953 to January 1954. In 1961, during the third season of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', he made his first appearance on "

Deaths-Head Revisited "Deaths-Head Revisited" is episode 74 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. The story is about a former SS officer revisiting the Dachau concentration camp a decade and a half after World War II. The title is a play o ...

". He later played an elderly man in " The Trade-Ins" in season 3, episode 31 of the same show. In 1963, he was nominated for a Best Actor

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his performance in a guest-starring role on ''

''.

Personal life

Schildkraut was married three times. His first marriage was to actress

Elise Bartlett Elise Bartlett (born Elise Bartlett Porter; October 5, 1897 – May 22, 1947) was an American actress who appeared in numerous stage productions throughout the 1920s and 1930s, as well as several feature films, including the 1929 film Show Boat. ...

in 1923; they divorced in 1931. He married Mary McKay in 1932 until her death on February 17, 1962. In 1963, Schildkraut married Leonora Rogers, who survived him. Schildkraut died at his home in New York City of a heart attack. His father had died at the same age, also of a heart attack. For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Schildkraut has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard. He is interred in the

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles ...

Filmography

* ''Dämon und Mensch'' (1915) * ''Das Wiegenlied'' (1916) * ''Für den Ruhm des Geliebten'' (1916) as Musiker Rolf * ''Seine Durchlaucht der Landstreicher'' (1919) * ''Die schwarze Fahne'' (1919) * ''Der Roman der Komtesse Ruth'' (1920) * ''

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl; hu, Herzl Tivadar; Hebrew name given at his brit milah: Binyamin Ze'ev (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish lawyer, journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer who was the father of modern p ...

'' (1921) as Das leidende Israel * ''

'' (1921) as Chevalier de Vaudrey * ''

The Song of Love ''The Song of Love'' (also known as ''Le chant d'amour'' or ''Love Song'') is a 1914 painting by Italian metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. It is one of the most famous works by Chirico and an early example of the surrealist style, thoug ...

'' (1923) as Raymon Valverde * ''

The Road to Yesterday ''The Road to Yesterday'' is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is significant because it was Cecil B. DeMille's first release from his new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation. It wa ...

'' (1925) as Kenneth Paulton * '' Shipwrecked'' (1926) as Larry O'Neil * ''

Meet the Prince ''Meet the Prince'' is a lost 1926 American comedy-drama silent film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Joseph Schildkraut and Marguerite De La Motte. It was produced by Metropolitan Pictures Corporation and distributed by Producers Distri ...

'' (1926) as Prince Nicholas * ''

Young April ''Young April'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, and starring Bessie Love, Joseph Schildkraut, and Rudolph Schildkraut. The film was produced by Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by Producers Distributing ...

'' (1926) as Prince Caryl * '' The King of Kings'' (1927) as

* ''

The Heart Thief ''The Heart Thief'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander and starring Joseph Schildkraut, Lya De Putti, and Robert Edeson.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 83 Cast * Joseph Schildkraut as Paul Kurt * Lya De Pu ...

'' (1927) as Paul Kurt * ''

His Dog ''His Dog'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Karl Brown for DeMille Pictures Corporation. It stars Joseph Schildkraut and Julia Faye in one of her rare leading roles. A complete print of the film exists at the Cinematheque Royale ...

'' (1927) as Peter Olsen * '' The Forbidden Woman'' (1927) as Jean La Coste * ''

The Blue Danube "The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen blauen Donau", Op. 314 (German for "By the Beautiful Blue Danube"), a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. Originally performed on 15 Februa ...

'' (1928) as Ludwig * '' Tenth Avenue'' (1928) as Joe Ross * ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' (1929) as Gaylord Ravenal * '' The Mississippi Gambler'' (1929) as Jack Morgan * '' Night Ride'' (1930) as Joe Rooker * '' Cock o' the Walk'' (1930) as Carlos Lopez * ''

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

'' (1931) as Count Andreas Scipio * ''

'' (1932) as Sandor * ''

Viva Villa! ''Viva Villa!'' is a 1934 American pre-Code film directed by Jack Conway and starring Wallace Beery as Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, adapted from the 1933 book ''Viva Villa!'' by Edgecumb Pinchon an ...

'' (1934) as Gen. Pascal * ''

Sisters Under the Skin ''Sisters Under the Skin'', later renamed ''The Romantic Age'', is a 1934 American drama film directed by David Burton and starring Elissa Landi, Frank Morgan, and Joseph Schildkraut. It was the first film Landi made for Columbia Pictures. Plot ...

'' (1934) as Zukowski * ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'' (1934) as Herod * ''

The Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

'' (1935) as Conrad - Marquis of Montferrat * '' The Garden of Allah'' (1936) as Batouch * ''

Slave Ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

'' (1937) as Danelo * ''

Souls at Sea ''Souls at Sea'' is a 1937 American adventure film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper and George Raft. Based on a story by Ted Lesser, the film is about a first mate on a slave ship who frees the slaves on the ship after a mutiny ...

'' (1937) as Gaston de Bastonet * ''

'' (1937) as Capt.

* ''

Lancer Spy ''Lancer Spy'' is a 1937 American thriller film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring Dolores Del Rio and George Sanders. Its plot concerns an Englishman who impersonates a German officer and a female German spy who falls in love with him. Plo ...

'' (1937) as Prince Ferdi Zu Schwarzwald * ''

Lady Behave! ''Lady Behave!'' is a 1938 American film directed by Lloyd Corrigan. The sophisticated comedy was released by Republic Pictures. Plot Prior to leaving for Haiti, two sisters and their godfather/legal advisor are having a holiday in New Orl ...

'' (1937) as Michael Andrews * ''

The Baroness and the Butler ''The Baroness and the Butler'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film based on the play ''Jean'' by Ladislaus Bus-Fekete. Directed by Walter Lang, it stars William Powell and, in her American English-language debut, Annabella (actress), Annabe ...

'' (1938) as Baron Georg Marissey * ''

'' (1938) as duc d’Orleans * ''

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

'' (1938) as Vicomte Rene De Latour * '' Idiot's Delight'' (1939) as Captain Kirvline * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (1939) as

King Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

* '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939) as

Fouquet Fouquet (Foucquet) is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Foucquet, sculptor active in Sweden * Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle (1684–1761), French general and statesman * Christophe Fouquet ...

* '' Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' (1939) as Hendrik Manderson * ''

Lady of the Tropics ''Lady of the Tropics'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Jack Conway, starring Robert Taylor, Hedy Lamarr, and Joseph Schildkraut. Plot While visiting French Indochina with his girlfriend and her family on her father's yacht, freeload ...

'' (1939) as Pierre Delaroch * ''

The Rains Came ''The Rains Came'' is a 1939 20th Century Fox film based on an American novel by Louis Bromfield (published in June 1937 by Harper & Brothers). The film was directed by Clarence Brown and stars Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda ...

'' (1939) as Mr. Bannerjee * '' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1939) as Hugo Ludwig * ''

Phantom Raiders ''Phantom Raiders'' is a 1940 film, the second in the series starring Walter Pidgeon as detective Nick Carter. The film was part of a movie trilogy based on original stories featuring the character from the long-running ''Nick Carter, Detective'' ...

'' (1940) as Al Taurez * ''

Rangers of Fortune ''Rangers of Fortune'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Sam Wood. The plot revolves around three heroes, played by Fred MacMurray, Albert Dekker, and Gilbert Roland, as they battle a ruthless land baron who is intent on driving out s ...

'' (1940) as Col. Lewis Rebstock * ''

The Shop Around the Corner ''The Shop Around the Corner'' is a 1940 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Frank Morgan. The supporting cast included Joseph Schildkraut, Sara Haden, Fe ...

'' (1940) as Ferencz Vadas * ''

Meet the Wildcat ''Meet the Wildcat'' is an American 1940 mystery film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Ralph Bellamy and Margaret Lindsay. Plot One day in Mexico, magazine photographer Ann Larkin is in a museum when she happens to see a man steal a painting. P ...

'' (1940) as Leon Dumeray * '' The Parson of Panamint'' (1941) as Bob Deming * ''

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the n ...

'' (1941, short) as Young Man * ''

Flame of Barbary Coast ''Flame of Barbary Coast'' is a 1945 American musical-drama film starring John Wayne, Ann Dvorak, Joseph Schildkraut, William Frawley, and Virginia Grey. The movie was scripted by Borden Chase and directed by Joseph Kane. Plot Naive Montana cow ...

'' (1945) as Tito Morell * '' The Cheaters'' (1945) as Anthony 'Mr. M.' Marchand * '' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946) as Don Francisco * '' Plainsman and the Lady'' (1946) as Peter Marquette * ''

Northwest Outpost ''Northwest Outpost'' (also known as ''End of the Rainbow'') is a 1947 American musical film, Musical Western (genre), Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. The film was Eddy's last, and is an operetta film ...

'' (1947) as Count Igor Savin * ''

Old Los Angeles ''Old Los Angeles'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Clements Ripley. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, John Carroll, Catherine McLeod, Joseph Schildkraut, Andy Devine and Estelita ...

'' (1948) as Luis Savarin * '' The Gallant Legion'' (1948) as Sen. Clarke Faulkner * ''Hamlet'' (1953, TV) as

King Claudius King Claudius is a fictional character and the main antagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. He is the brother to King Hamlet, second husband to Gertrude and uncle and later stepfather to Prince Hamlet. He obtained the throne of ...

* ''

'' (1959) as

* ''

The Big Bankroll ''King of the Roaring 20s: The Story of Arnold Rothstein'' is a 1961 American, biopic, drama, crime film directed by Joseph M. Newman, produced by Samuel Bischoff and starring David Janssen, Dianne Foster, Diana Dors and Jack Carson. During the ...

'' (1961) as Abraham Rothstein * '' Dr. Kildare (1961 TV series) Episode: The Stepping Stone as Max Keller * ''

'', Episode: ''

'' (1961, TV) as Alfred Becker * ''

'', Episode: '' The Trade-Ins'' (1962, TV) as John Holt * ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965) as Nicodemus

References

External links

* *
Photographs and literature
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schildkraut, Joseph 1896 births 1964 deaths Austrian expatriate male actors in the United States Austrian male film actors Austrian male silent film actors Austrian male stage actors Austrian male television actors Austrian people of Jewish descent Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Male actors from Vienna 20th-century Austrian male actors Jewish Austrian male actors Austrian emigrants to the United States

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

See also

References

Further reading

External links