Otto Waldis (born Otto Glucksmann-Blum, May 20, 1901 – March 25, 1974) was an Austrian-American character actor in films and television from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was also billed as Otto Blum.

Years in Germany

Waldis was born Otto Glucksmann-Blum in 1901 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He was a student during World War I and initially studied to be a naval engineer. When Germany had no navy after the war, he shifted his attention to acting in the 1920s. Rudolph Schildkraut saw him perform and encouraged him to pursue a theatrical career. Billed as Otto Valdis, he performed Shakespeare and classic German plays. He also directed plays. Waldis began made his film debut in a small role in director

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's classic thriller '' M'' (1931) starring

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

. After he began acting regularly in films, he had the lead in ''The Broken Pitcher'', which received first prize in an international competition in 1934.

Emigration and work in Hollywood

The Jewish actor fled from Europe because of the persecution from the Nazi Regime. He and his wife left Austria and arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, in June 1940. He worked as a photographer in Birmingham. Waldis became a familiar character actor often appearing in

B movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

and his roles were sometimes uncredited. He also appeared regularly on television during the 1950s and '60s. Waldis also occasionally acted on stage.

Personal life and death

Waldis married Margaret Vieth, an opera singer, in 1935. He died of a heart attack in 1974 at the age of 72.

Selected filmography

*'' M'' (1931) – (uncredited) *''Kinder vor Gericht'' (1931) – Ein Gefangener *''Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.'' (1931) *''

The Exile ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1947) – Jan *''

Call Northside 777 ''Call Northside 777'' is a 1948 reality-based newspaper drama directed by Henry Hathaway. The film parallels the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man jailed for murder was wrongly convicted 11 years before. James Stewart star ...

'' (1948) – Boris Siskovich (uncredited) *''

Letter from an Unknown Woman ''Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (german: Brief einer Unbekannten) is a novella by Stefan Zweig. Published in 1922, it tells the story of an author who, while reading a letter written by a woman he does not remember, gets glimpses into her lif ...

'' (1948) – Concierge *'' Berlin Express'' (1948) – Kessler *'' A Foreign Affair'' (1948) – Inspector (uncredited) *''

The Fighting O'Flynn ''The Fighting O'Flynn'' is a 1949 American adventure film directed by Arthur Pierson. The film's screenplay by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is based on the novel of the same name by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Fairbanks stars, along with Helena Carter. ...

'' (1949) – Gen. van Dronk *'' The Lovable Cheat'' (1949) – Bailiff *'' I Was a Male War Bride'' (1949) – Minor Role (scenes deleted) *'' Love Happy'' (1949) – Ivan – Assassin in Grunion's Office (uncredited) *'' Border Incident'' (1949) – Fritz *'' Bagdad'' (1949) – Marengo *'' Women from Headquarters'' (1950) – Joe Calla *''

Spy Hunt ''Spy Hunt'', also known as ''Panther's Moon'', is a 1950 American espionage film, based on the novel ''Panther's Moon'' by Victor Canning, directed by George Sherman, and starring Howard Duff and Märta Torén. It was produced by Universal-Int ...

'' (1950) – Gormand *'' Dark City'' (1950) – Benowski (uncredited) *'' Bird of Paradise'' (1951) – Skipper *'' Night Into Morning'' (1951) – Dr. Franz Niemoller *'' Secrets of Monte Carlo'' (1951) – Louis Gunther *'' The Whip Hand'' (1951) – Dr. Wilhelm Bucholtz *''

Unknown World ''Unknown World'' (a.k.a. ''Night Without Stars'') is a 1951 independently made American black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Terrell O. Morse, and starring Bruce Kellogg, Marilyn Nash, Jim Bannon, and Otto Waldis. D ...

'' (1951) – Dr. Max A. Bauer *'' 5 Fingers'' (1952) – Pullman Porter (uncredited) *''

Anything Can Happen ''Anything Can Happen'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by George Seaton, starring José Ferrer and Kim Hunter. José Ferrer stars as Giorgi Papashvily, who emigrates from Georgia in the Soviet Union to the United States and gradu ...

'' (1952) – Sandro *'' The Black Castle'' (1952) – Krantz – the innkeeper *''The Congregation'' (1952) *'' Rogue's March'' (1953) – Alex *'' The Stars Are Singing'' (1953) – Ship's Captain Goslak *''

Rebel City ''Rebel City'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Thomas Carr and starring Wild Bill Elliott, Marjorie Lord and Robert Kent. The film is set in Junction City in Kansas during the American Civil War where Southern supporters are att ...

'' (1953) – Spain – the Jeweler *'' The Robe'' (1953) – Slave Dealer (uncredited) *'' Flight to Tangier'' (1953) – Wisil (uncredited) *''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stret ...

'' (1954) – Patch-Eye (uncredited) *'' Knock on Wood'' (1954) – Brodnik *''

The Iron Glove ''The Iron Glove'' is a 1954 American historical adventure film directed by William Castle and starring Robert Stack, Ursula Thiess and Richard Stapley. It was based on the adventures of the Jacobite Charles Wogan. Plot Irish Jacobite Charl ...

'' (1954) – King George I (uncredited) *'' Port of Hell'' (1954) – Snyder *''

Sincerely Yours Sincerely Yours may refer to: Film * ''Sincerely Yours'' (film), a 1955 American romantic music comedy featuring Liberace * '' Sincerely Yours...'', a 1985 Soviet comedy Music * Sincerely Yours (record label), a Swedish record label Albums * ' ...

'' (1955) – Prof. Zwolinski (uncredited) *'' Artists and Models'' (1955) – Kurt *'' Running Wild'' (1955) – Leta's Father *'' Desert Sands'' (1955) – Gabin *'' Man from Del Rio'' (1956) – Tom Jordan (uncredited) *'' Ride the High Iron'' (1956) – Yanusz Danielchik *''

The Night the World Exploded ''The Night the World Exploded'' is a 1957 science fiction, disaster film. The film was written by Jack Natteford and Luci Ward, and directed by Fred F. Sears for producer Sam Katzman. Both Katzman and Sears were great exponents of the low-b ...

'' (1957) – Professor Hagstrom (uncredited) *'' Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' (1958) – Dr. Heinrich Von Loeb *''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert ...

'' (1959) – Policeman (uncredited) *'' Pier 5, Havana'' (1959) – Schluss *''

Judgment at Nuremberg ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic courtroom drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, written by Abby Mann and starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Diet ...

'' (1961) – Pohl *''

The Phantom of Soho ''The Phantom of Soho'' (German: ''Das Phantom von Soho'') is a 1964 West German thriller film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring Dieter Borsche, Barbara Rütting and Hans Söhnker.Bergfelder p.258 It was based on a novel by Bryan ...

'' (1964) – Wilhelm Grover, man with birthmark *'' Freddy in the Wild West'' (1964) – Old Joe *''

Move Move may refer to: People * Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move ...

'' (1970) – (uncredited) (final film role) Waldis also made several guest appearances on television including roles in '' My Little Margie'', '' The Adventures of Superman'', ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition s ...

'', ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another ...

'', '' Maverick'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'', ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The ser ...

'', ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the ...

'', '' Have Gun - Will Travel'', '' The Untouchables'', ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was on ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', '' Lawman'', ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

'', ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...

'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' and '' Gomer Pyle, USMC''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldis, Otto 1901 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American people of Austrian descent