Rudolph Schildkraut (27 April 1862 – 15 July 1930) was an Austrian film and theatre actor.

Life and career

Schildkraut was born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

to a Jewish family. His parents ran a hotel. He grew up in Brăila, Romania. In Vienna, he received acting lessons from Friedrich Mitterwurzer. He debuted in the early 1880s in

Sopron Sopron (; german: Ödenburg, ; sl, Šopron) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a ...

; his first solid role came in 1885 in Krems. In 1893, he moved to Vienna to an engagement at the newly opened

Raimund Theater The Raimund Theater is a theatre in the Mariahilf district of Vienna, Austria. Named after the Austrian dramatist Ferdinand Raimund, the theatre was built by an association of Viennese citizens and opened on 28 November 1893 with Raimund's play ...

. In 1898, he moved to the Carl Theatre. Among other things, he played the character Wurm in'' Love and Intrigue''. In 1900 he, came to the German Theatre in Hamburg, 1905 to the German Theatre in Berlin. There he became one of the most important actors in the theatre company of

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

. His Shylock, which he played in 1905 and 1913, in Reinhardt's productions of''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', was praised by

Fritz Kortner Fritz Kortner (born Fritz Nathan Kohn; 12 May 1892 – 22 July 1970) was an Austrian stage and film actor and theatre director. Life and career Kortner was born in Vienna as Fritz Nathan Kohn into a Jewish family. He studied at the Vienna A ...

as a "monument to the art of acting." Other major roles were the title role in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' (1908),

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

in ''

Faust I ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (german: Faust. Eine Tragödie, links=no, , or aust. The tragedy's first part is the first part of the tragic play ''Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and is considered by many as the greatest work of German literature ...

'' (1909), Muley Hassan in Friedrich Schiller's '' Fiesco'' (1909), the grave-digger in''

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 ...

'' (1909), and Peter Bast in

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, Point of view ...

's'' From the Devil Fetched'' (1914). Schildkraut performed for the first time in the United States in 1910–1911. Schildkraut was known as a film actor in the German Empire in the early silent era. He starred in several film dramas. His last European-made film was a biography of the German

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

founder

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 po ...

, in which he played Herb Schildt "The Struggling Israel." In 1920, he moved permanently to the United States and made his debut the same year in New York City in the play ''Silent Forces''. From 1922, he also played in the English language. In 1925, he founded his own Jewish theatre in the Bronx. In his last five years, he appeared in several Hollywood productions. His most notable film, which raised his profile in America, was '' The King of Kings'' by

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 ...

(1927), in which he played the High Priest

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD), known simply as Caiaphas (; grc-x-koine, Καϊάφας, Kaïáphas ) in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest who, according to the gospels, organized a plot to kill Jesus. He famous ...

. He was married to Erna (Weinstein), with whom he had a son,

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film '' The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for ...

(1896–1964), who also was an actor. Schildkraut died at the age of 68 years of a heart attack while working at a film studio in Los Angeles. 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 Angel ...

in Hollywood, California. His son died at the same age, also of a heart attack.

Partial filmography

* ''Der Shylock von Krakau'' (1913)IMDb entry for ''Der Shylock von Krakau'' (1913)
/ref> - Isaak Levi * '' Ivan Koschula'' (1914) - Ivan Koschula * '' Laugh Bajazzo'' (1915) - Musiker Rudolf * ''The Eighth Commandment'' (1915, Short) * ''The Fool of Fate'' (1915, Short) - Block, ein Spekulant * ''Demon and Human'' (1915) - Alex Fink * ''Schlemihl'' (1915) - Schlemihl * ''Das Wiegenlied'' (1916) * ''The Fortune Tailors'' (1916) - Arzt * ''The Lullaby'' (1916) * ''The Dancing Heart'' (1916) * ''Free Fighting'' (1919, Short) * ''The Pasha'' (1919, Short) * ''The Court Musician'' (1919, Short) * ''Justice'' (1920) * ''

'' (1921) - Das ringende Israel * ''

His People ''His People'' (also known as Proud Heart) is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sloman about a young, Jewish boxer growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

'' (1925) - David Cominsky * '' Young April'' (1926) - King Stefan * '' Pals in Paradise'' (1926) - Abraham Lezinsky * '' The King of Kings'' (1927) - Caiaphas - High Priest of Israel * '' The Country Doctor'' (1927) - Dr. Amos Rinker * '' A Harp in Hock'' (1927) - Isaac Abrams * '' The Main Event'' (1927) - Regan Sr * ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight or lokum ( ota, لوقوم) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often fl ...

'' (1927) - Abdul Hassan * '' A Ship Comes In'' (1928) (also known as ''My Country'') - Peter Pleznik * '' Christina'' (1929) - Niklaas (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schildkraut, Rudolph 1862 births 1930 deaths 19th-century Austrian male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century Austrian male actors American male film actors Austrian Jews Austrian male film actors Austrian male silent film actors American people of Turkish-Jewish descent Jewish American male actors People from Brăila Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Austria-Hungary Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Life and career

Partial filmography

References

Further reading

External links