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

Life and career

Schildkraut was born in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

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 (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

; 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 pl ...

. 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 director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

. His

Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...

, 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 taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'', was praised by Fritz Kortner as a "monument to the art of acting." Other major roles were the title role in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (1908), Mephisto in ''

Faust I ''Faust: A Tragedy'' (, , or aust. The tragedy's first part is the first part of the Tragedy, tragic Play (theatre), play ''Goethe's Faust, Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and is considered by many as the greatest work of German liter ...

'' (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 Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (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 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...

'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 The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in the early silent era. He starred in several film dramas. His last European-made film was a biography of the German

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

founder

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...

, 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 filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

(1927), in which he played the High Priest

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...

. 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). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his per ...

(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, crematorium, 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 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'' (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 ''A Harp in Hock'', also known as ''The Samaritan'', is a lost 1927 American silent melodrama film directed by Renaud Hoffman, produced by DeMille Pictures, and distributed by Pathé Exchange. The film starred Rudolph Schildkraut, Junior Cogh ...

'' (1927) - Isaac Abrams * '' The Main Event'' (1927) - Regan Sr * ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight, or lokum () is a family of confectionery, 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 Immigrants to Austria-Hungary Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Male actors from Austria-Hungary

Life and career

Partial filmography

References

Further reading

External links