Emil Jannings

Emil Jannings (born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz; 23 July 1884 – 2 January 1950) was a Swiss-born German actor who was popular in Hollywood films in the 1920s. He was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for starring in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Jannings remains the only German ever to win in that category.

He is best known for his films with F. W. Murnau and Josef von Sternberg, including 1930's The Blue Angel (Der blaue Engel, with Marlene Dietrich. The Blue Angel was meant as a vehicle for Jannings to secure a place for himself in the new medium of sound film, but he was ultimately overshadowed by Dietrich. Jannings went on to leading roles in State Films (Staatsauftragsfilme) in Nazi Germany.

Early life Jannings was born in Rorschach, Switzerland, the son of Emil Janenz, an American businessman from St. Louis, and his wife Margarethe (née Schwabe), originally from Germany. Jannings held German citizenship; while he was still young the family moved to Leipzig in the German Empire and further to Görlitz after the early death of his father.

Jannings ran away from school and went to sea. When he returned to Görlitz, his mother finally allowed him to begin a traineeship at the local theatre, starting his stage career. From 1901 onwards he worked with several theatre companies in Bremen, Nuremberg, Leipzig, Königsberg, and Glogau before joining the Deutsches Theater ensemble under director Max Reinhardt in Berlin. However, this claim is otherwise unverified and labelled as untrue by most sources.

In 1960, Jannings was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1630 Vine Street for his contributions to motion pictures.

Nazi Germany

After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Jannings stayed on, prolonging his career by making State Films. He starred in several films promoting Nazism, in particular the Führerprinzip by presenting unyielding historical characters, in Der alte und der junge König (The Old and the Young King, 1934), Der Herrscher (The Ruler, 1937) directed by Veit Harlan, Robert Koch (1939), Ohm Krüger (Uncle Kruger, 1941), and Die Entlassung (The Dismissal, 1942).

The filming of Wo ist Herr Belling? was aborted when troops of the Allied Powers entered Germany in 1945. Jannings reportedly carried his Oscar statuette as proof of his ties to America. His substantial association with Nazi propaganda left him subject to denazification. Other actors resumed their careers, but Jannings never worked as an actor again.

As his former co-star Marlene Dietrich became a US citizen and influential anti-Nazi activist, spending much of the war entertaining troops on the front lines and broadcasting on behalf of the OSS, she particularly loathed Jannings for his Nazi ties, terming her former co-star a "ham".

Death

Jannings retired to Strobl near Salzburg, Austria, and became an Austrian citizen in 1947. He is buried in the St. Wolfgang cemetery. His Best Actor Oscar is displayed at the Berlin Filmmuseum.

Marriages Jannings was married four times. His first three marriages ended in divorce, his last with his death. His last three marriages were to German stage and film actresses, Hanna Ralph, Lucie Höflich, and Gussy Holl. He had a daughter, Ruth-Maria (born 1920), from his first marriage to Lucy Höflich.

Cultural depictions Hilmar Eichhorn portrayed a fictionalized version of Jannings in Inglourious Basterds (2009), directed by Quentin Tarantino. This fictional Jannings dies at the end of the film. In 1972's Cabaret, singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) finds herself at a high-society dinner party; she tries to impress by suggesting that she is friendly with Emil Jannings. In Series 1 of the BBC's epic Second World War drama World on Fire (2019) American journalist Nancy Campbell, played by Helen Hunt, accepts an invitation from neighbours in Berlin to see the latest Emil Jannings film, saying: “Well, I love Emil Jannings, and I loved him in The Blue Angel.”

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1914 Arme Eva Im SchützengrabenExtra Passionels Tagebuch1916 Aus Mangel an Beweisen Dr. Langer Die Bettlerin von St. Marien Baron Gelsburg Frau Eva Im Angesicht des Toten Paul Werner Life Is a DreamVerführer (the seducer) a.k.a. Das Leben ein Traum (German original title) A Night of HorrorBanker a.k.a. Nächte des Grauens (German original title) Stein unter Steinen1917 Quabbe, the jailer The Merry Jail (Europe: English title) When Four Do the Same Segetoff a.k.a. Wenn vier dasselbe tun (German original title) Hoheit Radieschen The Marriage of Luise Rohrbach Wilhelm Rohrbach a.k.a. Die Ehe der Luise Rohrbach (German original title) Der Zehnte Pavillon der Zitadelle Das Geschäft S. H. Haßler Lulu The Ring of Giuditta Foscari a.k.a. Der Ring der Giuditta Foscari (German original title) The Sea Battle a.k.a. Die Seeschlacht (German original title) Unheilbar1918 The Seeds of Life James Fraenkel, stock exchange broker (Börsenmakler)John Smith, American engineer (amerikanischer Ingenieur) a.k.a. Keimendes Leben (German original title) The Eyes of the Mummy Radu, an Arab Die Augen der Mumie Ma (German original title) Fuhrmann Henschel Nach zwanzig Jahren Horst Lundin 'Korn'1919Rose Bernd Arthur Streckmann Madame Dubarry Louis XV a.k.a. Passion Vendetta Tomasso The Daughter of Mehemed Vaco Juan Riberda, Fabrikbesitzer a.k.a. Die Tochter des Mehemed (German original title) The Man of Action Jan Miller a.k.a. Der Mann der Tat (German original title)1920 ColombineCarlo a.k.a. Die Braut des Apachen (German original title) Anna Boleyn Henry VIII a.k.a. Deception The Skull of Pharaoh's Daughter Osorcon, Pharao of Egypt a.k.a. Der Schädel der Pharaonentochter (German original title) Algol Robert Herne The Big Light Lorenz Ferleitner a.k.a. Das große Licht (German original title) Kohlhiesel's Daughters Peter Xaver a.k.a. Kohlhiesels Töchter (German original title)1921 The Rats Bruno a.k.a. Die Ratten (German original title) The Oath of Peter Hergatz a.k.a. Der Schwur des Peter Hergatz (German original title) Danton Georges Danton a.k.a. All for a Woman The Bull of Olivera General François Guillaume a.k.a. Der Stier von Olivera (German original title) The Brothers Karamazov Dimitri Karamasoff a.k.a. Die Brüder Karamasoff (German original title)1922 Peter the Great Peter the Great a.k.a. Peter der Große (German original title) Othello Othello The Loves of Pharaoh Pharao Amenes a.k.a. Das Weib des Pharao (German original title) The Countess of ParisOmbrade a.k.a. Die Gräfin von Paris (German original title)1923 All for Money S. I. Rupp (USA); a.k.a. Alles für Geld (German original title) Tragedy of Love Ombrade a.k.a. Tragödie der Liebe (German original title)1924 The Last Laugh Hotel Porter (USA); a.k.a. Der letzte Mann (German original title) Husbands or Lovers Husband Waxworks Harun al-Rashid Quo Vadis Nero Extant1925 Variety Boss Huller a.k.a. Jealousy (USA) Love is Blind Emil Jannings 1926 Tartuffe Tartuffe Faust – A German Folktale Mephisto Extant1927 The Way of All Flesh August Schilling Academy Award for Best Actor; Lost film1928 Sins of the Fathers Wilhelm Spengler excerpts and clips are preserved of this film. Unconfirmed about the total film The Patriot Czar Paul I Lost film The Street of Sin Basher Bill Lost film The Last Command Gen. Dolgorucki / Grand Duke Sergius Alexander Academy Award for Best Actor; Extant1929 Betrayal Poldi Moser 1930 Darling of the Gods Albert Winkelmann a.k.a. Liebling der Götter (German original title) The Blue Angel Prof. Immanuel Rath US title; a.k.a. Der blaue Engel 1932 Storms of Passion Gustav Bumke German original title; a.k.a. Stürme der Leidenschaft a.k.a. Tempest1933 Die Abenteuer des Königs Pausole King Pausole a.k.a. The Adventures of King Pausole (English title) The Merry Monarch1934 Der Schwarze Walfisch Peter Petersen German original title; a.k.a. The Black Whale (International: English title)1935 The Old and the Young King Frederick William I of Prussia a.k.a. The Making of a King (USA); Der alte und der junge König (German original title)1936 The Dreamer Direktor Prof. Niemeyer a.k.a. Traumulus (German original title)1937 The Broken Jug Adam, Dorfrichter a.k.a. Der zerbrochene Krug (German original title) The Ruler Matthias Clausen a.k.a. Der Herrscher (German original title)1939 Robert Koch Robert Koch Der Trichter. (Nr. III) scenes deleted1941 Ohm Krüger Paul Kruger a.k.a. Uncle Kruger (International: English title)1942 Die Entlassung Otto von Bismarck a.k.a. Bismarck's Dismissal (UK)1943 An Old Heart Becomes Young Again Fabrikdirektor HoffmannAltes Herz wird wieder jung (German original title)1945 Firmenchef Eberhard Belling a.k.a. Where Is Mr. Belling? (English title)