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. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as Otto Frank in the film The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and a Primetime Emmy for his performance as Rabbi Gottlieb in a 1962 episode of the television series Sam Benedict.

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

Career

In 1921, Schildkraut played the title role in the first American stage production of Ferenc Molnár's Liliom, the play that eventually became the basis for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. He then began working in silent movies, but he returned to the stage occasionally. He had early success in film as the Chevalier de Vaudrey in D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm with Lillian Gish. Later, he was featured in Cecil B. DeMille's epic 1927 film The King of Kings as Judas Iscariot. Schildraut's father Rudolf also appeared in the film. Joseph Schildkraut also played a Viennese-accented, non-singing Gaylord Ravenal in the 1929 part-talkie film version of Edna Ferber's Show Boat.

Schildkraut is perhaps best remembered today for playing the role of Otto Frank in both the original stage production and film version of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Schildkraut also hosted and starred in Joseph Schildkraut Presents, a short-lived series on the DuMont Television Network from October 1953 to January 1954.

In 1961, during the third season of The Twilight Zone, he made his first appearance on "Deaths-Head Revisited". 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 for his performance in a guest-starring role on Sam Benedict.

Personal life Schildkraut was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Elise Bartlett in 1923; they divorced in 1931. He was married to Mary McKay from 1932 until her death on February 17, 1962. In 1956, he was involved with Patricia Bosworth, who recalls that he was known informally as "Pepi." In 1963, Schildkraut married Leonora Rogers, who survived him. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Death Schildkraut died at his home in New York City of a heart attack. His father had died at the age of 68, also of a heart attack.

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 (1921) as Das leidende Israel Orphans of the Storm (1921) as Chevalier de Vaudrey The Song of Love (1923) as Raymon Valverde The Road to Yesterday (1925) as Kenneth Paulton Shipwrecked (1926) as Larry O'Neil Meet the Prince (1926) as Prince Nicholas Young April (1926) as Prince Caryl The King of Kings (1927) as Judas Iscariot The Heart Thief (1927) as Paul Kurt His Dog (1927) as Peter Olsen The Forbidden Woman (1927) as Jean La Coste The Blue Danube (1928) as Ludwig Tenth Avenue (1928) as Joe Ross Show Boat (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 (1931) as Count Andreas Scipio The Blue Danube (1932) as Sandor Viva Villa! (1934) as Gen. Pascal Sisters Under the Skin (1934) as Zukowski Cleopatra (1934) as Herod The Crusades (1935) as Conrad - Marquis of Montferrat The Garden of Allah (1936) as Batouch Slave Ship (1937) as Danelo Souls at Sea (1937) as Gaston de Bastonet The Life of Emile Zola (1937) as Capt. Alfred Dreyfus Lancer Spy (1937) as Prince Ferdi Zu Schwarzwald Lady Behave! (1937) as Michael Andrews The Baroness and the Butler (1938) as Baron Georg Marissey Marie Antoinette (1938) as duc d’Orleans Suez (1938) as Vicomte Rene De Latour Idiot's Delight (1939) as Captain Kirvline The Three Musketeers (1939) as King Louis XIII The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) as Fouquet Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939) as Hendrik Manderson Lady of the Tropics (1939) as Pierre Delaroch The Rains Came (1939) as Mr. Bannerjee Pack Up Your Troubles (1939) as Hugo Ludwig Phantom Raiders (1940) as Al Taurez Rangers of Fortune (1940) as Col. Lewis Rebstock The Shop Around the Corner (1940) as Ferencz Vadas Meet the Wildcat (1940) as Leon Dumeray The Parson of Panamint (1941) as Bob Deming The Tell-Tale Heart (1941, short) as Young Man Flame of Barbary Coast (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 (1947) as Count Igor Savin Old Los Angeles (1948) as Luis Savarin The Gallant Legion (1948) as Sen. Clarke Faulkner Hamlet (1953, TV) as King Claudius The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) as Otto Frank The Big Bankroll (1961) as Abraham Rothstein Dr. Kildare (TV series), Episode: The Stepping Stone as Max Keller The Twilight Zone, Episode: Deaths-Head Revisited (1961, TV) as Alfred Becker The Twilight Zone, Episode: The Trade-Ins (1962, TV) as John Holt The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) as Nicodemus (posthumous release)