Oscar Beregi

Oscar Beregi (born Oszkár Berger, 24 January 1876 – 18 October 1965) was a Hungarian-Jewish actor who appeared primarily in German films.

Biography Beregi was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. He acted onstage in Hungary for 21 years. In April 1920, as "the only Jewish actor of prominence" acting with the Budapest National Theatre, he was the subject of a demonstration that led to the group's changing its program and presenting a play in which Beregi did not participate.

In the early 1920s, Beregi was exiled from Hungary because of his "alleged political activities". During the exile he acted in Vienna for four years. In 1925 he arrived to Hollywood and stayed there for four years. In 1926, Beregi signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures. During that time the actor was filmed in several silent pictures. The most famous was Camille (1927), opposite Norma Talmadge in the title role.

In the late 1920s, Beregi returned to Europe. In 1933, played one his best-known film roles as the villainous Professor Baum in Fritz Lang's film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. In the 1930s, he was persecuted because of his Jewish background, narrowly escaped the Holocaust and fled to the United States. There, he played the last few of his film roles, including a supporting role in the 1953 musical Call Me Madam. Overall, Beregi appeared in 27 films between 1916 and 1953. He made his final appearance as a guest star in the TV series Peter Gunn in 1961.

Beregi died in Hollywood, California, aged 89, and was buried in Budapest, Hungary.

Partial filmography

Ártatlan vagyok! (1916) - Pierre, katonaorvos Mire megvénülünk (1917) - Áronffy Lóránd Hófehérke (1917) - Balassa Imre mérnök The Stork Caliph (1917) - Tábori báró / kikötõmunkás A föld embere (1917) - Bán Ferenc, bányamérnök Károly bakák (1918) - Epres János Az aranyember (Man of Gold) (1919) - Tímár Mihály Jön az öcsém ("My Brother is Coming") (1919, Short) - As öcs Ave Caesar! (1919) - Alexis gróf, testõrkapitány A tékozló fiú (1919) - Wagner Oszkár, a fia Meriota the Dancer (1922) - Cesare Borgia William Ratcliff (1922) Children of the Revolution (1923) Das verbotene Land (1924) Vier Nächte einer schönen Frau (1924) Die Tragödie einer Frau (1924) Die Sklavenkönigin ("The Moon of Israel", lit. "The Queen of the Slaves") (1924) - Amenmeses Jiskor (1924) - The Count Ssanin (1924) - Wladimir Petrowitsch Ssanin Das Gift der Borgia (1924) The Curse (1925) - Jehuda Nachmann The Love Thief (1926) - Prime Minister The Flaming Forest (1926) - Jules Lagarre Butterflies in the Rain (1926) - Lord Purdon Camille (1927) - Count de Varville The Woman on Trial (1927) Der Geliebte seiner Frau (1928) - Polizeikommissär Ralph Förster Andere Frauen (1928) Povara (1928) - George Stralila Love in May (1928) Der Dieb im Schlafcoupée (1929) Die Jugend am Scheideweg (1929) Juwelen (1930) The Blue Idol (1931) - Turner, milliomos An Auto and No Money (1932) The Ghost Train (1933) - Dr. Stirling ("The Testament of Dr. Mabuse") (1933) - Prof. Dr. Baum Miss Iza (1933) The Rakoczi March (1933) - Báró Merlin Ádám, földbirtokos Anything Can Happen (1952) - Uncle John Tonight We Sing (1953) - Dr. Markoff (uncredited) Call Me Madam (1953) - Chamberlain (uncredited) Desert Legion (1953) - Si Khalil