Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent film, where he was one of the best-paid stars of Ufa, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with his new Jewish wife after the Nazis came to power. They settled in Britain, where he participated in a number of films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the United States around 1941, which lead to him having a supporting role in Casablanca (1942).
From 1916 until his death, Veidt appeared in more than 100 films. One of his earliest performances was as the murderous somnambulist Cesare in director Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a classic of German Expressionist cinema, with Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover. His starring role in The Man Who Laughs (1928), as a disfigured circus performer whose face is cut into a permanent grin, provided the (visual) inspiration for the Batman villain the Joker, created in 1940 by Bill Finger. Veidt also starred in other silent horror films such as The Hands of Orlac (1924), another film directed by Robert Wiene, The Student of Prague (1926) and Waxworks (1924) where he played Ivan the Terrible.
Veidt also appeared in Magnus Hirschfeld's film Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others, 1919), one of the first films to sympathetically portray homosexuality, although the characters in it do not end up happily. He had a leading role in Germany's first talking picture, Das Land ohne Frauen (Land Without Women, 1929).
He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s and made a few films, but the advent of talking pictures and his difficulty with speaking English led him to return to Germany. During this period he lent his expertise to tutoring aspiring performers, one of whom was the later American character actress Lisa Golm.
2008 | Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad as Jaffar (archival footage) |
2000 | The Many Faces of Dracula as Self (archive footage) |
1998 | Universal Horror as (archive footage) |
1974 | The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute as Self (archive footage) |
1943 | Above Suspicion as Hassert Seidel |
1943 | Kazablanka as Major Heinrich Strasser |
1942 | Nazi Agent as Otto Becker / Baron Hugo von Detner |
1942 | All Through the Night as Franz Ebbing |
1941 | The Men in Her Life as Stanislas Rosing |
1941 | Whistling in the Dark as Joseph Jones |
1941 | A Woman's Face as Torsten Barring |
1940 | Escape as General Kurt von Kolb |
1940 | A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound as Self |
1940 | Contraband as Capt. Andersen |
1940 | Bağdat Hırsızı as Jaffar |
1939 | The Spy in Black as Captain Ernst Hardt |
1938 | Le Joueur d'échecs as Le baron de Kempelen |
1938 | Tempête sur l'Asie as Erich Keith |
1937 | Dark Journey as Baron Karl Von Marwitz |
1937 | Under the Red Robe as Gil de Berault |
1935 | King of the Damned as Convict 83 |
1935 | The Passing of the Third Floor Back as The Stranger |
1934 | Bella Donna as Mahmoud Baroudi |
1934 | Jew Süss as Josef 'Jew Süss' Oppenheimer |
1934 | Wilhelm Tell as Gessler |
1933 | The Wandering Jew as Matathias / The Unknown Knight / Dr Matteos Battadios |
1933 | I Was a Spy as Commandant Oberaertz |
1933 | F.P.1 as Maj. Ellissen |
1933 | Ich und die Kaiserin as Marquis de Pontignac |
1932 | Rome Express as Zurta |
1932 | Der schwarze Husar as Captain Hansgeorg von Hochberg |
1932 | Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen as Grigori Rasputin |
1931 | Congress Dances as Prince Metternich |
1931 | Die andere Seite as Hauptmann Stanhope |
1931 | Der Kongress tanzt as Fürst Metternich |
1931 | Die Nacht der Entscheidung |
1931 | Der Mann, der den Mord beging as Oberst Marquis de Sévigné |
1930 | Menschen im Käfig as Kingsley |
1930 | Die große Sehnsucht as Himself |
1930 | Die letzte Kompagnie as Hauptmann Burk |
1929 | The Last Performance as Erik the Great |
1929 | Das Land ohne Frauen as Dick Ashton |
1928 | Die Filmstadt Hollywood as Self |
1928 | Gülen Adam as Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie |
1927 | Gesetze der Liebe |
1927 | A Man's Past as Paul La Roche |
1927 | The Beloved Rogue as King Louis XI |
1927 | Napoléon as Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade |
1926 | Die Flucht in die Nacht as Count di Nolli, Heinrich IV |
1926 | Der Student von Prag as Balduin, Student |
1926 | Liebe macht blind |
1926 | Dürfen wir schweigen? as Paul Hartwig, Maler |
1926 | Die Brüder Schellenberg as Wenzel Schellenberg / Michael Schellenberg |
1926 | Der Geiger von Florenz as Renées Vater |
1926 | Kreuzzug des Weibes as Der Staatsanwalt |
1925 | Ingmarsarvet as Hellgum |
1925 | Le Comte Kostia as Comte Kostia |
1925 | Schicksal |
1924 | Nju - Eine unverstandene Frau as Der Liebhaber, ein Dichter |
1924 | Das Wachsfigurenkabinett as Ivan the Terrible |
1924 | Orlac'ın Elleri as Paul Orlac |
1924 | Der Film im Film as Self |
1924 | Don Carlos und Elisabeth as Don Carlos |
1923 | Wilhelm Tell as Hermann Gessler |
1923 | Paganini as Niccolo Paganini |
1923 | Glanz gegen Glück |
1922 | Lucrezia Borgia as Cesare Borgia |
1921 | Das indische Grabmal, zweiter Teil: Der Tiger von Eschnapur as Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur |
1921 | Das indische Grabmal, erster Teil: Die Sendung des Yoghi as Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur |
1921 | Lady Hamilton as Lord Nelson |
1921 | Landstraße und Großstadt as Raphael, der Geiger |
1921 | Christian Wahnschaffe, 2. Teil: Die Flucht aus dem goldenen Kerker as Christian Wahnschaffe |
1921 | Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft |
1921 | Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore as Hektor Dalmore |
1921 | Liebestaumel as Jalenko |
1921 | Der Gang in die Nacht as Der Maler |
1921 | Das Geheimnis von Bombay as Tossi |
1921 | Menschen im Rausch as Professor Munk |
1921 | Sehnsucht as Ivan |
1920 | Der Graf von Cagliostro as Minister |
1920 | Weltbrand as Christian Wahnschaffe |
1920 | Manolescus Memoiren as Manolescu |
1920 | Abend – Nacht – Morgen as Brilburn - Maud's brother |
1920 | Moriturus as Wilmos, sanatorium director |
1920 | Der Janus-Kopf as Dr. Warren |
1920 | Künstlerlaunen |
1920 | Kurfürstendamm as The devil |
1920 | Die Augen der Welt as Johannes Kay |
1920 | Die Karten des Todes as Sir Percy Parker |
1920 | Die Nacht auf Goldenhall |
1920 | Der Reigen - Ein Werdegang as Petre Karvan |
1920 | Dr. Caligari'nin Muayenehanesi as Cesare |
1920 | Nachtgestalten as The clown |
1919 | Unheimliche Geschichten as Der Tod / Various Other Roles |
1919 | Wahnsinn as Bankier Lorenzen |
1919 | Prinz Kuckuck as Carl Kraker |
1919 | Die Prostitution, 2. Teil - Die sich verkaufen as Alfred Werner |
1919 | Die Okarina |
1919 | Anders als die Andern as Paul Körner |
1919 | Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod |
1919 | Die Reise um die Erde in 80 Tagen as Phineas Fogg |
1919 | Die Prostitution, 1. Teil - Das gelbe Haus as Alfred Werner |
1919 | Die Japanerin |
1919 | Opium as Dr. Richard Armstrong Jr. |
1919 | Die Mexikanerin as Dr. von Dossen |
1919 | Nocturno der Liebe as Frederic Chopin |
1919 | Opfer der Gesellschaft |
1918 | Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby as Doktor Köstling |
1918 | Dida Ibsens Geschichte as Erik Norrensen |
1918 | Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter as Kramer |
1918 | Colomba as Henryk von Rhyn |
1918 | Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert as Doktor Köstling |
1918 | Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen as Dr. Julius |
1918 | Der nicht vom Weibe Geborene as Satan |
1918 | Das Dreimäderlhaus as Schober |
1918 | Das Rätsel von Bangalor as Dinja |
1917 | Furcht as Indian Priest |
1917 | Der Spion as Steinau |
1917 | Wenn Tote sprechen as Richard von Worth |
1917 | Der Weg des Todes |
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