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 F i l m P e o p l e
• Actors • Cinematographers • Composers • Directors • Producers with bios at this site
Leon Askin (Austria)
Character actor who appeared in many Hollywood films, from Road to Bali (1952) to Stiffs (1984). Best known for his comedy roles in Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three and the “Hogan’s Heroes” TV series (as Gen. Burkhalter).
Fred Astaire (USA)
Actor, dancer. Born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899, Astaire’s father was from Austria, his mother’s family from German Alsace.
Eric Braeden (Germany)
Actor best known for his role as Victor Newman in “The Young and the Restless” soap opera. Born Hans Jörg Gudegast, Braeden has also appeared in several Hollywood films and the 1960s TV series “The Rat Patrol.”
Michael Curtiz (Hungary)
Director: Casablanca and many other great films. Curtiz came from Austria to Hollywood in 1926.
Elfi von Dassanowsky (Austria)
Producer, studio founder, piano coach. See our Interview with Elfi von Dassanowsky.
Leonardo Dicaprio (German-American)
Actor: What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Romeo + Juliet, Titanic, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Beach
Marlene Dietrich (Germany)
Actress: Der blaue Engel/The Blue Angel, Morocco, Shanghai Express, Destry Rides Again
Germany, Austria, and the Oscars
Awards and nominations
Kirsten Dunst (German-American)
Actress: Spider-Man, Wimbledon, Mona Lisa Smile, The Virgin Suicides. Dunst’s father is a German from Hamburg.
Roland Emmerich (Germany)
Director: Moon 44, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot
Film Music Composers (Austria, Germany)
Discover the impact of Austrian and German film composers on the Hollywood of yesterday and today! From Ernest Gold to Hans Zimmer, from Gone With the Wind to Gladiator.
H.R. Giger (Switzerland)
Designer, art director: Alien, Species
Thomas Gottschalk (Germany)
Actor, TV personality: Sister Act 2. Virtually unknown in the U.S., Gottschalk is as famous in Germany as Jay Leno is in America. That’s one reason he lives much of the time with his family in Malibu.
David Hasselhoff (USA)
Actor known primarily for his roles in the TV series “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch.” But he is best known in Austria and Germany, even as a singer.
Brigitte Helm (Germany)
Actress in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, G.W. Pabst’s The Love of Jeanne Ney
Paul Henreid (Austria)
Actor (later director): Casablanca and other films.
Herbie (Germany)
Automobile: Obviously not a person, but certainly very personified, the VW known as “Herbie” made his first appearance in Disney's The Love Bug in 1969. His most recent film is Herbie - Fully Loaded (2005).
Alfred Hitchcock (England - Learn about Hitchcock in Germany)
Director: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934, 1956), The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Suspicion, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Torn Curtain, and more.
Emil Jannings (Germany)
Actor: The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. First actor ever to win an Academy Award!
Walter Jurmann (Austria)
Composer: Songs or scores for A Night at the Opera (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), San Francisco (1936), and other films.
Nastassja Kinski (Germany)
Actress: Tess, Cat People, The Claim. Daughter of Klaus Kinski.
Hedy Lamarr (Austria)
Actress: Ecstasy, Algiers, Ziegfield Girl, Dishonored Lady, Samson and Delilah, The Female Animal
> ALPHABETICAL INDEX: German-Hollywood Connection — ALL of the film people discussed on
this site
Fritz Lang (Austria)
Director: Metropolis, Ministry of Fear, Rancho Notorious
Peter Lorre (Austria-Hungary)
Actor: Mr. Moto series, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Ernst Lubitsch (Germany)
Director: The Shop Around the Corner, Ninotchka, Heaven Can Wait
Paul Muni (Austria)
Actor best known for his roles in a series of Warner biopics (Zola, Pasteur, Juarez)
Wolfgang Petersen (Germany)
Director: Das Boot/The Boat, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm
Franka Potente (Germany)
Actress in the German hit Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) and the US films The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and Blow
Leni Riefenstahl (Germany)
Actress/Director: Das blaue Licht, Triumph of the Will, Olympia, Tiefland
Felix Salten (Austria)
Author, journalist: Bambi (1942), The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Romy Schneider (Austria)
Actress: The Victors, The Cardinal, Good Neighbor Sam
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria)
Actor, former bodybuilder, and now “Governator” who gained super-fame with Hollywood films such as Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator and many others.
Elke Sommer (Germany)
Actress: The Victors, A Shot in the Dark, Deadlier Than the Male, The Wrecking Crew, Zeppelin
Max Steiner (Austria)
Film music composer: Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, The Caine Mutiny
Germany, Austria, and the Oscars
Awards and nominations
Alida Valli (Austria/Italy)
Actress: The Third Man, The Paradine Case and other films. She often went by the single name “Valli.”
Conrad Veidt (Germany)
Actor: Above Suspicion, Casablanca and other films. Also see the Conrad Veidt Photo Gallery.
Johnny Weissmuller (Austria-Hungary)
Actor in a dozen “Tarzan” films, plus the “Jungle Jim” series and some other films. Johnny IS Tarzan, but the Olympic swim champ wasn't born in the US!
Wim Wenders (Germany)
Director: Paris, Texas; Wings of Desire, The End of Violence, The Million Dollar Hotel
Billy Wilder (Austria)
Director: Double Indemnity, Stalag 17, The Apartment, Some Like It Hot
William Wyler (Alsace-Lorraine)
Director: Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben Hur, The Sound of Music
Hans Zimmer (Germany)
Film music composer: Driving Miss Daisy, Rain Man, The Lion King, Crimson Tide, The Rock, The Preacher's Wife, Gladiator
The German-Hollywood Connection Index
A complete alphabetical list of the Germanic people who contributed to American and world cinema. With links.
ALSO SEE...
> Austrian Actors
> German Actors
> Austrian Directors
> German Directors
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