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John Wengraf(1897-1974)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
John Wengraf, 1949
After a vampire leaves his native Balkans, he murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and moves in with the dead man's American cousins.
Play trailer2:01
The Return of Dracula (1958)
2 Videos
8 Photos
A great number of Austrian and German actors were forced to flee their homeland during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in the late 1930s only to find themselves smack dab in Hollywood pictures playing thoroughly nefarious Gestapo commanders. Viennese performer John Wengraf was one such actor. Born in 1897, his father was a theatre critic whose occupation obviously encouraged John's early interest in performing. His acting career began on the repertory stage in 1920, eventually becoming a member of the Vienna Volkstheater. He went on to earn a sturdy reputation as a dramatic performer both in his homeland and in Berlin.

Because he was Jewishm Wengraf emigrated to England in 1933 as the Nazis began their rise to power. There he appeared unbilled in a couple of films there, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television shows ever presented, but his career began to languish. In late 1941, however, he had the good fortune of appearing on Broadway with Helen Hayes in "Candle in the Wind" and decided to stay in the United Stes, where he eventually was naturalized. The following year he headed west and settled permanently in the Los Angeles area. A dark, cold-eyed, thin-lipped player with a precise, meticulous air about him, he found himself invariably playing the very characters he detested. Some of his more nefarious nasties surfaced in such films as the Humphrey Bogart classic Sahara (1943), as well as The Boy from Stalingrad (1943), U-Boat Prisoner (1944) and Till We Meet Again (1944).

In postwar years, he was often spotted portraying ethnic professionals (scientists, doctors, professors, foreign royalty). Some of the higher quality roles he portrayed were Tomorrow Is Forever (1946); Count Von Papen in 5 Fingers (1952); and Ronchin in the Ethel Merman musical Call Me Madam (1953). Although Wengraf never made it to the very top of the Hollywood character ranks, he remained a thoroughly strong and reliable player. In the 1950s and 1960s he transferred his talents to TV, appearing on a number of dramatic showcases and on such popular programs as The Untouchables (1959), Hawaiian Eye (1959), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and The Time Tunnel (1966). His last few films included minor roles in the war-themed Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Hitler (1962) and Ship of Fools (1965). He retired in 1966, and died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 77, on May 4, 1974.
BornApril 23, 1897
DiedMay 4, 1974(77)
BornApril 23, 1897
DiedMay 4, 1974(77)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

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Known for

5 Fingers (1952)
5 Fingers
7.6
  • Count Franz Von Papen
  • 1952
Constance Dowling and Richard Egan in Gog (1954)
Gog
5.4
  • Dr. Zeitman
  • 1954
Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift, Maximilian Schell, and Richard Widmark in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Judgment at Nuremberg
8.3
  • Dr. Karl Wieck
  • 1961
Humphrey Bogart in Sahara (1943)
Sahara
7.5
  • Maj. Von Falken
  • 1943

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • The Time Tunnel (1966)
    The Time Tunnel
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Dr. Hans Kleinemann
    • 1966
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Abbot John (as John E. Wengraf)
    • 1966
  • Jericho (1966)
    Jericho
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Monseigneur Paul (as John E. Wengraf)
    • 1966
  • Ship of Fools (1965)
    Ship of Fools
    7.0
    • Graf
    • 1965
  • Charles Boyer and Susanne Cramer in The Rogues (1964)
    The Rogues
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Drozhin
    • 1964
  • Paul Newman, Diane Baker, and Elke Sommer in The Prize (1963)
    The Prize
    6.8
    • Hans Eckhart
    • 1963
  • Ripcord (1961)
    Ripcord
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Hans Rovag
    • 1963
  • Robert Conrad, Anthony Eisley, Poncie Ponce, and Connie Stevens in Hawaiian Eye (1959)
    Hawaiian Eye
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Nicolas Viotti
    • Mr. Duval
    • 1961–1962
  • The Dick Powell Theatre (1961)
    The Dick Powell Theatre
    7.4
    TV Series
    • 'Werner'
    • 1962
  • Richard Basehart, Maria Emo, Carl Esmond, and Cordula Trantow in Hitler (1962)
    Hitler
    5.7
    • Dr. Morell
    • 1962
  • The Detectives (1959)
    The Detectives
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Varchek
    • 1962
  • Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift, Maximilian Schell, and Richard Widmark in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
    Judgment at Nuremberg
    8.3
    • Dr. Karl Wieck
    • 1961
  • Abel Fernandez, Nicholas Georgiade, Paul Picerni, and Robert Stack in The Untouchables (1959)
    The Untouchables
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Gus Kleeber
    • Manning Loder
    • 1960–1961
  • Shirley Temple in Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958)
    Shirley Temple's Storybook
    7.3
    TV Series
    • The King
    • 1961
  • Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in 77 Sunset Strip (1958)
    77 Sunset Strip
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Max Eberhard
    • 1961

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Personal details

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  • Alternative names
    • Hans Wengraf
  • Born
    • April 23, 1897
    • Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
  • Died
    • May 4, 1974
    • Santa Barbara, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Col. Erfurt"; Broadway debut) in "Candle in the Wind" on Broadway. Drama. Written by Maxwell Anderson (also production supervisor). Scenic / Lighting Design by Jo Mielziner. Miss Hayes' clothes designed and executed by Valentina. Directed by Alfred Lunt. Shubert Theatre: 22 Oct 1941-10 Jan 1942 (95 performances). Cast: Helen Hayes (as "Madeline Guest"), George Andre, Louis Borell, Michelette Burani, Brian Connaught, Bruce Fernald, Mario Gang, Nell Harrison (as "Mercy"), Robert Harrison, Ferdi Hoffman, Stanley Jessup (as "M. Fleury"), Kurt Kreuger, Lotte Lenya, Benedict MacQuarrie, William Malten, Harro Meller, Guy Moneypenny, Leona Roberts (as "Charlotte"), Tonio Selwart, Evelyn Varden, Philip White, Joseph Wiseman (as "Cpl. Mueller"). Produced by The Playwrights' Company (Maxwell Anderson, S.N. Behrman, Elmer Rice, Robert E. Sherwood, Sidney Howard, Theresa Helburn, Lawrence Langner: Administrative Directors).

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  • Trivia
    He appeared unbilled in a couple of films, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television shows ever presented.

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