John Wengraf
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 22, 1897
- Died
- May 4, 1974 (aged 77)
- Birthplace
- Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now Austria
Biography
Emigrating to England in 1933 as the Nazis began their rise to power, Wengraf 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. 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/I), 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 more quality pictures he enhanced 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 throughly 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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The Time Tunnel
TV · as Dr. Hans Kleinemann · 1 ep
Jericho
TV · as Monseigneur Paul · 1 ep
Ship of Fools
Movie · as Graf
The Rogues
TV · as Drozhin · 1 ep
The Prize
Movie · as Hans Eckhart
Hitler
Movie · as Dr. Morell
Judgment at Nuremberg
Movie · as Karl Wieck
12 to the Moon
Movie · as Dr. Erich Heinrich
Portrait in Black
Movie · as Dr. Kessler
Bourbon Street Beat
TV · 1 ep
Hawaiian Eye
TV · 1 ep
One Step Beyond
TV · as Ernest, Felix Borgner · 1 ep
The Third Man
TV · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · as Varchek · 1 ep
The Return of Dracula
Movie · as John Merriman
77 Sunset Strip
TV · 1 ep
Bat Masterson
TV · as Colonel Anders Dorn · 1 ep
Behind Closed Doors
TV · as Von Elm · 1 ep
The Pride and the Passion
Movie · as Sermaine
Valerie
Movie · as Mr. Louis Horvat
Oh, Men! Oh, Women!
Movie · as Dr. Krauss
The Disembodied
Movie · as Dr. Carl Metz
The Walter Winchell File
TV · 1 ep
Panic!
TV · 1 ep
Never Say Goodbye
Movie · as Prof. Zimmelman
Telephone Time
TV · 1 ep
The Racers
Movie · as Dr. Tabor
The Millionaire
TV · as Count Victor Turec · 1 ep
Matinee Theater
TV · 1 ep
Gog
Movie · as Dr. Zeitman
The French Line
Movie · as Commodore Renard
Paris Playboys
Movie · as Vidal
The Gambler from Natchez
Movie · as Nicholas Cadiz
Hell and High Water
Movie · as Col. Schuman (uncredited)
Tropic Zone
Movie · as Lukats
The Desert Rats
Movie · as German Doctor (uncredited)
General Electric Theater
TV · 1 ep
The Danny Thomas Show
TV · as Victor Waingraft · 1 ep
You Are There
TV · as Dr. Zimmerman · 1 ep
5 Fingers
Movie · as Count Franz Von Papen
Cavalcade of America
TV · as German Colonel, Von Schwarz · 1 ep
Dangerous Assignment
TV · 1 ep
Four Star Playhouse
TV · as Denoir · 1 ep
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Landau, Max von Mayerling · 1 ep
The Lovable Cheat
Movie · as Pierquin
Wake of the Red Witch
Movie · as Prosecuting Attorney
Sofia
Movie · as Peter Goltzen
Sealed Verdict
Movie · as German Doctor
T-Men
Movie · as 'Shiv' Triano
The Razor's Edge
Movie · as Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler
Tomorrow Is Forever
Movie · as Dr. Ludwig
Week-End at the Waldorf
Movie · as Alex
U-Boat Prisoner
Movie · as Gunther Rudehoff, Gestapo Agent
Strange Affair
Movie · as Rudolph Kruger
The Seventh Cross
Movie · as Overkamp
Till We Meet Again
Movie · as Gestapo Chief
The Boy from Stalingrad
Movie · as German Major
Sahara
Movie · as Maj. von Falken
Mission to Moscow
Movie · as Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited)
Lucky Jordan
Movie · as Herr Kesselman
Convoy
Movie · as Commander Deutschland
Sailors Three
Movie · as German Captain
Dangerous Comment
Movie · as German Radio Operator
All Hands
Movie · as German
Night Train to Munich
Movie · as KL Physician (uncredited)
The Moon in the Yellow River
Movie · as Tausch
Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten
Movie · as Paul Rainer