John Wengraf

John Wengraf

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.

Acting

1966

The Time Tunnel
Tv

Dr. Hans Kleinemann

1963

The Prize
Movie

Hans Eckhart

1962

Hitler
Movie

Dr. Morell

1960

1959

1959

1959

One Step Beyond
Tv

Felix Borgner

1958

Bat Masterson
Tv

Colonel Anders Dorn

1957

1957

Valerie
Movie

Mr. Louis Horvat

1956

Never Say Goodbye
Movie

Prof. Zimmelman

1955

1954

Gog
Movie

Dr. Zeitman

1954

The French Line
Movie

Commodore Renard

1954

Hell and High Water
Movie

Col. Schuman (uncredited)

1953

The Desert Rats
Movie

German Doctor (uncredited)

1952

5 Fingers
Movie

Count Franz Von Papen

1948

Wake of the Red Witch
Movie

Prosecuting Attorney

1948

Sealed Verdict
Movie

German Doctor

1947

T-Men
Movie

'Shiv' Triano

1946

The Razor's Edge
Movie

Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler

1944

Strange Affair
Movie

Rudolph Kruger

1944

1943

Sahara
Movie

Maj. von Falken

1943

Mission to Moscow
Movie

Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited)

1940

Sailors Three
Movie

German Captain

1940

Convoy
Movie

Commander Deutschland

1940

Night Train to Munich
Movie

KL Physician (uncredited)

Infos

Full Name
John Wengraf
Gender
Male
Date of Birth
4/22/1897
Date of Death
5/4/1974