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

Jericho

Unknown

1966

The Time Tunnel

Dr. Hans Kleinemann

1965

1964

The Rogues

Drozhin

1963

The Prize

Hans Eckhart

1962

Hitler

Dr. Morell

1961

1960

1959

1959

1959

1959

1959

One Step Beyond

Felix Borgner

1959

1958

1958

Bat Masterson

Colonel Anders Dorn

1958

1958

1957

1957

The Disembodied

Dr. Carl Metz

1957

Valerie

Mr. Louis Horvat

1957

1957

Panic!

Unknown

1957

1956

Never Say Goodbye

Prof. Zimmelman

1955

1955

The Racers

Dr. Tabor

1955

The Millionaire

Count Victor Turec

1954

1954

Gog

Dr. Zeitman

1954

1954

The French Line

Commodore Renard

1954

Hell and High Water

Col. Schuman (uncredited)

1953

The Desert Rats

German Doctor (uncredited)

1953

1952

1952

Cavalcade of America

German Colonel

1952

1952

1952

5 Fingers

Count Franz Von Papen

1950

Lux Video Theatre

Max von Mayerling

1950

1948

Wake of the Red Witch

Prosecuting Attorney

1948

Sealed Verdict

German Doctor

1947

T-Men

'Shiv' Triano

1946

The Razor's Edge

Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler

1946

1944

Strange Affair

Rudolph Kruger

1944

Till We Meet Again

Gestapo Chief

1944

1943

Sahara

Maj. von Falken

1943

Mission to Moscow

Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited)

1940

Sailors Three

German Captain

1940

Convoy

Commander Deutschland

1940

Night Train to Munich

KL Physician (uncredited)

Infos

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