Otto Waldis (born Otto Glucksmann-Blum, May 20, 1901 – March 25, 1974) was an Austrian-American character actor in films and television from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was also billed as Otto Blum.

Years in Germany

Waldis was born Otto Glucksmann-Blum in 1901 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. He was a student during World War I and initially studied to be a naval engineer. When Germany had no navy after the war, he shifted his attention to acting in the 1920s. Rudolph Schildkraut saw him perform and encouraged him to pursue a theatrical career. Billed as Otto Valdis, he performed Shakespeare and classic German plays. He also directed plays. Waldis began made his film debut in a small role in director

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's classic thriller '' M'' (1931) starring

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...

. After he began acting regularly in films, he had the lead in ''The Broken Pitcher'', which received first prize in an international competition in 1934.

Emigration and work in Hollywood

The Jewish actor fled from Europe because of the persecution from the Nazi Regime. He and his wife left Austria and arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, in June 1940. He worked as a photographer in Birmingham. Waldis became a familiar character actor often appearing in

B movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, ...

and his roles were sometimes uncredited. He also appeared regularly on television during the 1950s and '60s. Waldis also occasionally acted on stage.

Personal life and death

Waldis married Margaret Vieth, an opera singer, in 1935. He died of a heart attack in 1974 at the age of 72.

Selected filmography

*'' M'' (1931) – (uncredited) *''Kinder vor Gericht'' (1931) – Ein Gefangener *''Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.'' (1931) *''

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'' (1947) – Jan *''

Call Northside 777 ''Call Northside 777'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Henry Hathaway. The film parallels the true story of a Chicago newspaper reporter who proved that a man jailed for murder 11 years previously was wrongly convicted. James Stewart ...

'' (1948) – Boris Siskovich (uncredited) *'' Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948) – Concierge *''

Berlin Express ''Berlin Express'' is a 1948 American drama film starring Robert Ryan, Merle Oberon and Paul Lukas and directed by Jacques Tourneur. Thrown together by chance, a group of people search a city for a kidnapped peace activist. Set in Allied-occu ...

'' (1948) – Kessler *''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Lund. The screenplay by Charles Brackett, Wilder and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by ...

'' (1948) – Inspector (uncredited) *''

The Fighting O'Flynn ''The Fighting O'Flynn'' is a 1949 American adventure film directed by Arthur Pierson. The film's screenplay by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is based on the novel of the same name by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Fairbanks stars, along with Helena Carter. ...

'' (1949) – General van Dronk *'' The Lovable Cheat'' (1949) – Bailiff *''

I Was a Male War Bride ''I Was a Male War Bride'' is a 1949 screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. The film was based on "Male War Bride Trial to Army", a biography of Henri Rochard (pen name of Roger Charlier), a ...

'' (1949) – Minor Role (scenes deleted) *''

Love Happy ''Love Happy'' is a 1949 American musical comedy film released by United Artists, directed by David Miller and starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo and Chico) in their 13th and final feature film. The screenplay was written by Frank Tas ...

'' (1949) – Ivan – Assassin in Grunion's Office (uncredited) *''

Border Incident ''Border Incident'' is a 1949 American film noir featuring Ricardo Montalbán, George Murphy, and Howard Da Silva. Directed by Anthony Mann, the MGM production was written by John C. Higgins from a story by John C. Higgins and George Zuckerman. ...

'' (1949) – Fritz *'' Bagdad'' (1949) – Marengo *''

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'' (1950) – Joe Calla *''

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'' (1950) – Gormand *'' Dark City'' (1950) – Benowski (uncredited) *''

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'' (1951) – Skipper *''

Night Into Morning ''Night Into Morning'' is a 1951 American drama film directed by Fletcher Markle and starring Ray Milland, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis. Plot Everything is going very well for college professor Phillip Ainley, who has a loving wife and son and an ...

'' (1951) – Dr. Franz Niemoller *''

Secrets of Monte Carlo ''Secrets of Monte Carlo'' is a 1951 American crime film directed by George Blair and starring Warren Douglas, Lois Hall and June Vincent. Plot In Hong Kong, a British insurance investigator and an American businessman join forces to recover th ...

'' (1951) – Louis Gunther *''

The Whip Hand ''The Whip Hand'' is a 1951 American film directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring Carla Balenda and Elliott Reid. Plot Journalist Matt Corbin (Elliott Reid) is traveling through Wisconsin on a fishing trip and comes across a nearly des ...

'' (1951) – Dr. Wilhelm Bucholtz *''

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'' (1951) – Dr. Max A. Bauer *''

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'' (1952) – Pullman Porter (uncredited) *'' Anything Can Happen'' (1952) – Sandro *''

The Black Castle ''The Black Castle'' is a 1952 American historical gothic horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, Rita Corday and Lon Chaney Jr. It was produced by William Alland. The film was m ...

'' (1952) – Krantz, the Innkeeper *''The Congregation'' (1952) *'' Rogue's March'' (1953) – Alex *''

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'' (1953) – Ship's Captain Goslak *''

Rebel City ''Rebel City'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Thomas Carr and starring Wild Bill Elliott, Marjorie Lord and Robert Kent. The film is set in Junction City in Kansas during the American Civil War where Southern supporters are att ...

'' (1953) – Spain, the Jeweler *''

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'' (1953) – Slave Dealer (uncredited) *''

Flight to Tangier ''Flight to Tangier'' is a 1953 American action film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Joan Fontaine, Jack Palance, and Corinne Calvet. It was released by Paramount Pictures in Technicolor and 3-D. This film also appeared in '' ...

'' (1953) – Wisil (uncredited) *''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full s ...

'' (1954) – Patch-Eye (uncredited) *''

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'' (1954) – Brodnik *''

The Iron Glove ''The Iron Glove'' is a 1954 American historical adventure film directed by William Castle and starring Robert Stack, Ursula Thiess and Richard Stapley. It was based on the adventures of the Jacobite Charles Wogan. Plot Irish Jacobite Charle ...

'' (1954) – King George I (uncredited) *'' Port of Hell'' (1954) – Snyder *''

Sincerely Yours Sincerely Yours may refer to: Film * ''Sincerely Yours'' (film), a 1955 American romantic music comedy featuring Liberace * '' Sincerely Yours...'', a 1985 Soviet comedy Music * Sincerely Yours (record label), a Swedish record label Albums * ...

'' (1955) – Professor Zwolinski (uncredited) *''

Artists and Models ''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor ...

'' (1955) – Kurt *'' Running Wild'' (1955) – Leta's Father *'' Desert Sands'' (1955) – Gabin *''

Man from Del Rio A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father ...

'' (1956) – Tom Jordan (uncredited) *'' Ride the High Iron'' (1956) – Yanusz Danielchik *'' The Night the World Exploded'' (1957) – Professor Hagstrom (uncredited) *''

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'' (1958) (Season 3 Episode 28: "Lamb to the Slaughter") - Sam *''

'' (1958) (Season 3 Episode 39: "Little White Frock") - Mr. Koslow *''

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'' (1958) – Dr. Heinrich Von Loeb *''

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'' (1959) – Policeman (uncredited) *'' Pier 5, Havana'' (1959) – Schluss *''

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'' (1961) – Pohl *''

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'' (1964) – Wilhelm Grover, man with birthmark *'' Freddy in the Wild West'' (1964) – Old Joe *''

Move Move or The Move may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an American online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move, a Japanese car * PlayStation Move, a motion ...

'' (1970) – (uncredited) (final film role) Waldis also made several guest appearances on television including roles in ''

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'', '' The Adventures of Superman'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', '' Lawman'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

Gomer Pyle, USMC Gomer ( ''Gōmer''; ) was the eldest son of Japheth (and of the Japhetic line), and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 10). The eponymous Gomer, "standing for the whole fa ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldis, Otto 1901 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American people of Austrian descent