Herman Bing (March 30, 1889 – January 9, 1947) was a

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. He acted in more than 120 films and many of his parts were uncredited.

Biography

Bing was born in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany. Bing began his career at the circus, at age 16, and vaudeville showing comedic talent. In 1921 he made his film debut in "Ciska Barna, die Zigeunerin". He was production chief of several films in Germany before he went to America, in 1923, with director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau as Murnau's interpreter and assistant director. He also worked under John Ford and Frank Borzage, before establishing himself as a successful character actor well known for his wild-eyed facial expressions and thick German accent. He also provided the voice for the Ringmaster in

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's ''

Dumbo ''Dumbo'' is a 1941 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical Fantasy film, fantasy Comedy drama, comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film i ...

'' (1941).

Death

The start of World War II in Europe caused all things German to be unpopular with audiences. His German accent was no longer in demand in the years following World War II. He became increasingly depressed in the mid-1940s, as he was unable to secure work in Hollywood, and committed suicide by gunshot in 1947.

Selected filmography

* ''Ciska Barna, Die Zigeunerin'' (1921) * '' 4 Devils'' (1928) * '' Married in Hollywood'' (1929) as German Director * '' A Song of Kentucky'' (1929) as Jake Kleinschmidt * '' The Three Sisters'' (1930) as Von Kosch * '' Show Girl in Hollywood'' (1930) as Mr. Bing – Otis' Assistant * '' Men Behind Bars'' (1931) as Lawyer * '' Women Love Once'' (1931) * '' The Great Lover'' (1931) as Losseck * '' The Guardsman'' (1931) as A Creditor * '' Murders in the Rue Morgue'' (1932) as Franz Odenheimer * ''

Westward Passage ''Westward Passage'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Robert Milton and starring Ann Harding, Laurence Olivier, ZaSu Pitts and Irving Pichel. The screenplay concerns a woman who falls in love and marries, but soon discovers ...

'' (1932) as Otto Hoopengarner – the Dutchman * ''

Flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, ...

'' (1932) as Pepi – Headwaiter * ''

Hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

'' (1932) as Capt. Otto Von Stormberg * ''The Plumber and the Lady'' (1933 short) as Otto Mauser * '' The Nuisance'' (1933) as Willy * '' Dinner at Eight'' (1933) as Waiter * '' My Lips Betray'' (1933) as Weininger * '' Footlight Parade'' (1933) as Fralick * '' The Bowery'' (1933) as Max Herman * ''Fits in a Fiddle'' (1933 short) as Heinrich Mickelmeier * '' College Coach'' (1933) as Prof. Glantz * ''Trimmed in Furs'' (1934 short) as Engles the Lodge Owner * ''

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

'' (1934) as Prof. Kleinschmidt * '' Melody in Spring'' (1934) as Wirt * '' I'll Tell the World'' (1934) as Adolph * '' Manhattan Love Song'' (1934) as Gustave * '' Hide-Out'' (1934) as Jake * '' Embarrassing Moments'' (1934) as Bartender * '' When Strangers Meet'' (1934) as Mr. Oscar Schultz * ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' (1934) as Zizipoff * '' Crimson Romance'' (1934) as Himmelbaum * '' Love Time'' (1934) as Istvan * ''

The Mighty Barnum ''The Mighty Barnum'' is a 1934 film directed by Walter Land and starring Wallace Beery as P.T. Barnum. The movie was written by Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth, adapted from their play of the same name. Beery had played Barnum four years earl ...

'' (1934) as Farmer Schultz * '' The Night Is Young'' (1935) as Nepomuk * '' The Great Hotel Murder'' (1935) as Hans * '' The Florentine Dagger'' (1935) as Baker * '' The Misses Stooge'' (1935 short) as Sazarac the Magician * '' In Caliente'' (1935) as Florist * '' Stage Frights'' (1935 short) * '' Calm Yourself'' (1935) as Mr. Sam Bromberg * '' Don't Bet on Blondes'' (1935) as Prof. Friedrich Wilhelm Gruber * ''

Every Night at Eight ''Every Night at Eight'' is a 1935 American comedy musical film starring George Raft and Alice Faye and made by Walter Wanger Productions Inc. and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Walter Wanger from a screenp ...

'' (1935) as Joe Schmidt * '' Call of the Wild'' (1935) as Sam * '' Redheads on Parade'' (1935) as Lionel Kunkel * '' His Family Tree'' (1935) as Mr. 'Stony' Stonehill * '' Three Kids and a Queen'' (1935) as Walter Merkin * '' 1000 Dollars a Minute'' (1935) as Vanderbrocken * '' Fighting Youth'' (1935) as Luigi * '' Rose Marie'' (1936) as Mr. Daniells * '' Slide, Nellie, Slide'' (1936 short) as The Hot Dog King * ''

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

'' (1936) as Mr. Kluckmeyer – Tango Hosiery * '' Laughing Irish Eyes'' (1936) as Weisbecher * ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical film, musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Lui ...

'' (1936) as Costumer * '' The King Steps Out'' (1936) as Pretzelberger * '' The Three Wise Guys'' (1936) as Baumgarten * '' Human Cargo'' (1936) as Fritz Schultz * ''

Blackmailer Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a th ...

'' (1936) as Dr. Rosenkrantz – Coroner * '' Adventure in Manhattan'' (1936) as Otto * '' Come Closer, Folks'' (1936) as Herman * '' That Girl from Paris'' (1936) as 'Hammy' Hammacher * '' Champagne Waltz'' (1937) as Max Snellinek * '' Maytime'' (1937) as August Archipenko * ''

Oh, What a Knight! ''Oh, What a Knight!'' is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film follows a young woman, named May Brandon, who dreams a medieval fantasy in which she is wooed, rescued and married by a loyal knight. Whe ...

'' (1937 short) * '' Beg, Borrow or Steal'' (1937) as Von Giersdorff – aka Count Herman * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1937) as Fritz Krausmeyer * ''

Paradise for Three ''Paradise for Three'', titled ''Romance for Three'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1938 American romantic comedy film starring Frank Morgan as a wealthy industrialist who learns about his Austrian workers by surreptitiously living among them. It wa ...

'' (1938) as Mr. Polter * '' Bluebeard's Eighth Wife'' (1938) as Monsieur Pepinard * ''

Four's a Crowd ''Four's a Crowd'' is a 1938 American screwball comedy, screwball comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell and Patric Knowles. The picture was written by Casey Robinson and Sig Herzig fr ...

'' (1938) as Barber * '' Vacation from Love'' (1938) as Oscar Wittlesbach * '' The Great Waltz'' (1938) as Dommayer * '' Sweethearts'' (1938) as Oscar Engel * '' Bitter Sweet'' (1940) as Market Keeper * ''

'' (1941) as The Ringmaster (voice, uncredited) * '' The Devil with Hitler'' (1942 short) as Louis * '' The Captain from Köpenick'' (completed in 1941, released in 1945) as City Hall guardian Kilian * '' Where Do We Go from Here?'' (1945) as Hessian Col. / Von Heisel * '' Rendezvous 24'' (1946) as Herr Schmidt * '' Night and Day'' (1946) as Ladisaus Smedick – 2nd 'Peaches' (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

*
Portrait of the Actor Herman Bing by Thomas Staedeli
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bing, Herman 1889 births 1947 suicides 1947 deaths Male actors from Frankfurt Actors from Hesse-Nassau German male film actors German male voice actors 20th-century German male actors German emigrants to the United States Suicides by firearm in California Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery