Wilhelm von Brincken (May 27, 1881 – January 18, 1946), also known as Wilhelm L. von Brincken, William Vaughn, William von Brinken, and William Vaughan, was a German diplomat and spy during World War I, who went on to become an American character actor of the silent and

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

eras.

Personal life

Von Brincken was born on May 27, 1881, in

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. His father was a German diplomat from

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, as well as being a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

. While a student at Military Telegraph School in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, he engaged in a sword duel. While he won, the event left him with a permanent facial scar. He graduated from the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

, as well as the Potsdam War College. Von Brincken was an officer in the German cavalry, being a lieutenant in the Royal Saxon Cavalry. Von Brincken had a ranch near

Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real (California), El Camino Real and U.S. Route 101 in California, Highway 1 ...

. In 1910, he married Alice Roedel of San Mateo, in Blankenburg, Germany. They had one child, a son, Hans Frederich Wilhelm. The couple split up in December 1912, when von Brincken left her. Alice finally filed for divorce in October 1914, which as required by law, become official in October 1915. By 1915, von Brincken was the military attache to the German embassy in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Von Brincken was also a knight of the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

. On October 27, 1915, von Brincken married again to

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

Milo Abercrombie. Born in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Milo was the niece of John W. Abercrombie, U.S. congressman from Alabama, and she was acclaimed by noted portraitist

Harrison Fisher Harrison Fisher (July 27, 1875 or 1877 – January 19, 1934) was an American illustrator. Career Fisher was born in Brooklyn, New York City and began to draw at an early age. Both his father and his grandfather were artists.Harrison & Carrin ...

as "California's greatest beauty". Their daughter was born in January 1917, and named Cecilie, after her Godmother, Crown Princess Cecilie. They also had a son, named after the father, Wilhelm Friedrich. She divorced von Brincken in 1919 during his imprisonment and legally changed her, and her children's last name back to her maiden name, Abercrombie, so her children would not be "ashamed" of their name. She also changed the given names of both of the children, Wilhelm, to John Milo Abercrombie and Cecilie to Maria Milo Abercrombie. Although by 1938, when he was in college, his son was once again using the name of Wilhelm F. In 1920, after he was released from prison, he legally changed his name to Roger Beckwith and filed for U. S. citizenship. His citizenship became formal in 1927. In becoming a citizen, he renounced his claim to his German barony. In October 1920, von Brincken married for a third time, to Mrs. Ruth McConnell Swartz of Los Angeles, a widow. The two had met several years earlier, and had recently reconnected after his release from prison, and were married in a small ceremony in Canada. Ruth filed for divorce in May 1922, which was granted the following September. Von Brincken remarried yet again, this time to 21-year-old Bertie Rogers, of

Eastman, Georgia Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,658 at the 2020 census, up from 4,962 at the 2010 census. The city was named after William Pitt Eastman, a native of Massachusetts who purchased a large tract of l ...

, who was an actress in Los Angeles. The two divorced in January 1927. By 1933, von Brincken had married once again. While in Hollywood in January 1946, von Brincken suffered a ruptured artery. He was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he died on January 18, 1946. He is interred in

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Forest Lawn may refer to: Cemeteries California * Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of cemeteries in southern California * Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City), California * Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), California * Fore ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Espionage activity

In 1915, he was transferred to the West coast, and assigned to the consulate in San Francisco. While working at the San Francisco consulate, he was arrested at the beginning of World War I on espionage charges, due to his alleged involvement in a bomb plot with his co-conspirators, C.C. Crowley, who worked at the German consulate, and an agent of a German shipping line, Robert Capelle. In February 1916, he was indicted, along with dozens of others, including the German consul general and his vice-consul, Franz Bopp and Baron E.H. von Schack, respectively. Von Brincken was convicted and sentenced to serve two years in prison in the

Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial The Hindu–German Conspiracy Trial commenced in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on November 12, 1917, following the uncovering of the Hindu–German Conspiracy (also known as the Indo-German plot) for initiating a revolt in British Indi ...

for plotting to foment an

insurrection Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

against British

colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...

in India, this sentence to run concurrently with a similar conviction for his alleged participation in bomb and dynamiting plots against the government of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Von Brincken served his two-year sentence at

Alcatraz Prison United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (, ''"the gannet"'') or the Rock, was a Maximum security prison, maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisc ...

and McNeil Island Penitentiary.

Film career

Von Brincken made his American film debut acting in ''The Redemption of David Corson'' (1914). After his release from prison in 1920, von Brincken became an American citizen in 1921. A fellow German expatriate,

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...

, included him in a group of former German military men whom he invited to Hollywood to work on films. Due to his military background, he was called upon as a military expert and a technical advisor on films, including the Academy Award-winning ''

All Quiet on the Western Front ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' () is a semi-autobiographical novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma during the war as well as the detachme ...

'' (1930). Von Brincken returned to acting in Von Stroheim's 1928 film, ''

Queen Kelly ''Queen Kelly'' is an American silent film produced in 1928–29 and released by United Artists. The film was directed by Erich von Stroheim, starred Gloria Swanson, in the title role, Walter Byron (actor), Walter Byron as her lover, and Seena O ...

'', starring

Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...

. Over the course of his career, he appeared under several different variants of his name, such as von Brinken, as well as going under Anglicized versions of his name, such as William Vaughn and Vaughan, when doing so was politically correct. In 1929 and 1930, he had small roles in several films before receiving featured roles such as in the

Eddie Foy Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), ...

and

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during Classical Hollywood cinema, the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she perf ...

film, '' Leathernecking'', and playing the German ace, Baron

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of th ...

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

' 1930 classic, ''

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

''. Most of the rest of the 1930s had him appearing in numerous films, in both minor and featured roles. With the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in 1939, von Brincken was often cast in the role of a Nazi, such as in 1939's ''

Confessions of a Nazi Spy ''Confessions of a Nazi Spy'' is a 1939 American spy political thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. It was the first explicitly anti-Nazi film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, being released in May 1939, four ...

'', the

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian-American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

film ''Navy Secrets'' (1939), and 1941's '' So Ends Our Night'', which stars

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, page 95. As ...

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1933, she caught the attention of film direct ...

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film ''An American Tragedy (film), An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known ...

, and

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

. Not only did he appear in dramas and suspense films, but he also did comedies such as

The Ritz Brothers The Ritz Brothers were an American family comedy act consisting of brothers Al (1901–1965), Jimmy (1904–1985), and Harry Ritz (1907–1986) who performed extensively on stage, in nightclubs and in films from 1925 to the late 1970s. A fourth ...

' 1939 film, '' Pack Up Your Troubles'', and ''

Once Upon a Honeymoon ''Once Upon a Honeymoon'' is a 1942 romantic comedy/drama starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, and Walter Slezak, directed by Leo McCarey, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Sound Recording ( Stephen Dunn ...

'' (1942), starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

Wilhelm_Von_Brincken_marriage_to_Milo_Abercrombie

Filmography

(Per AFI database) *''

The Redemption of David Corson ''The Redemption of David Corson'' is a lost 1914 silent film drama directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring William Farnum. It was produced by Daniel Frohman and Adolph Zukor. This story was based on a novel ''The Redemption of David Cor ...

'' (1914) *'' The Brute'' (1914) *''The Man Who Beat Dan Dolan'' (1915) *'' Sally, Irene and Mary'' (1925) as Party Reveler *''

The Prince of Pilsen ''The Prince of Pilsen'' is a lost 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Anita Stewart and George Sidney. David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical prod ...

'' (1926) as Captain of the Guard *'' Condemned'' (1929) as Vidal's Orderly (uncredited) *''

General Crack ''General Crack'' is a 1929 American pre-Code sound all-talking historical costume melodrama with Technicolor sequences which was directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It was filmed and premiered in 1929, a ...

'' (1930) as Capt. Schmidt *'' Hell's Angels'' (1930) as Von Richter (uncredited) *'' Leathernecking'' (1930) as Richter *'' Inside the Lines'' (1930) as Chief, Secret Service *'' The Lonesome Trail'' (1930) as Man in White Sombrero *''

Mamba Mambas are fast-moving, highly venomous snakes of the genus ''Dendroaspis'' (which literally means "tree asp") in the family Elapidae. Four extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essentially arboreal and gre ...

'' (1930) as Major von Schultz *'' Three Faces East'' (1930) as Capt. Kugler (uncredited) *'' Command Performance'' (1931) as Capt. Boyer *'' The Unholy Garden'' (1931) as Minor Role (scenes deleted) *''

Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

'' (1931) as Baron von Bergen - Party Guest (uncredited) *'' Surrender'' (1931) as Konrad Reichendorf (uncredited) *''

'' (1932) as Prince Wolfram's Adjutant (uncredited) *'' A Passport to Hell'' (1932) as Officer *'' Six Hours to Live'' (1932) as Reporter (uncredited) *''

The Night Club Lady ''The Night Club Lady'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Adolphe Menjou, Mayo Methot and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher.Backer p.187 It was followed by a sequel ''The Circus Queen Murder'' in 1933 wi ...

'' (1932) as Dr. Emil Lengle (uncredited) *''

Shanghai Madness ''Shanghai Madness'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Spencer Tracy, Fay Wray, Ralph Morgan, and Albert Conti. It was released by Fox Film Corporation. Plot After attacking and destroying a ...

'' (1933) as von Uhlenberg *''

Private Jones ''Private Jones'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Russell Mack and written by Prescott Chaplin, Bill Cohen, George Jessel, William N. Robson and Sam Spewack. The film, which stars Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, Donald Cook, Emm ...

'' (1933) *'' Crimson Romance'' (1934) as Von Gering *''

Fugitive Road ''Fugitive Road'' is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Erich von Stroheim, Wera Engels and Leslie Fenton. It is set a border post in Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria following World War I. A variety of dif ...

'' (1934) as Lt. Berne *''

Flirting with Danger Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can change ...

'' (1934) as Von Kruger *'' King Kelly of the U.S.A.'' (1934) as Stranger *'' Viva Villa'' (1934) as German Reporter (scenes deleted) *'' The Gay Bride'' (1934) as German Official (uncredited) *'' I'll Tell the World'' (1934) as Joseph *'' The Melody Lingers On'' (1935) as Austrian Officer (uncredited) *''

Dracula's Daughter ''Dracula's Daughter'' is a 1936 American vampire horror film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film ''Dracula''. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in ...

'' (1936) as Policeman (uncredited) *'' Crack-Up'' (1936) as Spy (uncredited) *''

Espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

'' (1937) as Legation Officer (uncredited) *'' They Gave Him a Gun'' (1937) as German Captain (uncredited) *'' Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' (1937) as Polizei Officer (uncredited) *''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in o ...

'' (1937) as Krafstein *'' Wallaby Jim of the Islands'' (1937) as Adolph Richter, Pearl Hunter *'' Thank You, Mr. Moto'' (1937) as Schneider *'' Bulldog Drummond in Africa'' (1938) as Dr. Stern (uncredited) *'' The Mexicali Kid'' (1938) as Frederick Gorson *'' Navy Secrets'' (1939) as Cronjer - Spy Ring Chief *'' Panama Patrol'' (1939) as Marlin *''

'' (1939) as Captain von Eichen *''

Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

'' (1939) as Second-Mate Wilson *''

Espionage Agent ''Espionage Agent'' is a pre–World War II spy melodrama produced by Hal B. Wallis in 1939. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, ''Espionage Agent'', like many Warner Bros. movies, clearly identifies the Germans as the enemy. This was unlike many other mov ...

'' (1939) as Foreign Official (uncredited) *'' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1939) as Mueller *'' Hidden Enemy'' (1940) as Professor Werner *'' Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet'' (1940) as Officer (uncredited) *''

Four Sons ''Four Sons'' is a 1928 American synchronized sound drama film directed and produced by John Ford and written for the screen by Philip Klein from a story by I. A. R. Wylie first published in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' as "Grandmother Bernle ...

'' (1940) as Gortner *'' So Ends Our Night'' (1941) as German Official *'' Man Hunt'' (1941) as Harbor Police Chief (uncredited) *'' Underground'' (1941) as Capt. Bornsdorff (uncredited) *'' The Deadly Game'' (1941) as Nazi Agent *'' Miss V from Moscow'' (1942) as Capt. Richter *''

'' (1942) as German Colonel with American Consul (uncredited) *'' Berlin Correspondent'' (1942) *''

Counter-Espionage Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting ac ...

'' (1942) as Von Ruhoff (uncredited) *''

Desperate Journey ''Desperate Journey'' is a 1942 American World War II action and aviation film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Raymond Massey, Alan Hale Sr., and Arthur Kennedy. The melodramati ...

'' (1942) as Gate Sentry (uncredited) *'' Joan of Ozark'' (1942) as German Radio Operator *''

Joan of Paris ''Joan of Paris'' is a 1942 war film about five Royal Air Force pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II and their attempt to escape to England. It stars Michèle Morgan and Paul Henreid, with Thomas Mitchell, Laird Cr ...

'' (1942) as Schultz - Funk's Secretary (uncredited) *'' The Navy Comes Through'' (1942) as Captain of 'Odin' (uncredited) *''

Reunion in France ''Reunion in France'' is a 1942 American war film distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Joan Crawford, John Wayne, and Philip Dorn in a story about a woman in occupied France who, learning her well-heeled lover has German connections, aids ...

'' (1942) as Major (uncredited) *'' Where Trails End'' (1942) as Tip Wallace *'' A Yank in Libya'' (1942) as Yussof Streyer *'' Chetniks!'' (1943) *''

The Purple V ''The Purple V'' is a 1943 American war film directed by George Sherman and starring John Archer (actor), John Archer, Mary McLeod and Fritz Kortner. The ''Purple V'' marked German stage star Fritz Kortner's American film debut. Actors John Archer ...

'' (1943) as Col. von Ritter *'' The Boy from Stalingrad'' (1943) as German General *''

Background to Danger ''Background to Danger'' is a 1943 World War II spy thriller film starring George Raft and featuring Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. Based on the 1937 novel '' Uncommon Danger'' by Eric Ambler and set in politically neu ...

'' (1943) as German Official (uncredited) *''

Assignment in Brittany ''Assignment in Brittany'' is a 1943 war film directed by Jack Conway and starring French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont and Swedish actress Signe Hasso, both in their American film debuts, and American actress Susan Peters. The film was adapted f ...

'' (1943) as German Major (uncredited) *''

Action in the North Atlantic ''Action in the North Atlantic'' is a 1943 American war film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Jerry Wald, directed by Lloyd Bacon, and adapted by John Howard Lawson from a story by Guy Gilpatric. The film stars Humphrey Bogart and R ...

'' (1943) as German Sub Captain (uncredited) *''

The Cross of Lorraine ''The Cross of Lorraine'' is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer war film about French Prisoner of war, prisoners of war escaping a German prison camp and joining the French Resistance. Directed by Tay Garnett, starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Gene Kelly, ...

'' (1943) as German Officer in Car (uncredited) *'' Around the World'' (1943) as German (uncredited) *'' The Hitler Gang'' (1944) as Police Official (uncredited)

References

External links

*
Article on German spy rings in the United States during World War I
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brincken, Wilhelm von 1881 births 1946 deaths American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors American male film actors 20th-century German male actors World War I spies for Germany Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States People from Flensburg Inmates of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary German people imprisoned in the United States Male actors from Schleswig-Holstein