Image of 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.


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Born:
Apr 23, 1897 In Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now Austria
Movie/TV Credits:
59
First Appeared:
In the movie The Moon in the Yellow River 1938-12-28
Latest Project:
Series Jericho 1966-09-15
Known For
Poster of Jericho
Poster of Hitler
Poster of The Pride and the Passion
Poster of Lucky Jordan
Filmography
Series The Time Tunnel Unknown 1966-09-09
Series Jericho Unknown 1966-09-15
Movie Ship of Fools Graf 1965-07-29
Movie The Prize Hans Eckhart 1963-12-25
Movie Hitler Dr. Morell 1962-03-21
Movie Judgment at Nuremberg Karl Wieck 1961-12-18
Movie 12 to the Moon Dr. Erich Heinrich 1960-02-03
Movie Portrait in Black Dr. Kessler 1960-07-27
Series One Step Beyond Unknown 1959-01-20
Series The Third Man Unknown 1959-10-02
Series Bourbon Street Beat Unknown 1959-10-05
Series The Detectives Unknown 1959-10-16
Series Hawaiian Eye Unknown 1959-10-07
Movie The Return of Dracula John Merriman 1958-05-21
Series Behind Closed Doors Unknown 1958-10-02
Series Bat Masterson Unknown 1958-10-08
Series 77 Sunset Strip Unknown 1958-10-10
Series Panic! Unknown 1957-03-05
Movie The Pride and the Passion Sermaine 1957-07-10
Movie Oh, Men! Oh, Women! Dr. Krauss 1957-02-22
Series The Walter Winchell File Unknown 1957-10-02
Movie The Disembodied Dr. Carl Metz 1957-08-25
Movie Valerie Mr. Louis Horvat 1957-08-01
Movie Never Say Goodbye Prof. Zimmelman 1956-03-10
Series Telephone Time Unknown 1956-04-08
Series The Millionaire Unknown 1955-01-19
Movie The Racers Dr. Tabor 1955-02-04
Series Matinee Theater Unknown 1955-10-31
Movie The French Line Commodore Renard 1954-02-08
Movie Hell and High Water Col. Schuman (uncredited) 1954-02-06
Movie Gog Dr. Zeitman 1954-06-04
Movie Paris Playboys Vidal 1954-03-07
Movie The Gambler from Natchez Nicholas Cadiz 1954-08-04
Movie Tropic Zone Lukats 1953-01-14
Movie The Desert Rats German Doctor (uncredited) 1953-05-20
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Series Dangerous Assignment Unknown 1952-01-01
Movie 5 Fingers Count Franz Von Papen 1952-02-22
Series Cavalcade of America Unknown 1952-10-01
Series Lux Video Theatre Unknown 1950-10-02
Movie The Lovable Cheat Pierquin 1949-05-11
Movie Sofia Peter Goltzen 1948-09-03
Movie Sealed Verdict German Doctor 1948-11-05
Movie Wake of the Red Witch Prosecuting Attorney 1948-12-30
Movie T-Men 'Shiv' Triano 1947-12-15
Movie The Razor's Edge Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler 1946-11-19
Movie Tomorrow Is Forever Dr. Ludwig 1946-02-20
Movie Week-End at the Waldorf Alex 1945-10-04
Movie The Seventh Cross Overkamp 1944-07-24
Movie Strange Affair Rudolph Kruger 1944-10-05
Movie U-Boat Prisoner Gunther Rudehoff, Gestapo Agent 1944-07-25
Movie Mission to Moscow Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited) 1943-04-29
Movie Sahara Major von Falken 1943-09-22
Movie Lucky Jordan Herr Kesselman 1942-11-16
Movie All Hands German 1940-05-31
Movie Night Train to Munich KL Physician (uncredited) 1940-08-31
Movie Convoy Commander Deutschland 1940-09-28
Movie Sailors Three German Captain 1940-12-14
Movie The Moon in the Yellow River Tausch 1938-12-28