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.
Known for
ActingBirthday
April 22, 1897Deathday
May 4, 1974Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
42Place of birth
Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now AustriaCast credits
Judgment at Nuremberg
Karl WieckThe Prize
Hans EckhartShip of Fools
GrafThe Pride and the Passion
Sermaine12 to the Moon
Dr. Erich HeinrichGog
Dr. ZeitmanPortrait in Black
Dr. KesslerThe French Line
Commodore RenardThe Return of Dracula
John MerrimanThe Lovable Cheat
PierquinValerie
Mr. Louis HorvatThe Razor's Edge
Joseph - Gray & Isabel's ButlerWeek-End at the Waldorf
Alex5 Fingers
Count Franz Von PapenHitler
Dr. MorellOh, Men! Oh, Women!
Dr. KraussParis Playboys
VidalLucky Jordan
Herr KesselmanTropic Zone
LukatsThe Disembodied
Dr. Carl MetzNever Say Goodbye
Prof. Zimmelman