Men Of Character Character Actors
Peter Lorre
M/ The Child Killer
Mr. Moto Detective Series/ Mr. Moto
Casablanca/ Ugarte
The Maltese Falcon/ Joel Cairo
The Mask Of Demetrius/ Cornelius Leyden
Per Quinlan's Film Stars:
Dark squat, furtive looking Hungarian born actor who made an indelible impression in the German film "M" as the child murderer. But his wheedling tones and comic sinister personality are best remembered from his Hollywood days, as one of life's victims, scuddling from it's shadier corners, forever being seized by his lapels by his of time cohart, large Sydney Greenstreet.
Born Lazlo Lowenstein at , Austria-Hungary in 1904 he ran away from home and worked as a bank clerk. After stage training in Vienna, he made his acting debut at Zurich and performed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Lorre's first fame came in the 1931 German film "M" as the child killer. He made several more films in Germany but due to his part Jewish background he left that country when the Nazi's came to power.
Lorre starred in theater and films in France, England then after 1935 in the United States.
Some of Peter Lorre's film roles were
M (1931) as Hans Beckert, The Child Killer
Bombs Over Monte Carlo ( 1931) as Pawlitschek
Dope (1932) as Hunchback
Les Requins de Petrole (1933) as Henry Pless
Unscitshbare Gegner (1933) as Henry Pless
High And Low (1933) as Le mendicant
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) as Abbott
Mad Love (1935) as Dr. Gogol
Crime And Punishment (1935) as Roderick Raskolnikov
Secret Agent (1936) as The General
Crack Up (1935) as Colonel Gimpy
Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) as Professor Sturm
Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937) as Mr. Moto
Lancer Spy (1937) as Major Siegfried Gruning
Thank You Mr. Moto (1937) as Mr. Moto
Mr Moto's Gamble (1938) as Mr. Moto
Mr . Moto Takes A Chance (1938) as Mr. Moto
I'll Give A Million (1938) as Louie Monteau
Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) as Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto's Last Warning ( 1939) as Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) as Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation (1939) as Mr. Moto
Strange Cargo (1940) as M'sieu Pig
I Was An Adventuress (1949) as Polo
Island Of Doomed Men (1940) as Stephen Danel
Stranger On The Third Floor (1940) as The Stranger
You'll Find Out (1940) as Fenninger
The Face Behind The Mask (1941) as Jams "Johnny" Szabo
Mr. District Attorney (1941) as Paul Hyde
They Met In Bombay (1941) as Captain Chang
The Maltese Falcon (1941) as Joel Cairo
All Through The Night (1941) as Pepi
Invisible Agent (1942) as Baron Ikito
The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) as Dr. Arthur Lorencz
Casablanca (1942) as Ugarte
The Constant Nymph (1943) as Fritz Bercovy
Background To Danger (1943) as Nikolai Zaleshoff
The Cross Of Lorraine (1943) as Sgt. Berger
Passage To Marseille (1944) as Marius
The Mask Of Dimitrios (1944) as Cornelius Leyton
Arsenic And Old Lace ( 1944) as Dr. Einstein
The Conspirators (1944) as Jan Bernazsky
Hotel Berlin (1945) as Johannes
Confidential Agent (1945) as Contreras
Three Strangers (1946) as Johnny West
Black Angel (1946) as Marko
The Chase (1946) as Gino
The Verdict (1946) as Victor Emmric
The Beast With Five Fingers (1946) as Hilary Cummins
My Favorite Brunette (1947) as Kismet
Casbah (1948) as Slimane
Rope Of Sand (1949) as Toady
Quicksand (1950) as Nick
Double Confession (1950) as Paynter
Der Verlorene (1951) as Karl Roth/ Doctor Karl Neumeister
Beat The Devil (1953) as Julius O'Hara
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) as Consell
Congo Crossing (1956) as Colonel John Miguel Orlando Arragas
Around The World In Eighty Days (1956) as Japanese Steward - S S Carnatic
The Buster Keaton Story (1957) as Kurt Bergner
Silk Stockings (1957) as Brankov
The Story Of Mankind (1957) as Nero
The Sad Sack (1957) as Abdul
Hell Ship Mutiny (1957) as Commissioner Lammoret
Collector's Item (1958) as Mr. Munsey
The Big Circus (1959) as Skeeter
Scent Of Mystery (1960) as Smiley
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (1961) as Comm. Lucius Emory
Tales Of Terror (1962) as Montresor
Five Weeks In A Balloon (1962) as Ahmed
The Raven (1963) as Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
The Comedy Of Terrors (1963) as Felix Gillie
Muscle Beach Party (1964) as Dr. Strangedour
The Patsy (1964) as Morgan Heywood
Peter Lorre also appeared on television on such programs as Lux Video Theater, Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars, Suspense, Producer's Showcase, Climax, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Checkmate, The Gertrude Berg Show, 77 Sunset Strip and The Red Skelton Show.
Mr. Lorre in the latter part of his career became associated with the horror film genre joining such stars as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.
Lorre had a great sense of humor. While attending Bela Lugosi's funeral with Vincent Price and after viewing Lugosi laid out in his Dracula's cape, Lorre asked Price: "Do you think we should drive a stake through his heart just in case?"
He was married three times. His wife at the time of his death was Annemarie Brenning and they had one child.
One of his wives was actress Celia Lovsky.
Peter Lorre passed away in 1964 as the result of a stroke.
Lorre was great in such films as The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Mr. Moto Detective series, The Face Behind The Mask, Mad Love, The Beast With Five Fingers, All Through The Night, Arsenic And Old Lace, 20,000 Leagues Beneath The Sea and The Mask Of Demetrios as well as his later horror films such as Tales Of Terror and The Raven.
A thoroughly enjoyable performer especially in creepy or sinister roles.
Louie The Movie Buff
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