About

Known credits:
43
Birthday:
1897-04-23
Place of birth:
Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now Austria
Website:
N/A

John Wengraf

Overview

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

Acting

1965 Ship of Fools Actor Graf 59
Average
1963 The Prize Actor Hans Eckhart 60
Fair
1962 Hitler Actor Dr. Morell 58
Average
1961 Judgment at Nuremberg Actor Karl Wieck 71
Good
1960 Portrait in Black Actor Dr. Kessler 58
Average
1960 12 to the Moon Actor Dr. Erich Heinrich 57
Average
1958 The Return of Dracula Actor John Merriman 58
Average
1957 The Disembodied Actor Dr. Carl Metz 59
Average
1957 Valerie Actor Mr. Louis Horvat 58
Average
1957 The Pride and the Passion Actor Sermaine 58
Average
1957 Oh, Men! Oh, Women! Actor Dr. Krauss 59
Average
1956 Never Say Goodbye Actor Prof. Zimmelman 59
Average
1955 The Racers Actor Dr. Tabor 58
Average
1954 The Gambler from Natchez Actor Nicholas Cadiz 58
Average
1954 Gog Actor Dr. Zeitman 58
Average
1954 Paris Playboys Actor Vidal 59
Average
1954 The French Line Actor Commodore Renard 58
Average
1954 Hell and High Water Actor Col. Schuman (uncredited) 59
Average
1953 The Desert Rats Actor German Doctor (uncredited) 59
Average
1953 Tropic Zone Actor Lukats 58
Average
1952 5 Fingers Actor Count Franz Von Papen 61
Fair
1949 The Lovable Cheat Actor Pierquin 59
Average
1948 Wake of the Red Witch Actor Prosecuting Attorney 58
Average
1948 Sealed Verdict Actor German Doctor 59
Average
1948 Sofia Actor Peter Goltzen 59
Average
1947 T-Men Actor 'Shiv' Triano 60
Fair
1946 The Razor's Edge Actor Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler 60
Fair
1946 Tomorrow Is Forever Actor Dr. Ludwig 59
Average
1945 Week-End at the Waldorf Actor Alex 58
Average
1944 Strange Affair Actor Rudolph Kruger 59
Average
1944 U-Boat Prisoner Actor Gunther Rudehoff, Gestapo Agent 59
Average
1944 The Seventh Cross Actor Overkamp 59
Average
1943 Sahara Actor Maj. von Falken 61
Fair
1943 The Boy from Stalingrad Actor German Major N/A
N/A
1943 Mission to Moscow Actor Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited) 58
Average
1942 Lucky Jordan Actor Herr Kesselman 59
Average
1940 Sailors Three Actor German Captain 59
Average
1940 Convoy Actor Commander Deutschland 58
Average
1940 Night Train to Munich Actor KL Physician (uncredited) 60
Fair
1940 All Hands Actor German N/A
N/A
1940 Dangerous Comment Actor German Radio Operator N/A
N/A
1938 The Moon in the Yellow River Actor Tausch N/A
N/A
1935 Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten Actor Paul Rainer N/A
N/A