About

Known credits:
123
Birthday:
1893-01-22
Place of birth:
Berlin, Germany
Website:
N/A

Conrad Veidt

Overview

Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent film, where he was one of the best-paid stars of Ufa, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with his new Jewish wife after the Nazis came to power. They settled in Britain, where he participated in a number of films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the United States around 1941, which lead to him having a supporting role in Casablanca (1942).

From 1916 until his death, Veidt appeared in more than 100 films. One of his earliest performances was as the murderous somnambulist Cesare in director Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a classic of German Expressionist cinema, with Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover. His starring role in The Man Who Laughs (1928), as a disfigured circus performer whose face is cut into a permanent grin, provided the (visual) inspiration for the Batman villain the Joker, created in 1940 by Bill Finger. Veidt also starred in other silent horror films such as The Hands of Orlac (1924), another film directed by Robert Wiene, The Student of Prague (1926) and Waxworks (1924) where he played Ivan the Terrible.

Veidt also appeared in Magnus Hirschfeld's film Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others, 1919), one of the first films to sympathetically portray homosexuality, although the characters in it do not end up happily. He had a leading role in Germany's first talking picture, Das Land ohne Frauen (Land Without Women, 1929).

He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s and made a few films, but the advent of talking pictures and his difficulty with speaking English led him to return to Germany. During this period he lent his expertise to tutoring aspiring performers, one of whom was the later American character actress Lisa Golm.

Known for

Acting
2008 Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad Actor Jaffar (archival footage) 59
Average
2000 The Many Faces of Dracula Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1998 Universal Horror Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
1974 The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1943 Above Suspicion Actor Hassert Seidel 59
Average
1943 Casablanca Actor Major Heinrich Strasser 79
Good
1942 Nazi Agent Actor Otto Becker / Baron Hugo von Detner 59
Average
1942 All Through the Night Actor Franz Ebbing 60
Fair
1941 The Men in Her Life Actor Stanislas Rosing 59
Average
1941 Whistling in the Dark Actor Joseph Jones 58
Average
1941 A Woman's Face Actor Torsten Barring 60
Fair
1940 Escape Actor General Kurt von Kolb 59
Average
1940 A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound Actor Self 59
Average
1940 Contraband Actor Capt. Andersen 59
Average
1940 The Thief of Bagdad Actor Jaffar 63
Fair
1939 The Spy in Black Actor Captain Ernst Hardt 59
Average
1938 The Chess Player Actor Le baron de Kempelen 59
Average
1938 Tempête sur l'Asie Actor Erich Keith N/A
N/A
1937 Dark Journey Actor Baron Karl Von Marwitz 59
Average
1937 Under the Red Robe Actor Gil de Berault 59
Average
1935 King of the Damned Actor Convict 83 59
Average
1935 The Passing of the Third Floor Back Actor The Stranger 59
Average
1934 Bella Donna Actor Mahmoud Baroudi 58
Average
1934 Jew Süss Actor Josef 'Jew Süss' Oppenheimer 59
Average
1934 Wilhelm Tell Actor Gessler 58
Average
1933 The Wandering Jew Actor Matathias / The Unknown Knight / Dr Matteos Battadios 59
Average
1933 I Was a Spy Actor Commandant Oberaertz 58
Average
1933 F.P.1 Actor Maj. Ellissen 59
Average
1933 The Only Girl Actor Marquis de Pontignac 59
Average
1932 Rome Express Actor Zurta 59
Average
1932 The Black Hussar Actor Captain Hansgeorg von Hochberg 59
Average
1932 Rasputin, Demon of the Women Actor Grigori Rasputin 59
Average
1931 Congress Dances Actor Prince Metternich N/A
N/A
1931 The Other Side Actor Hauptmann Stanhope 59
Average
1931 The Congress Dances Actor Fürst Metternich 59
Average
1931 The Night of the Decision Actor N/A
N/A
1931 The Man Who Committed the Murder Actor Oberst Marquis de Sévigné 58
Average
1930 The Love Storm Actor Kingsley N/A
N/A
1930 The Great Longing Actor Himself 59
Average
1930 The Last Company Actor Hauptmann Burk 58
Average
1929 The Last Performance Actor Erik the Great 59
Average
1929 Das Land ohne Frauen Actor Dick Ashton N/A
N/A
1928 The Movie City of Hollywood Actor Self 58
Average
1928 The Man Who Laughs Actor Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie 62
Fair
1927 Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed! Actor 58
Average
1927 A Man's Past Actor Paul La Roche 58
Average
1927 Napoleon Actor Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade 63
Fair
1927 The Beloved Rogue Actor King Louis XI 59
Average
1926 The Flight in the Night Actor Count di Nolli, Heinrich IV N/A
N/A
1926 The Student of Prague Actor Balduin, Student 59
Average
1926 Liebe macht blind Actor N/A
N/A
1926 Should We Be Silent? Actor Paul Hartwig, Maler 59
Average
1926 Two Brothers Actor Wenzel Schellenberg / Michael Schellenberg 58
Average
1926 Impetuous Youth Actor Renées Vater 59
Average
1926 The Wife's Crusade Actor Der Staatsanwalt N/A
N/A
1925 The Ingmar Inheritance Actor Hellgum 59
Average
1925 Le Comte Kostia Actor Comte Kostia N/A
N/A
1925 Schicksal Actor N/A
N/A
1924 Husbands or Lovers Actor Der Liebhaber, ein Dichter 58
Average
1924 Waxworks Actor Ivan the Terrible 59
Average
1924 The Hands of Orlac Actor Paul Orlac 60
Fair
1924 The Film in the Film Actor Himself 59
Average
1924 Don Carlos und Elisabeth Actor Don Carlos 59
Average
1923 Wilhelm Tell Actor Hermann Gessler 58
Average
1923 Paganini Actor Niccolo Paganini N/A
N/A
1923 Glanz gegen Glück Actor N/A
N/A
1922 Lucrezia Borgia Actor Cesare Borgia 58
Average
1921 The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur Actor Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur 58
Average
1921 The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi Actor Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur 58
Average
1921 Lady Hamilton Actor Lord Nelson 59
Average
1921 Landstraße und Großstadt Actor Raphael, der Geiger N/A
N/A
1921 Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon Actor Christian Wahnschaffe N/A
N/A
1921 Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft Actor N/A
N/A
1921 Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore Actor Hektor Dalmore 58
Average
1921 Liebestaumel Actor Jalenko N/A
N/A
1921 Desire Actor Ivan N/A
N/A
1921 Journey into the Night Actor Der Maler 58
Average
1921 Das Geheimnis von Bombay Actor Tossi N/A
N/A
1921 Menschen im Rausch Actor Professor Munk N/A
N/A
1920 The Count of Cagliostro Actor Minister N/A
N/A
1920 Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand Actor Christian Wahnschaffe N/A
N/A
1920 Manolescu's Memoirs Actor Manolescu N/A
N/A
1920 Evening - Night - Morning Actor Brilburn - Maud's brother N/A
N/A
1920 Moriturus Actor Wilmos, sanatorium director N/A
N/A
1920 The Head of Janus Actor Dr. Warren N/A
N/A
1920 Künstlerlaunen Actor N/A
N/A
1920 Kurfürstendamm Actor The devil N/A
N/A
1920 Die Augen der Welt Actor Johannes Kay N/A
N/A
1920 Patience Actor Sir Percy Parker N/A
N/A
1920 Die Nacht auf Goldenhall Actor N/A
N/A
1920 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Actor Cesare 74
Good
1920 Der Reigen - Ein Werdegang Actor Petre Karvan 58
Average
1920 Figures of the Night Actor The clown N/A
N/A
1919 Eerie Tales Actor Der Tod / Various Other Roles 58
Average
1919 Wahnsinn Actor Bankier Lorenzen N/A
N/A
1919 Prinz Kuckuck Actor Carl Kraker N/A
N/A
1919 Prostitution II Actor Alfred Werner N/A
N/A
1919 Die Okarina Actor N/A
N/A
1919 Different from the Others Actor Paul Körner 59
Average
1919 Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod Actor N/A
N/A
1919 Around the World in 80 Days Actor Phineas Fogg 58
Average
1919 Prostitution Actor Alfred Werner N/A
N/A
1919 Die Japanerin Actor N/A
N/A
1919 Opium Actor Dr. Richard Armstrong Jr. 59
Average
1919 Nocturno der Liebe Actor Frederic Chopin N/A
N/A
1919 Die Mexikanerin Actor Dr. von Dossen N/A
N/A
1919 Opfer der Gesellschaft Actor N/A
N/A
1918 Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby Actor Doktor Köstling N/A
N/A
1918 The Story of Dida Ibsen Actor Erik Norrensen N/A
N/A
1918 Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter Actor Kramer N/A
N/A
1918 Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert Actor Doktor Köstling N/A
N/A
1918 Colomba Actor Henryk von Rhyn N/A
N/A
1918 Diary of a Lost Woman Actor Dr. Julius N/A
N/A
1918 Not of the Woman Born Actor Satan N/A
N/A
1918 Das Dreimäderlhaus Actor Schober N/A
N/A
1918 Das Rätsel von Bangalor Actor Dinja N/A
N/A
1917 Der Spion Actor Steinau N/A
N/A
1917 Wenn Tote sprechen Actor Richard von Worth N/A
N/A
1917 Fear Actor Indian Priest 59
Average
1917 Der Weg des Todes Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
1920 Die Nacht auf Goldenhall Directing Director N/A
N/A
1919 Wahnsinn Directing Director N/A
N/A

Production
1920 Die Nacht auf Goldenhall Production Producer N/A
N/A