Conrad Veidt

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

121

Gender

Male

Birthday

1893-01-22

Day of death

1943-04-03 (50 years old)

Place of Birth

Berlin, Germany

Conrad Veidt

Biography

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

  • Casablanca

    Casablanca

  • The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi

    The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi

  • The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur

    The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur

  • Napoleon

    Napoleon

  • The Passing of the Third Floor Back

    The Passing of the Third Floor Back

  • The Flight in the Night

    The Flight in the Night

  • Wilhelm Tell

    Wilhelm Tell

  • Dark Journey

    Dark Journey

  • Prinz Kuckuck

    Prinz Kuckuck

  • The Ingmar Inheritance

    The Ingmar Inheritance

  • Contraband

    Contraband

  • Wilhelm Tell

    Wilhelm Tell

  • Lucrezia Borgia

    Lucrezia Borgia

  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

    The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

  • Rome Express

    Rome Express

  • A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

    A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

  • The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute

    The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute

  • Jew Süss

    Jew Süss

  • Lady Hamilton

    Lady Hamilton

  • Waxworks

    Waxworks

  • F.P.1

    F.P.1

  • Escape

    Escape

  • Die Japanerin

    Die Japanerin

  • Prostitution II

    Prostitution II

  • Kurfürstendamm

    Kurfürstendamm

  • Nazi Agent

    Nazi Agent

  • Paganini

    Paganini

  • Eerie Tales

    Eerie Tales

  • The Student of Prague

    The Student of Prague

  • A Woman's Face

    A Woman's Face

  • The Man Who Laughs

    The Man Who Laughs

  • Different from the Others

    Different from the Others

  • All Through the Night

    All Through the Night

  • Don Carlos und Elisabeth

    Don Carlos und Elisabeth

  • The Spy in Black

    The Spy in Black

  • The Night of the Decision

    The Night of the Decision

  • Künstlerlaunen

    Künstlerlaunen

  • Whistling in the Dark

    Whistling in the Dark

  • The Congress Dances

    The Congress Dances

  • Bella Donna

    Bella Donna

  • Colomba

    Colomba

  • Rasputin, Demon of the Women

    Rasputin, Demon of the Women

  • Universal Horror

    Universal Horror

  • King of the Damned

    King of the Damned

  • Das Land ohne Frauen

    Das Land ohne Frauen

  • Die Mexikanerin

    Die Mexikanerin

  • Two Brothers

    Two Brothers

  • Patience

    Patience

  • The Last Performance

    The Last Performance

  • The Many Faces of Dracula

    The Many Faces of Dracula

  • Under the Red Robe

    Under the Red Robe

  • The Thief of Bagdad

    The Thief of Bagdad

  • Diary of a Lost Woman

    Diary of a Lost Woman

  • A Man's Past

    A Man's Past

  • Schicksal

    Schicksal

  • Liebe macht blind

    Liebe macht blind

  • Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand

    Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand

  • The Men in Her Life

    The Men in Her Life

  • I Was a Spy

    I Was a Spy

  • Tempête sur l'Asie

    Tempête sur l'Asie

  • The Great Passion

    The Great Passion

  • The Man Who Committed the Murder

    The Man Who Committed the Murder

  • Die Nacht auf Goldenhall

    Die Nacht auf Goldenhall

  • The Film in the Film

    The Film in the Film

  • Journey into the Night

    Journey into the Night

  • The Last Company

    The Last Company

  • The Hands of Orlac

    The Hands of Orlac

  • The Only Girl

    The Only Girl

  • The Head of Janus

    The Head of Janus

  • Prostitution

    Prostitution

  • Not of the Woman Born

    Not of the Woman Born

  • The Beloved Rogue

    The Beloved Rogue

  • Impetuous Youth

    Impetuous Youth

  • Above Suspicion

    Above Suspicion

  • The Story of Dida Ibsen

    The Story of Dida Ibsen

  • Husbands or Lovers

    Husbands or Lovers

  • Das Rätsel von Bangalor

    Das Rätsel von Bangalor

  • Menschen im Rausch

    Menschen im Rausch

  • The Love Storm

    The Love Storm

  • The Chess Player

    The Chess Player

  • Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter

    Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter

  • Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed!

    Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed!

  • Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft

    Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft

  • Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon

    Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon

  • The Movie City of Hollywood

    The Movie City of Hollywood

  • Das Dreimäderlhaus

    Das Dreimäderlhaus

  • The Other Side

    The Other Side

  • Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore

    Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore

  • The Merry-Go-Round

    The Merry-Go-Round

  • Evening – Night – Morning

    Evening – Night – Morning

  • Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert

    Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert

  • The Wandering Jew

    The Wandering Jew

  • Nocturno der Liebe

    Nocturno der Liebe

  • The Count of Cagliostro

    The Count of Cagliostro

  • Das Geheimnis von Bombay

    Das Geheimnis von Bombay

  • Manolescu's Memoirs

    Manolescu's Memoirs

  • Figures of the Night

    Figures of the Night

  • Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby

    Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby

  • Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad

    Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad

  • Le Comte Kostia

    Le Comte Kostia

  • Desire: The Tragedy of a Dancer

    Desire: The Tragedy of a Dancer

  • Danton

    Danton

  • Der Weg des Todes

    Der Weg des Todes

  • The Black Hussar

    The Black Hussar

  • Around the World in 80 Days

    Around the World in 80 Days

  • The Wife's Crusade

    The Wife's Crusade

  • Should We Be Silent?

    Should We Be Silent?

  • Landstraße und Großstadt

    Landstraße und Großstadt

  • Wenn Tote sprechen

    Wenn Tote sprechen

  • Opium

    Opium

  • Die Augen der Welt

    Die Augen der Welt

  • Die Okarina

    Die Okarina

  • Congress Dances

    Congress Dances

  • Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod

    Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod

  • Glanz gegen Glück

    Glanz gegen Glück

  • Opfer der Gesellschaft

    Opfer der Gesellschaft

  • Wahnsinn

    Wahnsinn

  • Der Spion

    Der Spion

  • Moriturus

    Moriturus

  • Liebestaumel

    Liebestaumel

  • Fear

    Fear