William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 â€" December 9, 1972) was a
German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States
in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in
Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his career, becoming a
United States citizen in 1937. He moved back to Germany in the late
1950s.His best-known films include The Devil and Daniel Webster, The
Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His
film The Life of Emile Zola (1937) won the Academy Award for Best
Picture, the second biographical feature to do so.He was born Wilhelm
Dieterle in Ludwigshafen, the youngest child of nine, to factory
worker Jacob and Berthe (Doerr) Dieterle. As a child, he lived in
considerable poverty and earned money by various means, including
carpentry and as a scrap dealer. He became interested in theater early
and would stage productions in the family barn for friends and family.
German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States
in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in
Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his career, becoming a
United States citizen in 1937. He moved back to Germany in the late
1950s.His best-known films include The Devil and Daniel Webster, The
Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His
film The Life of Emile Zola (1937) won the Academy Award for Best
Picture, the second biographical feature to do so.He was born Wilhelm
Dieterle in Ludwigshafen, the youngest child of nine, to factory
worker Jacob and Berthe (Doerr) Dieterle. As a child, he lived in
considerable poverty and earned money by various means, including
carpentry and as a scrap dealer. He became interested in theater early
and would stage productions in the family barn for friends and family.
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