Peter Lorre (born László Löwenstein; 26 June 1904 â€" 23 March
1964) was a Hungarian-American actor of Jewish descent. Lorre began
his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany where he worked
first on the stage, then in film in Berlin in the late 1920s and early
1930s. Lorre caused an international sensation in the German film M
(1931), directed by Fritz Lang, in which he portrayed a serial killer
who preys on little girls.Lorre left Germany when Adolf Hitler came to
power. His second English-language film, following the
multiple-language version of M (1931), was Alfred Hitchcock's The Man
Who Knew Too Much (1934) made in Great Britain. Eventually settling in
Hollywood, he later became a featured player in many Hollywood crime
and mystery films. In his initial American films, Mad Love and Crime
and Punishment (both 1935), he continued to play murderers, but he was
then cast playing Mr. Moto, the Japanese detective, in a B-picture
series.From 1941 to 1946, he mainly worked for Warner Bros. His first
film at Warner was The Maltese Falcon (1941), the first of many films
in which he appeared alongside actors Humphrey Bogart and Sydney
Greenstreet. This was followed by Casablanca (1942), the second of the
nine films in which Lorre and Greenstreet appeared together. Lorre's
other films include Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and
Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Frequently typecast as a
sinister foreigner, his later career was erratic. Lorre was the first
actor to play a James Bond villain as Le Chiffre in a TV version of
Casino Royale (1954). Some of his last roles were in horror films
directed by Roger Corman.Lorre was born László Löwenstein
(Hungarian: Löwenstein László) on 26 June 1904, the first child of
Alajos Löwenstein and his wife Elvira Freischberger, in the Hungarian
town of Rózsahegy in Liptó County (German: Rosenberg; Slovak:
Ružomberok, now in Slovakia). His parents, who were Jewish, had only
recently moved there following his father's appointment as chief
bookkeeper at a local textile mill. Alajos also served as a lieutenant
in the Austrian Army Reserve, which meant that he was often away on
military maneuvers.
1964) was a Hungarian-American actor of Jewish descent. Lorre began
his stage career in Vienna before moving to Germany where he worked
first on the stage, then in film in Berlin in the late 1920s and early
1930s. Lorre caused an international sensation in the German film M
(1931), directed by Fritz Lang, in which he portrayed a serial killer
who preys on little girls.Lorre left Germany when Adolf Hitler came to
power. His second English-language film, following the
multiple-language version of M (1931), was Alfred Hitchcock's The Man
Who Knew Too Much (1934) made in Great Britain. Eventually settling in
Hollywood, he later became a featured player in many Hollywood crime
and mystery films. In his initial American films, Mad Love and Crime
and Punishment (both 1935), he continued to play murderers, but he was
then cast playing Mr. Moto, the Japanese detective, in a B-picture
series.From 1941 to 1946, he mainly worked for Warner Bros. His first
film at Warner was The Maltese Falcon (1941), the first of many films
in which he appeared alongside actors Humphrey Bogart and Sydney
Greenstreet. This was followed by Casablanca (1942), the second of the
nine films in which Lorre and Greenstreet appeared together. Lorre's
other films include Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and
Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Frequently typecast as a
sinister foreigner, his later career was erratic. Lorre was the first
actor to play a James Bond villain as Le Chiffre in a TV version of
Casino Royale (1954). Some of his last roles were in horror films
directed by Roger Corman.Lorre was born László Löwenstein
(Hungarian: Löwenstein László) on 26 June 1904, the first child of
Alajos Löwenstein and his wife Elvira Freischberger, in the Hungarian
town of Rózsahegy in Liptó County (German: Rosenberg; Slovak:
Ružomberok, now in Slovakia). His parents, who were Jewish, had only
recently moved there following his father's appointment as chief
bookkeeper at a local textile mill. Alajos also served as a lieutenant
in the Austrian Army Reserve, which meant that he was often away on
military maneuvers.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.