John Wengraf
John Wengraf
Biography
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
68
Gender
Male
Birthday
1897-04-22 (127 years old)
Place of Birth
Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now Austria
Acting

1966

The Time Tunnel as Dr. Hans Kleinemann

1966

Jericho as Not available

1965

Ship of Fools as Graf

1964

The Rogues as Drozhin

1963

The Prize as Hans Eckhart

1962

Hitler as Dr. Morell

1961

Judgment at Nuremberg as Karl Wieck

1960

Portrait in Black as Dr. Kessler

1960

12 to the Moon as Dr. Erich Heinrich

1959

Hawaiian Eye as Not available

1959

The Detectives as Not available

1959

The Third Man as Not available

1959

One Step Beyond as Ernest

1959

One Step Beyond as Felix Borgner

1959

Bourbon Street Beat as Not available

1958

77 Sunset Strip as Not available

1958

Bat Masterson as Colonel Anders Dorn

1958

Behind Closed Doors as Von Elm

1958

The Return of Dracula as John Merriman

1957

The Walter Winchell File as Not available

1957

Panic! as Not available

1957

The Pride and the Passion as Sermaine

1957

Valerie as Mr. Louis Horvat

1957

The Disembodied as Dr. Carl Metz

1957

Oh, Men! Oh, Women! as Dr. Krauss

1956

Telephone Time as Not available

1956

Never Say Goodbye as Prof. Zimmelman

1955

Matinee Theater as Not available

1955

The Millionaire as Count Victor Turec

1955

The Racers as Dr. Tabor

1954

The French Line as Commodore Renard

1954

Hell and High Water as Col. Schuman (uncredited)

1954

Gog as Dr. Zeitman

1954

Paris Playboys as Vidal

1954

The Gambler from Natchez as Nicholas Cadiz

1953

General Electric Theater as Not available

1953

The Desert Rats as German Doctor (uncredited)

1953

Tropic Zone as Lukats

1952

Four Star Playhouse as Denoir

1952

Cavalcade of America as German Colonel

1952

Cavalcade of America as Not available

1952

Cavalcade of America as Von Schwarz

1952

Dangerous Assignment as Not available

1952

5 Fingers as Count Franz Von Papen

1950

Lux Video Theatre as Landau

1950

Lux Video Theatre as Max von Mayerling

1949

The Lovable Cheat as Pierquin

1948

Wake of the Red Witch as Prosecuting Attorney

1948

Sealed Verdict as German Doctor

1948

Sofia as Peter Goltzen

1947

T-Men as 'Shiv' Triano

1946

The Razor's Edge as Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler

1946

Tomorrow Is Forever as Dr. Ludwig

1944

The Seventh Cross as Overkamp

1944

U-Boat Prisoner as Gunther Rudehoff, Gestapo Agent

1944

Strange Affair as Rudolph Kruger

1943

Sahara as Maj. von Falken

1943

Mission to Moscow as Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited)

1943

The Boy from Stalingrad as German Major

1942

Lucky Jordan as Herr Kesselman

1940

Night Train to Munich as KL Physician (uncredited)

1940

Convoy as Commander Deutschland

1940

Sailors Three as German Captain

1940

Dangerous Comment as German Radio Operator

1940

All Hands as German

1935

Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten as Paul Rainer