John Wengraf
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Apr 22, 1897
- Died
- May 4, 1974 (aged 77)
- Place of birth
- Vienna, Austria-Hungary, now Austria
- Credits
- 67
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
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961Movie
Karl Wieck
The Time Tunnel
1966TV
Dr. Hans Kleinemann
Sahara
1943Movie
Maj. von Falken
The Prize
1963Movie
Hans Eckhart
5 Fingers
1952Movie
Count Franz Von Papen
The Desert Rats
1953Movie
German Doctor (uncredited)
Filmography
Jericho
1966TV
Monseigneur Paul
The Time Tunnel
1966TV
Dr. Hans Kleinemann
Ship of Fools
1965Movie
Graf
The Rogues
1964TV
Drozhin
The Prize
1963Movie
Hans Eckhart
Hitler
1962Movie
Dr. Morell
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961Movie
Karl Wieck
Portrait in Black
1960Movie
Dr. Kessler
12 to the Moon
1960Movie
Dr. Erich Heinrich
The Detectives
1959TV
Varchek
Hawaiian Eye
1959TV
Bourbon Street Beat
1959TV
The Third Man
1959TV
One Step Beyond
1959TV
Ernest, Felix Borgner
77 Sunset Strip
1958TV
Bat Masterson
1958TV
Colonel Anders Dorn
Behind Closed Doors
1958TV
Von Elm
The Return of Dracula
1958Movie
John Merriman
The Walter Winchell File
1957TV
The Disembodied
1957Movie
Dr. Carl Metz
Valerie
1957Movie
Mr. Louis Horvat
The Pride and the Passion
1957Movie
Sermaine
Panic!
1957TV
Oh, Men! Oh, Women!
1957Movie
Dr. Krauss
Telephone Time
1956TV
Never Say Goodbye
1956Movie
Prof. Zimmelman
Matinee Theater
1955TV
The Racers
1955Movie
Dr. Tabor
The Millionaire
1955TV
Count Victor Turec
The Gambler from Natchez
1954Movie
Nicholas Cadiz
Gog
1954Movie
Dr. Zeitman
Paris Playboys
1954Movie
Vidal
The French Line
1954Movie
Commodore Renard
Hell and High Water
1954Movie
Col. Schuman (uncredited)
The Danny Thomas Show
1953TV
Victor Waingraft
The Desert Rats
1953Movie
German Doctor (uncredited)
General Electric Theater
1953TV
You Are There
1953TV
Dr. Zimmerman
Tropic Zone
1953Movie
Lukats
Cavalcade of America
1952TV
German Colonel, Von Schwarz
Four Star Playhouse
1952TV
Denoir
5 Fingers
1952Movie
Count Franz Von Papen
Dangerous Assignment
1952TV
Lux Video Theatre
1950TV
Landau, Max von Mayerling
The Lovable Cheat
1949Movie
Pierquin
Wake of the Red Witch
1948Movie
Prosecuting Attorney
Sealed Verdict
1948Movie
German Doctor
Sofia
1948Movie
Peter Goltzen
T-Men
1947Movie
'Shiv' Triano
The Razor's Edge
1946Movie
Joseph - Gray & Isabel's Butler
Tomorrow Is Forever
1946Movie
Dr. Ludwig
Week-End at the Waldorf
1945Movie
Alex
Strange Affair
1944Movie
Rudolph Kruger
Till We Meet Again
1944Movie
Gestapo Chief
U-Boat Prisoner
1944Movie
Gunther Rudehoff, Gestapo Agent
The Seventh Cross
1944Movie
Overkamp
Sahara
1943Movie
Maj. von Falken
The Boy from Stalingrad
1943Movie
German Major
Mission to Moscow
1943Movie
Polish Ambassador Grzybowski (uncredited)
Lucky Jordan
1942Movie
Herr Kesselman
Sailors Three
1940Movie
German Captain
Convoy
1940Movie
Commander Deutschland
Night Train to Munich
1940Movie
KL Physician (uncredited)
All Hands
1940Movie
German
Dangerous Comment
1940Movie
German Radio Operator
The Moon in the Yellow River
1938Movie
Tausch
Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten
1935Movie
Paul Rainer