Rudolph Schildkraut
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Schildkraut was an American film
and theatre actor.
as the child of a Jewish hotelier
, he grew up in Brăila
, Romania
. In Vienna
he received acting lessons from Friedrich Mitterwurzer. He debuted in the early 1880s in Sopro, his first solid role came in 1885 in Krems.
In 1893 he moved to Vienna
to an engagement at the newly opened Raimund Theater
. In 1898 he moved to the Carl Theater. Among other things, he played the character Wurm in Love and Intrigue. In 1900 he came to the German Theatre in Hamburg
, 1905 to the German German Theatre in Berlin
. There he became one of the most important actor in the theatre company players of Max Reinhardt
. His Shylock
, which he played in 1905 and 1913 in Reinhardt's productions of The Merchant of Venice
was praised by Fritz Kortner
as a "monument to the art of acting." Other major roles were the title role in King Lear
(1908), Mephisto
in Faust I (1909), Muley Hassan in Friedrich Schiller's
Fiesco
(1909), the grave-digger in Hamlet
(1909) and Peter Bast in Knut Hamsun
's From the devil fetched (1914). Schildkraut performed for the first time in the United States in 1910/11.
Schildkraut was known as a film actor in the German Empire
in the early silent era. He starred in several film dramas
. His last European-made film was a biography of the German Zionism
founder Theodor Herzl
, in which he played Herb Schildt "The struggling Israel." In 1920 he moved permanently to America and made his debut the same year in New York City
in the play Silent Forces. From 1922 he also played in the English language. In 1925 he founded his own Jewish theater in The Bronx
.
In his last five years he appeared in several Hollywood productions. His most notable film, which raised his profile in America, was The King of Kings by Cecil B. DeMille
in 1927 in which he played the High Priest Caiaphas
.
He was married to Erna Weinstein, with whom he had a son, Joseph Schildkraut
(1896–1964), who was also known as an actor.
Rudolph Schildkraut died at the age of 67 years of a heart attack. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, CA. His son also died at the same age, also of a heart attack.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and theatre actor.
Life
Born in the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
as the child of a Jewish hotelier
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, he grew up in Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. In Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
he received acting lessons from Friedrich Mitterwurzer. He debuted in the early 1880s in Sopro, his first solid role came in 1885 in Krems.
In 1893 he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to an engagement at the newly opened Raimund Theater
Raimund Theater
The Raimund Theater is a theatre in the Mariahilf district of Vienna, Austria.Named after the Austrian dramatist Ferdinand Raimund, the theatre was built by an association of Viennese citizens and opened on 28 November 1893 with Raimund's play Die gefesselte Phantasie...
. In 1898 he moved to the Carl Theater. Among other things, he played the character Wurm in Love and Intrigue. In 1900 he came to the German Theatre in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 1905 to the German German Theatre in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. There he became one of the most important actor in the theatre company players of Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
. His Shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
, which he played in 1905 and 1913 in Reinhardt's productions of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
was praised by Fritz Kortner
Fritz Kortner
Fritz Kortner was an Austrian-born stage and film actor and theatre director.Kortner was born in Vienna as Fritz Nathan Kohn. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating, he joined Max Reinhardt in Berlin in 1911 and then Leopold Jessner in 1916. Also in that year...
as a "monument to the art of acting." Other major roles were the title role in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
(1908), Mephisto
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:* Mephisto , a high-speed human-powered vehicle...
in Faust I (1909), Muley Hassan in Friedrich Schiller's
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
Fiesco
Fiesco (play)
Fiesco is the second full length drama written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller. It is a republican tragedy based on the historical conspiracy of Giovanni Luigi Fieschi against Andrea Doria in Genoa in 1547...
(1909), the grave-digger in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(1909) and Peter Bast in Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
's From the devil fetched (1914). Schildkraut performed for the first time in the United States in 1910/11.
Schildkraut was known as a film actor in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in the early silent era. He starred in several film dramas
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
. His last European-made film was a biography of the German Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
founder Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
, in which he played Herb Schildt "The struggling Israel." In 1920 he moved permanently to America and made his debut the same year in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the play Silent Forces. From 1922 he also played in the English language. In 1925 he founded his own Jewish theater in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
.
In his last five years he appeared in several Hollywood productions. His most notable film, which raised his profile in America, was The King of Kings by Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
in 1927 in which he played the High Priest Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
.
He was married to Erna Weinstein, with whom he had a son, Joseph Schildkraut
Joseph Schildkraut
Joseph Schildkraut was an Austrian stage and film actor.-Early life:Born in Vienna, Austria, Schildkraut was the son of stage actor Rudolph Schildkraut. The younger Schildkraut moved to the United States in the early 1900s. He appeared in many Broadway productions...
(1896–1964), who was also known as an actor.
Rudolph Schildkraut died at the age of 67 years of a heart attack. He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, CA. His son also died at the same age, also of a heart attack.
Filmography
- 1913: Der Shylock von Krakau
- 1914: Ivan Koschula
- 1915: The fool of fate
- 1915: demon and human
- 1915: The Eighth Commandment
- 1915: Pool Pagliacci
- 1915: Schlemihl
- 1916: The Fortune Tailors
- 1916: The Dancing Heart
- 1916: The lullaby
- 1919: The court musician
- 1919: Free fighting
- 1919: The Pasha
- 1920: Justice
- 1921: Theodor Herzl, the standard-bearer of the Jewish people
- 1925: His sons ( His People )
- 1926: Young April
- 1926: Pals in ParadisePals in ParadisePals in Paradise is a 1926 silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. The film was shot in Europe.-Cast:* Rudolph Schildkraut as Abraham Lezinsky* John Bowers as Bill Harvey* Marguerite De La Motte as Geraldine 'Jerry' Howard...
- 1927: The King of Kings
- 1927: The Country Doctor
- 1927: His Own Boy ( A Harp in Hock )
- 1927: Turkish Delight
- 192 : The Main Event
- 1928: A Ship Comes InA Ship Comes InA Ship Comes In is a 1928 silent film which tells the story of immigrants coming to the United States. It stars Rudolph Schildkraut, Louise Dresser, Milton Holmes, Linda Landi, and Fritz Feld....
also known as (My Country) - 1929: ChristinaChristina (1929 film)Christina is a 1929 silent film starring Janet Gaynor and directed by William K. Howard. The supporting cast includes Charles Morton, Rudolph Schildkraut, Harry Cording, and Lucy Doraine.-Cast:*Janet Gaynor as Christina*Charles Morton as Jan...