- Born
- Died
- Birth nameTheodor Friedrich Emil Janenz
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- His real name was Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, and in the early 1900s, he was already working in the theater under Max Reinhardt's company. Important movies where he defined himself as a convincing actor were Passion (1919) and Quo Vadis? (1924), followed by The Last Laugh (1924) (aka The Last Laugh) in 1924 and Variety (1925) (aka Variety) in 1925. In 1928, he became the first male leading actor to receive the academy award for The Last Command (1928) directed by Josef von Sternberg. In 1929, Stenberg directed him in his world famous movie The Blue Angel (1930) (aka The Blue Angel) co-starring the young Marlene Dietrich (her first role). Later on, he concentrated on theater and dedicated his acting skills to the Nazi regime and also took part in the realization of Ohm Krüger (1941) in 1941, an expensive anti-British film production. When the Second World War ended, the US government cleaned his image, and he converted to Catholicism. He played in a few more German movies, but his career never recaptured its brilliance.
- IMDb mini biography by: P.J.
- SpousesGussy Holl(1923 - January 2, 1950) (his death, 1 child)Hanna Ralph(July 23, 1919 - July 19, 1921) (divorced, 1 child)Lucie Höflich (divorced)
- His home town of Rorschach, Switzerland, honored him with a special star (similar to the ones on the Walk of Fame in L.A.), which was revealed on November 12, 2004. Only hours prior to the ceremony, the town's council learned of Jannings' efforts on behalf of the Nazis during World War II. A few days later, the star was removed.
- He is the first winner of an Academy Award, as after being announced as a winner, he was presented his Academy statuette a month before the actual ceremony. This also makes him the first no-show winner at an Academy Award presentation.
- Of the five U.S. films Jannings made (all silent, all for Paramount), only the Oscar-winning The Last Command (1928) has survived intact. Of two films [The Way of All Flesh (1927) and The Patriot (1928)], only brief clips remain. The other two; Street of Sin (1928) and Betrayal (1929) [the latter also starring a young Gary Cooper] are thought to be completely lost.
- Because of his thick German accent, the advent of sound ended his American career. Returning to Germany, he became an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazis; thus, he spent the next decade-plus making films that supported Nazi ideology.
- Jannings was a versatile actor whose enormous emotional range was well-suited to an array of character roles. Although he occasionally lapsed into the unbridled hamminess that was characteristic of acting styles of the era, he was also capable of great subtlety and nuance, even in such grandiose roles as Mephistopheles in Faust (1926), wherein he projected inner rage and turmoil beneath a cool, cynical exterior.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
