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Paul Leni(1885-1929)

  • Art Director
  • Director
  • Production Designer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Paul Leni
Paul Leni was born on 8 July 1885 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was an art director and director, known for The Man Who Laughs (1928), Das Rätsel von Bangalor (1918) and The Cat and the Canary (1927). He died on 2 September 1929 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
BornJuly 8, 1885
DiedSeptember 2, 1929(44)
BornJuly 8, 1885
DiedSeptember 2, 1929(44)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 nomination total

Photos2

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Known for

Mary Philbin and Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928)
The Man Who Laughs
7.6
  • Director
  • 1928
Das Rätsel von Bangalor (1918)
Das Rätsel von Bangalor
7.6
  • Art Director
  • 1918
The Cat and the Canary (1927)
The Cat and the Canary
7.1
  • Director
  • 1927
The Last Warning (1928)
The Last Warning
6.8
  • Director
  • 1928

Credits

IMDbPro

Art Director

  • Wie einst im Mai
    • Art Director
    • 1926
  • The Golden Butterfly (1926)
    The Golden Butterfly
    4.8
    • Art Director
    • 1926
  • Xavier de Montépin in Cab No. 13 (1926)
    Cab No. 13
    5.8
    • Art Director
    • 1926
  • Dance Fever
    5.7
    • Art Director
    • 1925
  • Der Farmer aus Texas
    6.6
    • Art Director
    • 1925
  • Die Frau von vierzig Jahren
    • Art Director
    • 1925
  • Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S...
    • Art Director
    • 1924
  • Otto Arpke in Waxworks (1924)
    Waxworks
    6.6
    • Art Director
    • 1924
  • The Tragedy of Love (1923)
    The Tragedy of Love
    5.4
    Short
    • Art Director
    • 1923
  • Frauenopfer (1922)
    Frauenopfer
    • Art Director
    • 1922
  • Kinder der Finsternis - 2. Kämpfende Welten (1922)
    Kinder der Finsternis - 2. Kämpfende Welten
    • Art Director
    • 1922
  • Kinder der Finsternis - 1. Der Mann aus Neapel (1921)
    Kinder der Finsternis - 1. Der Mann aus Neapel
    6.3
    • Art Director
    • 1921
  • Henny Porten in Hintertreppe (1921)
    Hintertreppe
    6.9
    • Art Director
    • 1921
  • Richard Oswald, Heinrich Vollrath Schumacher, and Josef Fenneker in Lady Hamilton (1921)
    Lady Hamilton
    5.7
    • Art Director
    • 1921
  • Die Geierwally (1921)
    Die Geierwally
    6.3
    • Art Director
    • 1921

Director

  • The Last Warning (1928)
    The Last Warning
    6.8
    • Director
    • 1928
  • Mary Philbin and Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928)
    The Man Who Laughs
    7.6
    • Director
    • 1928
  • The Chinese Parrot (1927)
    The Chinese Parrot
    5.4
    • Director
    • 1927
  • The Cat and the Canary (1927)
    The Cat and the Canary
    7.1
    • Director
    • 1927
  • Rebus Film Nr. 4
    Short
    • Director
    • 1926
  • Rebus Film Nr. 5
    Short
    • Director
    • 1926
  • Rebus Film Nr. 6
    Short
    • Director
    • 1926
  • Rebus Film Nr. 7
    Short
    • Director
    • 1926
  • Rebus Film Nr. 8
    Short
    • Director
    • 1926
  • Pacific 231 (1949)
    Rebus Film Nr. 1
    6.0
    Short
    • Director
    • 1925
  • Rebus Film Nr. 2
    Short
    • Director
    • 1925
  • Rebus Film Nr. 3 (1925)
    Rebus Film Nr. 3
    7.1
    Short
    • Director
    • 1925
  • Otto Arpke in Waxworks (1924)
    Waxworks
    6.6
    • Director
    • 1924
  • Henny Porten in Hintertreppe (1921)
    Hintertreppe
    6.9
    • Director
    • 1921
  • The Genoa Conspiracy
    • Director
    • 1921

Production Designer

  • The Countess of Paris
    • Production Designer
    • 1923
  • Erna Morena in Prima Vera (1917)
    Prima Vera
    7.2
    • Production Designer
    • 1917
  • Stuart Webbs: Die Toten erwachen
    • Production Designer
    • 1915
  • Ernst Reicher in Stuart Webbs: Das Panzergewölbe (1914)
    Stuart Webbs: Das Panzergewölbe
    5.4
    • Production Designer
    • 1914
  • Trapped by the Camera (1914)
    Trapped by the Camera
    5.0
    • Production Designer
    • 1914
  • The Black Triangle (1914)
    The Black Triangle
    Short
    • Production Designer
    • 1914
  • The Man in the Cellar (1914)
    The Man in the Cellar
    Short
    • Production Designer
    • 1914

Personal details

  • Born
    • July 8, 1885
    • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Died
    • September 2, 1929
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(blood poisoning)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Expressionist German director, whose work influenced Eisenstein in Russia, as well as Hollywood film makers at Universal and RKO in the 1930's and 40's. A master at Gothic horror, he began as a stage designer for Max Reinhardt and Leopold Jessner. Directed films from 1913, as well as doubling up as art director, using stylized sets and accentuated contrasts between light and shade. His most famous films were Waxworks (1924) in Germany, and - during his spell at Universal from 1927-28 - the definitive classic haunted house mystery, The Cat and the Canary (1927).

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