Biography

Anton Vaverka was born on November 1, 1872 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Prague, Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for The Wedding March (1928), Merry-Go-Round (1923) and Adjutant to His Highness (1933). He died on July 2, 1937 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Prague, Czech Republic].

Played Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria in two of Erich von Stroheim's films, Merry-Go-Round (1923) and The Wedding March (1928).

Served as the primary emcee in the Hungarian-language version of King of Jazz (1930), with his scenes shot separately and then inserted into the film that was otherwise in English. In their book King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman's Technicolor Revue, authors James Layton and David Pierce note that Vaverka's scenes were shown to the Hungarian consulate in Los Angeles, but the representative who viewed the film complained he couldn't understand Vaverka's speech. Other Hungarian-speaking viewers had similar problems with the veteran actor's dialog. Vaverka reportedly saw himself to blame for the fact that Hollywood made no further attempts to produce Hungarian-Language versions of their films during the early 1930s.

A veteran of the Austro-Hungarian theatre, Vaverka appeared in supporting character roles in U.S. films during the late silent era. He reportedly never mastered English very well, perfecting only a phrase that introduced himself as a great actor of the Hungarian theatre.