Paul Henreid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Henreid
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Publicity photograph, 1940s
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| Born |
Paul Georg Julius Hernreid
January 10, 1908 |
| Died | March 29, 1992 (aged 84) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Citizenship | America and Britain |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1933–1977 |
| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth "Lisl" Camilla Julia Gluck Henreid
(m. 1936) |
| Children | 2 |
Paul Henreid (born January 10, 1908 – died March 29, 1992) was an actor, director, producer, and writer. He was born in Austria but later became an American citizen. He is best known for his roles as Victor Laszlo in the movie Casablanca and Jerry Durrance in Now, Voyager. Both films were released in 1942.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Paul Henreid was born on January 10, 1908, in Trieste. At that time, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His full birth name was Paul Georg Julius von Hernreid. His father, Karl Alphons Hernreid, was a financial advisor to Emperor Franz Joseph I. Karl had changed his religion from Judaism to Catholicism in 1904 because of unfair treatment against Jewish people in Austria-Hungary.
Paul trained to be an actor in Vienna. His family did not want him to become an actor. He went to the Theresianische Akademie and also worked at a publishing house. His father died in 1916. By the time Paul finished school, his family had lost much of their money.
Starting His Acting Career
While acting in a play at the Akademie, Paul was noticed by Otto Preminger. Preminger worked for the famous director Max Reinhardt. Paul then joined Reinhardt's theater group. In 1933, he had a small part in a play called Faust. He later had bigger roles in plays like Men in White in 1934.
When the National Socialist (Nazi) party took power in Germany in 1933, they controlled German films. Paul tried to join their film organization but was turned down. This was because his father had been born Jewish. In 1935, Paul acted in an Austrian film called Jersey Lilly. In 1937, he went to London to play Prince Albert in a play called Victoria Regina. He tried again to join the Nazi film group, but Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels personally said no.
By 1938, when Germany took over Austria, Paul strongly disliked the Nazis. He even helped a Jewish comedian escape Germany. Because of this, the German government called him an "official enemy" and took all his money in Germany. Paul then moved to the United Kingdom for good.
Moving to the United Kingdom
When World War II started in 1939, Paul was in danger of being sent away from the United Kingdom. However, a German actor named Conrad Veidt spoke up for him. The British government then allowed Paul to stay and work. Conrad Veidt later acted with Paul in Casablanca.
In 1939, Paul had an important role in the film Goodbye, Mr. Chips. He played a German teacher. The next year, he played a German Gestapo agent in the thriller Night Train to Munich. He also had a small role in the musical comedy Under Your Hat in 1940.
Hollywood Success
In 1940, Paul moved to New York City. He acted in a Broadway play called Flight to the West in 1941. That same year, he signed a contract with RKO Pictures in Hollywood. RKO dropped the "von" from his name to make it sound less German. He also became a citizen of the United States.
Paul's first film for RKO was Joan of Paris (1942). In this war drama, he played a pilot trying to escape from France. The movie was very popular.
In 1942, Paul moved to Warner Brothers. The studio cast him in the romance film Now, Voyager, where he acted with Bette Davis. He played a married man who meets Davis's character on a ship. His next role was as Victor Laszlo in the 1942 romantic drama Casablanca. He acted alongside Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. This film was a huge success and is still considered one of the best American movies ever made.
After Casablanca, Paul turned down some roles. He then acted with Ida Lupino in In Our Time (1944). That same year, he was a romantic lead with Eleanor Parker in Between Two Worlds. Also in 1944, he played a Dutch resistance leader in The Conspirators.
Paul later rejoined RKO to play a pirate with Maureen O'Hara in The Spanish Main (1945). Back at Warner Bros., he acted in Devotion (1946), a movie about the Brontë family. He also acted with Eleanor Parker again in Of Human Bondage (1946).
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) then borrowed Paul from Warner Bros. to play the composer Robert Schumann in Song of Love (1947), with Katharine Hepburn. Paul later bought out his contract with Warner Brothers. He turned down a long-term contract offer from MGM.
Challenges and Directing Career
In the late 1940s, Paul took part in a protest in Washington D.C. against unfair investigations into Hollywood actors. Because of this, he said that the big Hollywood studios stopped hiring him. This was known as being "blacklisted."
For several years, Paul could only find roles in smaller, independent films. He appeared in Rope of Sand (1949) and So Young, So Bad (1950). He also played the pirate Jean Lafitte in Last of the Buccaneers (1950). He made films in France and the United Kingdom, including Stolen Face (1952). He also directed and starred in For Men Only (1952).
In 1954, Paul returned to MGM, which was his first film for a major studio since the blacklisting. He had a small role in Deep in My Heart. He then appeared in Pirates of Tripoli (1955) and had a small part in Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).
In the early 1950s, Paul began directing films and television shows. He directed episodes for popular American TV series like:
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- Maverick
- Bonanza
- The Virginian
- The Big Valley
Paul also directed films such as A Woman's Devotion (1956) and Dead Ringer (1964), which starred Bette Davis. While directing, he continued to take on some acting roles, including in Operation Crossbow (1965) and The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969).
Paul's last film role was in the horror movie Exorcist II: The Heretic in 1977, where he played a cardinal.
Personal Life and Legacy
Paul Henreid married Elizabeth Camilla Julia "Lisl" Glück in 1936. They adopted two daughters. In 1992, Paul died at the age of 84 in Santa Monica, California, after having a stroke and getting pneumonia. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica.
In 1960, Paul Henreid received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. One star is for his work in films, and the other is for his work in television.
Images for kids
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Publicity photograph, 1940s
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Paul Henreid and Bette Davis, Now, Voyager
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Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid in Casablanca
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Paul Henreid, 1947
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Henreid's grave at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica
See also
In Spanish: Paul Henreid para niños
