Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974)[1] was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's Saboteur. He also appeared in CBS's Perry Mason and other TV series. He was the grandnephew of South African president Paul Kruger.
Born in Toledo, Ohio,[2] Kruger was of German descent. He was the son of Bernard Alben Kruger and Elizabeth Winers Kruger[3] and the grandnephew of South African pioneer and president Paul Kruger.[4]
Otto was musically trained, but switched careers and became an actor after studying engineering at the University of Michigan.[3]
Career
Making his Broadway debut in 1915,[5][6] Kruger quickly became a matinee idol.[4] Though he started to get noticed in the early 1920s, it was the 1930s when his career was at its height. His sound film debut came in Turn Back the Clock (1933)[3] and he made an appearance in the film Chained (1934).[7]
Though he played the hero on occasion, for most of his career, he played the main villain or a charming or corrupt businessman.[8] One of his best known roles was in the Douglas Sirk film Magnificent Obsession (1954).[9] Kruger played the supporting role of Judge Percy Mettrick, who unsuccessfully urges Will Kane to leave town in High Noon (1952).[10] Kruger is also remembered for playing the villain Tobin in Alfred Hitchcock's spy film Saboteur (1942) and mob boss Stevens in the film noir 711 Ocean Drive (1950).[7]
Kruger made four guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason.[13] In his first two appearances, "The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather" (1961) and "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (1962), he was cast as Mason's client, and in both episodes was the title character.[14][15] In his final appearance, he played Judge Norris in "The Case of the Missing Button" (1964).[16]
Personal life, later years and honors
On March 20, 1920, Kruger married Broadway actress[17][18][19] Susan "Sue" MacManamy. Their daughter, Ottilie Kruger (1926–2005),[20] was also an actress and was the first wife of pioneering cinematographer Gayne Rescher.[21]
Kruger appeared as Mr. Hardecker in "After Dinner Story" (airdate October 26, 1943; story by Cornell Woolrich) from the Suspense radio program series.[citation needed]
Werner Klemperer was an American actor. He was known for playing Colonel Wilhelm Klink in the CBS television sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for which he twice won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards in 1968 and 1969.
Victor Charles Buono was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series Batman (1966–1968) and musician Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), the latter of which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. He was a busy actor from his late teens until his death at the age of 43 and, with his large size and sonorous voice, he made a career of playing men much older than he was.
John Marley was an American actor who was known for his role as Phil Cavalleri in Love Story and as Jack Woltz—the defiant film mogul who awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed—in The Godfather (1972). He starred in John Cassavetes' feature Faces (1968) and appeared in The Glitter Dome (1984).
George Peabody Macready Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains.
Leonard Stone was an American character actor who played supporting roles in over 120 television shows and 35 films.
Edward Barry Kelley was an American actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s and in films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The heavy-set actor created the role of Ike in Oklahoma! on Broadway. His large size and acting range had him playing primarily judges, detectives, and police officers.
Robert H. Harris was an American character actor.
Walter Lawrence Burke was an American character actor of stage, film, and television whose career in entertainment spanned over a half century. Although he was a native of New York, Burke's Irish ancestry often led to his being cast in roles as an Irishman or Englishman. His small stature and distinctive voice and face also made him easily recognizable to audiences even when he was performing in minor supporting roles.
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Stewart Moss was an American actor, writer, and director.
Robert Strauss was an American actor. He became most familiar in Hollywood films of the 1950s such as Stalag 17 (1953), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor.
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Crahan Denton was an American stage, film and television actor. One of his most famous film roles was in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), in which he portrays "Walter Cunningham," a client of the main character, lawyer Atticus Finch. He acts as the leader of a mob that attempts to lynch another of Finch's clients.
Robert Emhardt was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film and on television. Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician.
Dee Dee Rescher is an American actress known for her acting and voice-over roles in both film and television.
Gertrude Flynn was an American stage, film and television actress. She was married to Asa Bordages, a feature writer for the New York World-Telegram and playwright known for the 1941 play Brooklyn USA.
Charles Francis Maxwell was an American actor who served as president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1984 to 1989.
Jay Gayne Rescher, A.S.C., was an American cinematographer.
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