John Wengraf

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

Austrian actor (1897–1974)

title: "John Wengraf" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["austrian-male-film-actors", "austrian-male-stage-actors", "1897-births", "1974-deaths", "emigrants-from-austria-after-the-anschluss", "austrian-male-television-actors", "20th-century-austrian-male-actors", "male-actors-from-vienna", "austrian-emigrants-to-the-united-kingdom", "british-emigrants-to-the-united-states"] description: "Austrian actor (1897–1974)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wengraf" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Austrian actor (1897–1974) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameJohn Wengraf
imageJohn Wengraf The Explorer (1960).jpg
captionWengraf on the One Step Beyond, episode "The Explorer" (1960)
birth_date
birth_placeVienna, Austria-Hungary
death_date
death_placeSanta Barbara, California, U.S.
occupationActor
years_active1922–1966
::

| name = John Wengraf | image = John Wengraf The Explorer (1960).jpg | caption = Wengraf on the One Step Beyond, episode "The Explorer" (1960) | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Vienna, Austria-Hungary | death_date = | death_place = Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | resting_place = | other_names = | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1922–1966 | spouse = | children =

John Wengraf (23 April 1897 – 4 May 1974) was an Austrian actor.

Early years

Wengraf was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.

Career

Wengraf became a matinee idol in the 1930s, and was director of the Vienna State Theatre. He emigrated to Britain in 1939 as the Nazis began their rise to power in Austria. While in London, he was involved with more than 100 plays as either director or actor.

Wengraf appeared unbilled in a couple of films, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television shows ever presented. In 1941 he appeared on Broadway with Helen Hayes in Candle in the Wind and decided to stay in the US. His other Broadway credits included The Traitor (1949) and The French Touch (1945). The following year he settled in the Los Angeles area.

He found himself invariably playing the very characters he detested.

In post-war years, he portrayed ethnic professionals (scientists, doctors, professors, foreign royalty). His films included Tomorrow Is Forever (1946); he portrayed Count Von Papen in 5 Fingers (1952); and Ronchin in the Ethel Merman musical Call Me Madam (1953). In the 1950s and 1960s he transferred his talents to TV, appearing on a number of dramatic showcases and on such popular programs as The Untouchables (1959), Hawaiian Eye (1959), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and The Time Tunnel (1966). His last few films included minor roles in the war-themed Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Hitler (1962) and Ship of Fools (1965) as well as The Prize (1963).

Death

Wengraf retired in 1966, and died in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 77 on 4 May 1974.

Selected filmography

References

References

  1. League, The Broadway. "John Wengraf – Broadway Cast & Staff - IBDB".
  2. (May 10, 1974). "John E. Wengraf, 77, Actor and Director". The New York Times.
  3. "John Wengraf - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie".
  4. League, The Broadway. "Candle in the Wind – Broadway Play – Original - IBDB".
  5. "John Wengraf". The Broadway League.
  6. "John Wengraf".
  7. "John Wengraf".
  8. "John Wengraf - Movies and Filmography - AllMovie".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

austrian-male-film-actorsaustrian-male-stage-actors1897-births1974-deathsemigrants-from-austria-after-the-anschlussaustrian-male-television-actors20th-century-austrian-male-actorsmale-actors-from-viennaaustrian-emigrants-to-the-united-kingdombritish-emigrants-to-the-united-states