Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre, 1946, by Yousuf Karsh

Peter Lorre (June 26, 1904 - March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian-American actor known largely for playing criminals.

He was born Ladislav (László) Löwenstein in Rózsahegy/Rosenberg, Austria-Hungary, which is now Ruzomberok, Slovakia. His parents were Alois and Elvira, and he was the eldest son in their German-speaking Jewish family. He began acting on stage in Vienna, Austria; Breslau, Germany; and Zürich, Switzerland. At age 21 he moved to Berlin and caught the attention of German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Lorre became famous when Fritz Lang cast him as the child killer in M in 1931. Scenes from that film were re-used by the Nazi propaganda agencies in the anti-Semitic movie Der ewige Jude. None of his films were in Hungarian.

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Lorre moved from Berlin to Paris and, eventually, Hollywood. Typecast as a villain, he found himself with no shortage of work. Moving from a villainous role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), he then played Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment in 1935, and followed that up in a series of Mr. Moto movies, a parallel to the better known Charlie Chan series, in which he played a Japanese detective. He also had significant roles in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1943).

For some years, Lorre suffered severely from gall-bladder problems, for which he was prescribed morphine. During his early career in Hollywood, Lorre was an addict, and he could often be found scurrying away between shoots to satisfy his habit. It was only during the Mr. Moto series that he finally managed to overcome his addiction.

After the 1940s, Lorre began to gain weight and played lesser roles, with the exception of Skeeter the clown in the 1959 movie The Big Circus. Lorre's caricature was frequently used in Warner Brothers cartoons, and his persona was used as the basis of the character Flat Top in the Dick Tracy cartoons.

Peter Lorre died in 1964 and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Lorre has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6619 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Lorre in M (1931)
  • The Patsy
  • Muscle Beach Party
  • The Comedy of Terrors
  • The Raven
  • Five Weeks in a Balloon
  • Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
  • The Big Circus
  • The Buster Keaton Story
  • The Sad Sack
  • Hell Ship Mutiny
  • The Story of Mankind
  • Silk Stockings
  • Congo Crossing
  • Meet Me in Las Vegas
  • Operation Cicero
  • Around the World in Eighty Days
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
  • Casino Royale
  • Beat the Devil
  • Der Verlorene
  • Double Confession
  • Quicksand
  • Rope of Sand
  • Casbah
  • My Favorite Brunette
  • The Beast with Five Fingers
  • The Verdict
  • The Chase
  • Black Angel
  • Three Strangers
  • Hotel Berlin
  • Confidential Agent
  • Passage to Marseille
  • The Conspirators
  • Arsenic and Old Lace
  • The Mask of Dimitrios
  • The Cross of Lorraine
  • Background to Danger
  • The Constant Nymph
  • Casablanca
  • The Boogie Man Will Get You
  • Invisible Agent
  • In This Our Life
  • All Through the Night
  • The Face Behind the Mask
  • The Maltese Falcon
  • They Met in Bombay
  • Mr. District Attorney
  • Island of Doomed Men
  • Der Ewige Jude
  • You'll Find Out
  • Stranger on the Third Floor
  • I Was an Adventuress
  • Strange Cargo
  • Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
  • Mr. Moto in Danger Island
  • Mr. Moto's Last Warning
  • Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
  • Mysterious Mr. Moto
  • I'll Give a Million
  • Mr. Moto's Gamble
  • Lancer Spy
  • Nancy Steele Is Missing!
  • Thank You, Mr. Moto
  • Think Fast, Mr. Moto
  • Crack-Up
  • Secret Agent
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Mad Love
  • The Man Who Knew Too Much
  • Du haut en bas
  • Les Requins du pétrole
  • Unsichtbare Gegner
  • Was Frauen träumen
  • Schuss im Morgengrauen
  • Stupéfiants
  • Der Weisse Dämon
  • F.P.1 antwortet nicht
  • Fünf von der Jazzband
  • Mann ist Mann
  • Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.
  • Bomben auf Monte Carlo
  • M
  • Die Verschwundene Frau

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Lorre has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6619 Hollywood Boulevard. Other notable roles include his part in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill, a guest role in Alias Smith and Jones, and two villainous roles in Battlestar Galactica. Peter Lorre died in 1964 and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. Steed was also the central character of a revival, The New Avengers, in which he was teamed with characters played by Joanna Lumley and Gareth Hunt. Lorre's caricature was frequently used in Warner Brothers cartoons, and his persona was used as the basis of the character Flat Top in the Dick Tracy cartoons. Despite numerous roles in theatre, on television and in cinema, Macnee is still best known as the inimitable secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers. Initially a secondary character--the series was conceived as a vehicle for Ian Hendry, who played an associate of Steed's--Steed (and Macnee) became the centre of the show after Hendry's departure at the end of the first season, playing opposite a succession of female partners that included Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, and Linda Thorson. After the 1940s, Lorre began to gain weight and played lesser roles, with the exception of Skeeter the clown in the 1959 movie The Big Circus. Macnee became an American citizen in 1959.

Moto series that he finally managed to overcome his addiction. His mother became a lesbian and had a live-in partner who helped pay for his schooling. It was only during the Mr. Patrick Macnee (born February 6, 1922) is a British actor. During his early career in Hollywood, Lorre was an addict, and he could often be found scurrying away between shoots to satisfy his habit. For some years, Lorre suffered severely from gall-bladder problems, for which he was prescribed morphine.

He also had significant roles in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1943). Moto movies, a parallel to the better known Charlie Chan series, in which he played a Japanese detective. Moving from a villainous role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), he then played Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment in 1935, and followed that up in a series of Mr. Typecast as a villain, he found himself with no shortage of work.

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Lorre moved from Berlin to Paris and, eventually, Hollywood. None of his films were in Hungarian. Scenes from that film were re-used by the Nazi propaganda agencies in the anti-Semitic movie Der ewige Jude. Lorre became famous when Fritz Lang cast him as the child killer in M in 1931.

At age 21 he moved to Berlin and caught the attention of German playwright Bertolt Brecht. He began acting on stage in Vienna, Austria; Breslau, Germany; and Zürich, Switzerland. His parents were Alois and Elvira, and he was the eldest son in their German-speaking Jewish family. He was born Ladislav (László) Löwenstein in Rózsahegy/Rosenberg, Austria-Hungary, which is now Ruzomberok, Slovakia.

Peter Lorre (June 26, 1904 - March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian-American actor known largely for playing criminals. Die Verschwundene Frau. M. Bomben auf Monte Carlo.

Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.. Mann ist Mann. Fünf von der Jazzband. F.P.1 antwortet nicht.

Der Weisse Dämon. Stupéfiants. Schuss im Morgengrauen. Was Frauen träumen.

Unsichtbare Gegner. Les Requins du pétrole. Du haut en bas. The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Mad Love. Crime and Punishment. Secret Agent. Crack-Up.

Moto. Think Fast, Mr. Thank You, Mr. Moto. Nancy Steele Is Missing!.

Lancer Spy. Moto's Gamble. Mr. I'll Give a Million.

Mysterious Mr. Moto. Moto Takes a Chance. Mr. Moto's Last Warning.

Mr. Mr. Moto in Danger Island. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation. Strange Cargo.

I Was an Adventuress. Stranger on the Third Floor. You'll Find Out. Der Ewige Jude.

Island of Doomed Men. District Attorney. Mr. They Met in Bombay.

The Maltese Falcon. The Face Behind the Mask. All Through the Night. In This Our Life.

Invisible Agent. The Boogie Man Will Get You. Casablanca. The Constant Nymph.

Background to Danger. The Cross of Lorraine. The Mask of Dimitrios. Arsenic and Old Lace.

The Conspirators. Passage to Marseille. Confidential Agent. Hotel Berlin.

Three Strangers. Black Angel. The Chase. The Verdict.

The Beast with Five Fingers. My Favorite Brunette. Casbah. Rope of Sand.

Quicksand. Double Confession. Der Verlorene. Beat the Devil.

Casino Royale. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Around the World in Eighty Days. Operation Cicero.

Meet Me in Las Vegas. Congo Crossing. Silk Stockings. The Story of Mankind.

Hell Ship Mutiny. The Sad Sack. The Buster Keaton Story. The Big Circus.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Five Weeks in a Balloon. The Raven. The Comedy of Terrors.

Muscle Beach Party. The Patsy.