Anecdotes

As the butler in Boulevard du Crépuscule (1950), he is in the projection room when Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis are watching one of Norma's old films. The film is actually La reine Kelly (1929), which von Stroheim directed and which starred Gloria Swanson, who is playing Norma Desmond.

His longtime business manager was Elmer Cox, father of actor Dick Sargent.

In 1936, he left for France, leaving behind third wife, actress Valerie Germonprez, and sons Erich von Stroheim Jr. and Josef von Stroheim. The rest of his career was spent writing two novels, touring in a production of "Arsenic and Old Lace", and appearing in small roles in Europe and the United States.

Emmigrated to the USA at the port of New York aboard the S.S. Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm on 25 November 1909.

A $10,000 bonus was offered to him by MGM chief Louis B. Mayer once he finished La veuve joyeuse (1925) in less than six weeks. (mai 1924)

Started in the film industry as a bit player, assistant director and art director for D.W. Griffith. He had an uncanny sense for detail in decor, costume and nuances in human behavior. Often dissatisfied, he was prone to attempt perfection by extending films to absurd running times and by exceeding his allocated budgets. He was twice sacked: first by MGM production chief Irving Thalberg after disagreements over the cutting of Folies de femmes (1922) and for running behind schedule on Chevaux de bois (1923); and the second time by producer/star Gloria Swanson halfway through filming La reine Kelly (1929). He was also replaced on another film, La Symphonie nuptiale (1928), after his extravagance resulted in the cost ballooning to $1.1 million. The picture was reedited (badly) and subsequently flopped at the box office.

Not very well documented is his second marriage, to seamstress and dressmaker Mae Jones. The marriage was brief but produced one son, Erich von Stroheim Jr..

On Erich von Stroheim's films as a director, shooting sometimes continued for twenty hours without pauses on the locked stages. Stroheim treated the participants to squab and caviar and served real champagne in spite of Prohibition.

While working at the tavern, he met his first wife, Margaret Knox, and in a daring move for 1912 moved in with her. Knox acted as a sort of mentor to him, teaching him language and literature and encouraging him to write. Under Knox's tutelage he wrote a novella entitled "In the Morning", with themes that anticipated his films: corrupt aristocracy and innocence debased. The couple married on February 19, 1913, but money woes drove him to deep depressions and terrible temper tantrums, which he took out on Knox. Not long after the marriage she left him, and in May 1914 filed for divorce.

He fabricated an elaborate backstory for himself as an Austrian aristocrat and imperial officer, while in real life he was from a Jewish family, the son of a lower-middle-class hat maker, and never served in any military.

He briefly served in the Austro-Hungarian army.

While appearing in French films, he met actress Denise Vernac, who became his secretary and companion for the rest of his life. He never divorced estranged third wife Valerie Germonprez. Denise also appeared in several films with him over the years.

Under contract at Universal Pictures (as actor/director), 1918-22; to Samuel Goldwyn (as director), 1923-25; at RKO Radio Pictures (as actor) in 1931.

Despite their strong professional relationship, he was never--as he often claimed--a close confidante of D.W. Griffith, never making it into Griffith's "inner circle".

Although it is inaccurate to say he is actually a character in Peter Handke's "anti-play", "The Ride Across Lake Constance", his name is used as a designation of a character, as are the names of other celebrated actors of the German cinema, Elisabeth Bergner, Heinrich George, Emil Jannings, Henny Porten and the twins Alice Kessler and Ellen Kessler.

Known as 'The Man You Love to Hate' a billing he got for his role of an obnoxious German in the 1918 propaganda film 'The Heart of Humanity' In the film he not only attempted to violate the leading lady but nonchalantly tossed a baby out of a window.

Althugh he claimed to have broken two ribs when he fell from a roof in Naissance d'une nation (1915), there is some question as to whether he actually worked on that film at all. Joseph Henabery, one of the picture's assistant directors, says that von Stroheim didn't work for director D.W. Griffith until more than a year after this film was shot.

He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6826 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California USA on February 8, 1960.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 1069-1079. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company (1987).

Profiled in "From the Arthouse to the Grindhouse: Highbrow and Lowbrow Transgression in Cinema's First Century" by John Cline and Robert G. (2010)

He appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress (USA) as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Intolérance (1916), Folies de femmes (1922), Les rapaces (1924), La Symphonie nuptiale (1928) and Boulevard du Crépuscule (1950). He has also directed three films that are in the registry: Foolish Wives, Greed and The Wedding March.

Brother-in-law of Louis Germonprez.

Great-grandfather of actress Alena von Stroheim.