- Born
- Died
- Birth nameTheodor Friedrich Emil Janenz
- Height1.83 m
- His real name was Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, and in the early 1900s, he was already working in the theater under Max Reinhardt's company. Important movies where he defined himself as a convincing actor were Passion (1919) and Quo Vadis? (1924), followed by Le dernier des hommes (1924) (aka The Last Laugh) in 1924 and Variétés (1925) (aka Variety) in 1925. In 1928, he became the first male leading actor to receive the academy award for Crépuscule de gloire (1928) directed by Josef von Sternberg. In 1929, Stenberg directed him in his world famous movie L'ange bleu (1930) (aka The Blue Angel) co-starring the young Marlene Dietrich (her first role). Later on, he concentrated on theater and dedicated his acting skills to the Nazi regime and also took part in the realization of Le président Krüger (1941) in 1941, an expensive anti-British film production. When the Second World War ended, the US government cleaned his image, and he converted to Catholicism. He played in a few more German movies, but his career never recaptured its brilliance.- IMDb mini biography by: P.J.
- SpousesGussy Holl(1923 - January 2, 1950) (his death, 1 child)Hanna Ralph(July 23, 1919 - July 19, 1921) (divorced, 1 child)Lucie Höflich (divorced)
- His home town of Rorschach, Switzerland, honored him with a special star (similar to the ones on the Walk of Fame in L.A.), which was revealed on November 12, 2004. Only hours prior to the ceremony, the town's council learned of Jannings' efforts on behalf of the Nazis during World War II. A few days later, the star was removed.
- He is the first winner of an Academy Award, as after being announced as a winner, he was presented his Academy statuette a month before the actual ceremony. This also makes him the first no-show winner at an Academy Award presentation.
- Of the five U.S. films Jannings made (all silent, all for Paramount), only the Oscar-winning Crépuscule de gloire (1928) has survived intact. Of two films [Quand la chair succombe (1927) and Le Patriote (1928)], only brief clips remain. The other two; Street of Sin (1928) and Mensonges (1929) [the latter also starring a young Gary Cooper] are thought to be completely lost.
- Because of his thick German accent, the advent of sound ended his American career. Returning to Germany, he became an enthusiastic supporter of the Nazis; thus, he spent the next decade-plus making films that supported Nazi ideology.
- The first non-American actor to win an Oscar (he is from Switzerland).
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