Francis Lederer
Also Known As: Franz Lederer, František Lederer
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Francis Lederer (November 6, 1899 – May 25, 2000) was a Czech-born film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States. His original name was František Lederer. Lederer's first American movies were Man of Two Worlds (1934), Romance in Manhattan (1934), with Ginger Rogers, The Gay Deception (1935), with Frances Dee, and One Rainy Afternoon (1936). He was cast as the lead with Katharine Hepburn in the 1935 film Break of Hearts, but the producers replaced him with Charles Boyer. It was Irving Thalberg's plan to make Lederer "the biggest star in Hollywood" but the death of Thalberg ended this possibility. Although he continued to play leads occasionally – notably when he was a playboy in Mitchell Leisen's Midnight with Claudette Colbert and John Barrymore in 1939 – in the late 1930s Lederer began to expand his character parts, even playing villains. Edward G. Robinson praised Lederer's performance as a German American Bundist in Confessions of a Nazi Spy in 1939, and he earned plaudits for his portrayal of a fascist in The Man I Married (1940) with Joan Bennett. He also played Count Dracula for The Return of Dracula in 1958. Throughout his career, Lederer, who studied with Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City, continued to take stage acting seriously, and he performed often both in New York and elsewhere. He appeared in stage productions of Golden Boy (1937), Seventh Heaven (1939), No Time for Comedy (1939), in which he replaced Laurence Olivier, The Play's the Thing (1942), A Doll's House (1944), Arms and the Man (1950), The Sleeping Prince (1956) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1958). Although he took a break from making films in 1941, in order to concentrate on his stage work, he returned to the silver screen in 1944, appearing in Voice in the Wind and The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and in films such as Jean Renoir's The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946) and Million Dollar Weekend (1948). He took another break from Hollywood in 1950, after making Surrender (1950), and returned in 1956 with Lisbon and the light comedy The Ambassador's Daughter. His final film appearance was in Terror Is a Man in 1959. During the 1950s, he served as honorary mayor of Canoga Park. He would continue to make television appearances for the next 10 years in such shows as Sally, The Untouchables, Ben Casey, Blue Light, Mission: Impossible and That Girl. His final television appearance occurred in a 1971 episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery called "The Devil Is Not Mocked". In it, he reprised his role as Dracula from The Return of Dracula.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]
Birthday: November 05, 1899
Deathday: May 25, 2000
Adult: No
Gender: Male
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Known For:
Pandora's Box
Overview: Lulu is a young woman so beautiful and alluring that few can resist her siren charms. The men drawn into her web include respectable newspaper publisher Dr. Ludwig Schön, his musical producer son Alwa, circus performer Rodrigo Quast, and seedy old Schigolch. When Lulu's charms inevitably lead to tragedy, the downward spiral encompasses them all.
Genres: Drama Crime Romance
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1929-01-30
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Midnight
Overview: An unemployed showgirl poses as Hungarian royalty to infiltrate Parisian society.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-03-24
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Susie Cleans Up
Overview:
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1930-11-22
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Voice in the Wind
Overview: Former concert pianist, victim of Nazi torture, pursues a confused, melancholic existence on the island of Guadalupe.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-03-03
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The Madonna's Secret
Overview: This drama is an updated version of Ulmer's 1944 film Bluebeard. It is set in New York and follows the exploits of an eccentric Parisian painter who has come to New York to escape a controversy surrounding his work. The trouble stems when the model he has used in all his work is found floating dead in the Seine.
Genres: Drama Thriller Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1946-02-16
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Stolen Identity
Overview: A jealous musician kills his wife and frames a cab driver.
Genres: Action Crime Drama Mystery Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-04-03
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Million Dollar Weekend
Overview: A stock broker embezzles a million bucks and plans to take off to Shanghai. A number of obstacles stands in his path, however.
Genres: Comedy Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1948-10-29
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The Diary of a Chambermaid
Overview: Celestine, the chamber-maid, has a new job in the country, at the Lanlaires. She has decided to use her beauty to seduce a wealthy man, but Mr. Lanlaire is not a right choice: the house is firmly controlled by Madame Lanlaire, helped by the strange valet Joseph. Then she tries the neighbour, former officer Mauger. This seems to work. But soon the son of the Lanlaires comes back. He is young, attractive and does not share his mother's antirepublican opinions. So Celestine's beauty attracts Captain Mauger, young Georges Lanlaire, and Joseph. Three men, from three different social classes, with three different conceptions of life. Will Celestine be able to convince Georges of her sincerity?
Genres: Drama Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1946-02-15
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The Other Eye
Overview: This film essay explores the strange case of G.W. Pabst, the Austrian filmmaker who was considered a giant of early cinema before his reputation went behind a cloud.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-09-25
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The Return of Dracula
Overview: After a vampire leaves his native Balkans, he murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and moves in with the dead man's American cousins.
Genres: Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-05-21
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The Gay Deception
Overview: A wide-eyed working girl wins a $5,000 sweepstakes and plunges into the lush life of New York City, where she meets a bellboy who is more than he seems.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-09-13
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Terror Is a Man
Overview: A mad scientist transforms a panther into a man-like creature that escapes and goes on a murderous rampage.
Genres: Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-11-01
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Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Overview: FBI agent Ed Renard investigates the pre-War espionage activities of the German-American Bund.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1939-05-06
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The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Overview: A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their deaths. A priest sets out to find out more about the life of each of the victims.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1944-02-11
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Mother Hummingbird
Overview: A neglected Baroness falls in love with her oldest son's military officer friend, their adulterous romance leading the two to flee to Algeria.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 1929-10-23
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The Lone Wolf in Paris
Overview: Former jewel thief Michael Lanyard toys with a princess and a grand duke.
Genres: Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1938-05-25
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Captain Carey, U.S.A.
Overview: Near the end of World War II, a secret American raid on an enemy transportation hub goes very wrong when a turncoat warns the enemy. Led by Capt. Webster Carey, the mission causes the deaths of many bystanders -- among them, Carey believes, his Italian girlfriend, Giulia de Graffi. Back home, Carey stumbles across evidence that might uncover the identity of the informant. But, when he returns to Italy to get even, Carey is stunned by what he finds.
Genres: Mystery Thriller War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-02-21
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A Woman of Distinction
Overview: Ice-cold college dean Susan Middlecott feels there's no room in her life for romance. Enter Prof. Alec Stevenson, British lecturer on astronomy, touring North America and in possession of a keepsake of Susan's he wants to return. Desperate for publicity, lecture bureau press agent Teddy Evans magnifies this into a great romance. The efforts of both dignified principals to quash the story have the opposite effect; matters get more and more involved.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-03-16
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Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Overview: A history of the famous vampire of books and movies, using film clips, previews and other methods.
Genres: Documentary Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-01-01
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The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna
Overview: This silent-screen classic, like many others produced near the end of the silent era, was both a theatrical extravaganza boasting an original orchestral score and an item which languished in obscurity for many years. When Carlo Piccardi took what was left of the score by Maurice Jaubert and re-created it, the existing footage was restored and paired with a new orchestral performance which was shown in Paris in 1988. The film's story concerns the travails of a woman who has been living quite comfortably as the mistress of a colonel in the Tsar's army in Russia. However, she eventually encounters a penniless young lieutenant and falls madly in love with him, as he does with her. Despite her best intentions of remaining with the colonel, and his intention to avoid trouble with his fellow soldiers, they cannot forswear this relationship, and tragedy is the inevitable result. The title refers to a moving incident in the story, and translates as "the wonderful lie of Nina Petrovna."
Genres: History Romance Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1929-04-15
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The Pursuit of Happiness
Overview: Lederer is a Hessian soldier who defects to the Americans during the Revolutionary War.He falls in love with a Yankee girl, but a thuggish local militiaman jealously makes things hard for him while he's a prisoner of war.
Genres: Comedy History Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-09-27
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One Rainy Afternoon
Overview: Suave French actor Philippe Martin provokes a scandal when, in a darkened theater, he mistakes young Monique for his mistress, Yvonne, and tries to kiss her. Charged with assault, the quick-thinking Philippe claims it's French tradition to do as he did, and is let go. To his surprise, Philippe learns that Monique has paid his fine. As the tabloids exploit the situation, Monique dates Philippe, until a photo appears of him kissing Yvonne.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1936-05-13
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My American Wife
Overview: Ann Sothern essays the title role in My American Wife. The story opens in Smelter City, Arizona, where the richest man in town is grizzled old Indian fighter Lafe Cantillon (Fred Stone). Lafe's social-climbing sister-in-law (Billie Burke) insists that her daughter Mary wed a titled European, Count Ferdinand (Francis Lederer). Much to Lafe's delight, Mary isn't assimilated into Continental high society; instead, she instructs Count Ferdinand in the virtues of good, old-fashioned American democracy. And, of, course, the Count and Lafe become great chums when the "furriner" proves that he can ride a bucking bronco with the best of 'em.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1936-08-06
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Romance in Manhattan
Overview: Karel Novak is an incredibly naive Czech immigrant who is taken under the wing of streetwise New York chorus girl Sylvia. With the help of lovable cop-on-the-beat Murphy, Sylvia hides Karel from the immigration authorities and ultimately falls in love with him. In addition to Karel's illegal-alien status, the plot is complicated by a crooked lawyer and a group of well-meaning welfare workers who endeavor to place Sylvia's kid brother Frank in a foster home.
Genres: Drama Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-01-11
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The Man I Married
Overview: An American vacations in Europe with her husband and watches him turn into a Nazi.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1940-08-09
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Man of Two Worlds
Overview: A British explorer brings an Eskimo hunter to London, where he misreads a woman.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-01-13
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Maracaibo
Overview: A firefighter is sent to Venezuela to battle a blazing oil well but still finds time for romance.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1958-05-21
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Lisbon
Overview: For Capt. Robert John Evans, smuggling black-market goods is nothing out of the ordinary. But one day he's hired by Aristides Mavros for a more involved assignment -- sneaking an imprisoned American out of communist-controlled territory. The job seems challenging enough, but when he meets the prisoner's sultry wife, Sylvia, he realizes his mission comes with a startling catch: Not only must he rescue this man, he must bring him back from the dead.
Genres: Drama Crime Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-08-17
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It's All Yours
Overview: Jimmy Barnes arrives from Europe to be educated by his multi-millionaire uncle, Edward J. Barnes and in five years the extravagant escapes of Jimmy, now a lawyer, are the talk of San Francisco. Linda Gray is a mouse-like secretary to the elder Barnes who has fallen in love with Jimmy, but he favors actress Constance "Connie" Marlowe. Mr. Barnes dies and leaves everything to Linda but he has urged his partner, Alexander Duncan, to plan things so that Jimmy and Linda will get married. Coached by Duncan, Linda accepts the inheritance and announces that she is departing for New York on a wild spending spree. He tells Jimmy that the will can be broken but only after many months and he suggests that Jimmy follow Linda and curb her spending or there won't be any money left. In New York, Linda hires Jimmy as her private secretary. Connie also arrives in New York, as does the ingenious Baron Rene de Montigny with the intention of marrying the wealthy Miss Gray.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-09-01
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Meineid
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1929-04-26
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Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12
Overview: A tour of Hollywood, featuring such star frequented spots as the Vendome, the Lakeside Golf Club, the West Side Tennis Club, the Santa Anita Racetrack, the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove, the Biltmore Bowl, and the American Legion Stadium.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-08-13
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Fundvogel
Overview: Young Jan Bergwall visits his grandmother, the so-called centenary, at Woyland Castle. There he meets his cousin Andrea, who everyone calls "Fundvogel". Jan is fascinated by the young girl's beauty, and soon there is an erotic tension in the air between the two. Although they both have strong feelings for each other, they are afraid to make a commitment, even though their domineering grandmother is determined that they marry. Panicked that he might feel obliged to marry Andrea, Jan escapes from this place. Andrea is deeply disappointed and seeks revenge. Out of spite, she becomes involved with the falconer Bartel and is later raped in a wooden hut. The centigress, concerned about morals and customs, then sends Fundvogel to a convent. She escapes from there and flees into the arms of Jan. When he learns from a letter from the countess what has happened to Andrea, he leaves her a second time. In her despair, Fundvogel then throws herself off a bridge into the floods with suicidal intent.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1930-05-19
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Puddin' Head
Overview: On the day that United Broadcasting System's new building is dedicated, bumbling vice-president Harold L. Montgomery, Sr. discovers that he gave the wrong survey to the builders...
Genres: Comedy Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-06-25
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The Great Passion
Overview: This is a real curiosity; at best a reasonable film, but also a charming little gem. There is a story (in the line of "A Star is Born"), but this merely serves as an excuse, as it is more importantly a kind of moving encyclopedia of about 35 stars making their debut in a talkie (although some of them had already made one talkie), of the technical sound possibilities and of film making. Besides all that, it is entertaining and sometimes hilarious and it has fine one-liners that split my side. The film is also remarkable for making mock of typical German film genres (like the overly sweet romances involving the military), of too heavy acting and of film making in general. I have to mention this one: a short, hysterically funny parody of "Der blaue Engel". What this film in fact says is: do not take any film too seriously. (J. Steed)
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1930-08-24
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The Road to Dishonour
Overview:
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1930-02-26
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Her Majesty Love
Overview: Fred von Wellingen is a wealthy industrialist, part of a large family-owned corporation. Fred has fallen for Lia, a comely bartender in the Berlin Cabaret. He proposes to her, much to the horror of his family, which considers Lia and her unsophisticated father far below their caste. The family convinces Fred to give up the girl in exchange for increased position and income in the company. But Fred's lapse is momentary, and he again pursues Lia. But she, by this time, has learned of his erstwhile agreement and has agreed to marry someone else.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1933-02-06
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The Ambassador's Daughter
Overview: While on leave in Paris, a G.I. pursues an ambassador's daughter. Meanwhile she's out to prove to her father that soldiers can be gentlemen, too.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-07-26
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Surrender
Overview: Violet Barton, a femme-fatale goal-setter, fascinates men and readily returns their affection to obtain the wealth she desires, even to the point of bigamy. She has an affair with gambler Gregg Delaney but marries his best friend, Johnny Hale, when she discovers Hale is the richest man in Texas. This loses her the respect of her sister, Janet, who loves Hale, and Delaney, who loves Violet. Meanwhile, town sheriff Bill Howard is working hard to get Delaney to confess to a murder.
Genres: Western Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-09-15
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Adventures in Vienna
Overview: Taking place over 12 hours on New Years Eve, a concert pianist murders his wife's lover, then frames an innocent man.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1952-08-20
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The emperor's detective
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1930-04-19
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Die seltsame Nacht der Helga Wangen
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1928-10-15
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The Fate of Renate Langen
Overview:
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1931-02-11
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Starlit Days at the Lido
Overview: Basically this is a commercial for Hollywood's Lido Lounge and for MGM contract players. The Lido is a large watering hole; we visit one afternoon with an orchestra playing, all sorts of stars and would-be stars sitting at tables near the pool alongside paying customers, and bathing beauties parading and diving. The Lido's manager, Reggy Denny, introduces the stars in the audience. He's sometimes interrupted by someone who does a bit, sings a song, or otherwise entertains: most of these are novelty acts. By the end, everyone's having a swell time.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-09-28
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Memories of Berlin: The Twilight of Weimar Culture
Overview: The film tells the cultural story of Berlin during the Weimar Republic through interviews with a number of persons who were involved in literature, film, art, and music during the period. It includes interviews with Christopher Isherwood, Louise Brooks, Lotte Eisner, Elisabeth Bergner, Francis Lederer, Carl Zuckmayer, Gregor Piatigorsky, Claudio Arrau, Rudolf Kolisch, Mischa Spoliansky, Herbert Bayer, Mrs. Walter Gropius, and Arthur Koestler.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1976-10-07
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A Century of Science Fiction
Overview: American Documentary, narrated by Christopher Lee
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1996-01-01
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Refuge
Overview: After eight years in exile Martin returns to Berlin. He was involved in the German Revolution of 1918/1919 and had to leave the country as a result. Impoverished and lonely, he struggles on alone until the market saleswoman Hanne offers him shelter, although she does not have much money either. They fall in love and Martin even finds work on the construction site for the subway through Tempelhofer Feld. One day, however, he collapses there, whereupon the pregnant Hanne tries to nurse him back to health.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1928-08-03
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1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Overview: This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood's greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-07-02
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Atlantic
Overview: German-language version. "Atlantic" is a drama film based on the sinking of the RMS "Titanic" and set aboard a fictional ship, called the "Atlantic". The main plotline revolves around a man who has a shipboard affair with a fellow passenger, which is eventually discovered by his wife. The ship also has aboard an elderly couple, Heinrich and Anna Thomas, who are on their anniversary cruise. Midway across the Atlantic Ocean, the "Atlantic" strikes an iceberg and is damaged to the point where it is sinking into the Atlantic. The German version was filmed at the same time as the British version, with each scene first being filmed in English for the British version, then the same scene being filmed in German by a German cast, using the same sets.
Genres: Drama History
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1929-10-28
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