Walter Rilla

Walter Rilla
Born (1894-08-22)22 August 1894
Neunkirchen, German Empire
Died 21 November 1980(1980-11-21) (aged 86)
Rosenheim, West Germany
Occupation Actor
Years active 1922–1977 (film)

Walter Rilla (22 August 1894 – 21 November 1980) was a German film actor of Jewish descent.[1] He appeared in more than 130 films between 1922 and 1977. He was born in Neunkirchen, Germany and died in Rosenheim, Germany.

Career

Having debuted on the stage, Rilla began his film in career in Germany during the silent era. This included an early role for him in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's The Grand Duke's Finances in 1924. Following the rise of the Nazi Party to power in 1933, he emigrated to Britain and became a regular performer in British films often in villainous or aristocratic roles. Both during and after the Second World War he played Nazi officers or agents.

From the 1950s onwards he returned to West Germany to appear in films and on television, alternating this with continued roles in British cinema.

Personal life

He was the father of film director Wolf Rilla, who directed him in the 1963 film Cairo.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ Siegbert Salomon Prawer, Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933, Berghahn Books (2007), pg. 213

Bibliography

  • Prawer, S.S. Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933. Berghahn Books, 2007.
  • Dove, Richard. Journey of No Return: Five German-speaking Literary Exiles in Britain, 1933-1945. Libris, 2000.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.