Peter Lorre

Vocation

Notable

Hungarian actor of stage, film and TV, as well as being a screenwriter and film director. Lorre received stage training in Vienna while working as a bank clerk, making his first debut in Zurich. Seven years on stage in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, followed by a couple of supporting parts in German films left him still virtually unknown. In 1931 Fritz Lang chose him for the central character in his first sound film "M." With his gentle voice and insidious, sinister manner, Lorre's portrayal of the psychopathic child murderer launched him into international fame and set the pathway for his main characterizations in his career from then on. He appeared in several more films throughout Germany but the Nazi power of 1933 exiled him into Paris and London and finally, in 1935 to Hollywood. His talents in Hollywood included, "The Maltese Falcon," "Casablanca," and "The Mask of Dimitrios" with over 80 films to his credit. In 1951, he scripted, directed and starred in a remarkable film "Der Verlorene/The Lost One." Lorre died of a heart seizure, stroke, 3/23/1964 in Hollywood, CA. Link to Wikipedia biography