Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber Sr. was an American actor. A Shakespearean actor on stage, he also had a successful career in film. He was the father of science fiction and fantasy writer Fritz Leiber Jr., who was also an actor for a time. Leiber and his wife spent much of their time touring in a Shakespearean acting company, known by the 1930s as Fritz Leiber & Co. Leiber made his film bow in 1916, playing Mercutio in the Francis X. Bushman version of “Romeo and Juliet.” With his piercing eyes and shock of white hair, Leiber seemed every inch the priests, professors, musical professors, and religious fanatics that he was frequently called upon to play in films. His many silent-era portrayals included Caesar in Theda Bara's 1917 “Cleopatra” and Solomon in the mammoth 1921 Betty Blythe vehicle “The Queen of Sheba.” He thrived as a character actor in sound films, usually in historical roles. In the film “Champagne Waltz” he portrayed an orchestra maestro; the role required him to play classical music on a violin and jazz on a clarinet. One of Leiber's larger assignments of the 1940s, and his most notable musical role, was as Franz Liszt in the Claude Rains' remake of “Phantom of the Opera” (1943). Leiber appears together with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in the wedding-feast scene of Greta Garbo's film “Camille” (1936) and in Warner Bros.' “The Great Garrick” (1937). Leiber also appeared with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939), but Fritz Leiber Jr. was not credited for his small speaking part. Late in his career, Leiber performed briefly opposite Charles Chaplin as the priest who visits Monsieur Verdoux in his prison cell.
Known For
Credits
- 1950 · Devil's Doorway as Mr. Poole
- 1949 · Samson and Delilah as Lord Sharif
- 1949 · Bagdad as Emir
- 1949 · Bride of Vengeance as Filippo
- 1949 · Song of India as Nanaram
- 1948 · Inner Sanctum as Dr. Valonius
- 1948 · Another Part of the Forest as Col. Isham
- 1948 · Adventures of Casanova as D'Anneci
- 1948 · To the Ends of the Earth as Binda Sha
- 1947 · Monsieur Verdoux as Father Fareaux
- 1947 · High Conquest as Priest
- 1947 · The Web as Leopold Kroner
- 1947 · Dangerous Venture as Chief Xeoli
- 1947 · Bells of San Angelo as Padre
- 1947 · Humoresque as Hagerstrom
- 1946 · Strange Journey as Prof. Jenner
- 1946 · Angel on My Shoulder as Chemist Who Poisoned Wife (uncredited)
- 1946 · A Scandal in Paris as Painter
- 1945 · Scarlet Street as Evangelist (uncredited)
- 1945 · This Love of Ours as Dr. Bailey
- 1945 · The Spanish Main as Bishop
- 1945 · The Cisco Kid Returns as The Padre
- 1944 · Youth Runs Wild as Judge (uncredited)
- 1944 · Cry of the Werewolf as Dr. Charles Morris (uncredited)
- 1944 · Cobra Woman as
- 1943 · Phantom of the Opera as Franz Liszt
- 1943 · First Comes Courage as Dr. Aanrud
- 1942 · Crossroads as Foreign Minister Deval (uncredited)
- 1941 · Aloma of the South Seas as High Priest
- 1940 · Lady with Red Hair as Mr. Foster
- 1940 · The Sea Hawk as Inquisitor
- 1940 · All This, and Heaven Too as Abbe Gallard
- 1940 · The Way of All Flesh as Max
- 1939 · The Hunchback of Notre Dame as Old Nobleman
- 1939 · Pack Up Your Troubles as Pierre Ferrand
- 1939 · Nurse Edith Cavell as Sadi Kirschen
- 1939 · They Made Her a Spy as Dr. Krull
- 1938 · Gateway as Dr. Weilander
- 1938 · Flight Into Nowhere as Ti-Ana
- 1938 · The Jury's Secret as John Morrow
- 1937 · The Great Garrick as Horatio in 'Hamlet'
- 1937 · The Prince and the Pauper as Father Andrew
- 1937 · Under Southern Stars as Stonewall Jackson
- 1937 · Champagne Waltz as Franz Strauss
- 1936 · Anthony Adverse as Ouvrard
- 1936 · Sins of Man as Father Prior
- 1936 · Down to the Sea as Gregory Pappas
- 1936 · Hearts in Bondage as Capt. John Ericsson
- 1936 · The Story of Louis Pasteur as Dr. Charbonnet
- 1935 · A Tale of Two Cities as Gaspard
- 1921 · The Queen of Sheba as King Solomon
- 1920 · The Song of the Soul as Jerry Wendover
- 1920 · If I Were King as Louis XI
- 1917 · Cleopatra as Caesar
- 1916 · Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio