Otto Kruger
Otto Kruger | |
|---|---|
 Kruger in 1955 | |
| Born | September 6, 1885 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 6, 1974 (aged 89) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California |
| Years active | 1915–1964 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974)[1] was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's Saboteur. He also appeared in CBS's Perry Mason and other TV series. He was the grandnephew of South African president Paul Kruger.
Early life and education
[edit]Born in Toledo, Ohio,[2] Kruger was of German descent. He was the son of Bernard Alben Kruger and Elizabeth Winers Kruger,[3] and the grandnephew of South African pioneer and president Paul Kruger.[4]
Otto was musically trained, but switched careers and became an actor after studying engineering at the University of Michigan.[3]
Career
[edit]Making his Broadway debut in 1915,[5][6] Kruger quickly became a matinee idol.[4] Though he started to get noticed in the early 1920s, it was the 1930s when his career was at its height. His sound film debut came in Turn Back the Clock (1933)[3] and he made an appearance in the film Chained (1934).[7]
Though he played the hero on occasion, for most of his career, he played the main villain or a charming or corrupt businessman.[8] One of his best known roles was in the Douglas Sirk film Magnificent Obsession (1954).[9] Kruger played the supporting role of Judge Percy Mettrick, who unsuccessfully urges Will Kane to leave town in High Noon (1952).[10] Kruger is also remembered for playing the villain Tobin in Alfred Hitchcock's spy film Saboteur (1942) and mob boss Stevens in the film noir 711 Ocean Drive (1950).[7]
His television roles included those of Dr. Mumford in the 1959 episode "Experiments in Terror" of the NBC science fiction/adventure series The Man and the Challenge,[citation needed] as Ben Tully in "Gun City" of the ABC western series, The Rebel,[11] as Franklyn Malleson Ghentin in the 1961 episode "A Fool for a Client" of James Whitmore ABC's legal drama, The Law and Mr. Jones,[12] and as Karl in the episode "Quite a Woman" of the short-lived 1961 CBS series The Investigators starring James Franciscus.[citation needed]
Kruger made four guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason.[13] In his first two appearances, "The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather" (1961) and "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (1962), he was cast as Mason's client, and in both episodes was the title character.[14][15] In his final appearance, he played Judge Norris in "The Case of the Missing Button" (1964).[16]
In 1955, he appeared in the live telecast of The Desert Song as General Birabeau. [citation needed]
Personal life, later years and honors
[edit]On March 20, 1920, Kruger married Broadway actress[17][18][19] Susan "Sue" MacManamy. Their daughter, Ottilie Kruger (1926–2005),[20] was also an actress and was the first wife of pioneering cinematographer Gayne Rescher.[21]
Kruger supported Thomas Dewey in the 1944 United States presidential election.[22]
Kruger died at the Motion Picture and Television Country House[23] in Woodland Hills, California, on his 89th birthday.
Kruger was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; one for TV and one for film.[23]
Partial list of appearances on radio
[edit]Kruger appeared as Mr. Hardecker in "After Dinner Story" (airdate October 26, 1943; story by Cornell Woolrich) from the Suspense radio program series.[citation needed]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]- The Nash Airflyte Theater (November 23, 1950) in "Suppressed Desires"[24]
- Lights Out (1951) as Carlton Dane
- Lux Video Theatre (1955–1956) as Host
- The Rebel (1959) as Ben Tully
- Perry Mason (1961–1964) as Judge Norris/Timothy Balfour Sr./August Dalgran/J. J. Gideon
- The Law and Mr. Jones (1961) as Franklyn Malleson Ghent
- Frontier Circus (1961) as General Frederic Jellich
- The Investigators (1961) as Karl (episode "Quite a Woman")
- Thriller (1962) as Bert Farrington
- Checkmate (1962) as George Emory
- Dr. Kildare (1962) as Louis Conrad
- Bonanza (1963) as Judge Whitaker
- The Desert Song (1955) as General Birabeau
Notes
[edit]- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 90. ISBN 9780786450190. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ Liebman, Roy (7 February 2017). Broadway Actors in Films, 1894-2015. McFarland. pp. 148–149. ISBN 9781476626154. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ a b c Marsh, Molly (December 9, 1934). "Capricious Otto Kruger Outwits the Copy Books". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. p. 20. Retrieved April 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Otto Kruger, Suave Star Of Stage and Screen, Dead". The New York Times. 7 September 1974 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ League, The Broadway. "Otto Kruger – Broadway Cast & Staff - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ Whitty, Stephen (2016-06-09). The Alfred Hitchcock Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442251601.
- ^ a b "AFI-Catalog". catalog.afi.com.
- ^ "Otto Kruger | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
- ^ "Magnificent Obsession (1954) - Articles - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ "High Noon (1952) - Fred Zinnemann - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Rebel". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "The Law and Mr. Jones". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Otto Kruger - Movies and Filmography - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Perry Mason: The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather (1961) - Bernard Kowalski - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Perry Mason: The Case of the Counterfeit Crank (1962) - Jerry Hopper - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Perry Mason: The Case of the Missing Button (1964) - Richard Donner - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Kruger, Otto". The New York Times Index. January–March 1920. p. 200. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Sue MacManamy". PlaybillVault.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Sue MacManamy". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Ottilie Kruger Laybourne". Variety. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Cinematographer Gayne Rescher dies". Variety. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ Critchlow, Donald T. (2013-10-21). When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107650282.
- ^ a b "Hollywood Star Walk: Otto Kruger". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Television . . . . . . Highlights of the Week". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1950. p. 22. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]
- 1885 births
- 1974 deaths
- American people of German descent
- American male film actors
- American male silent film actors
- American male stage actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
- Male actors from Toledo, Ohio
- American male television actors
- University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni