Biography
Filmography

Biography of Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre was born as László Löwenstein, June 26, 1904 in Rosenberg, (Roszahegy, a Hungarian city) and dead on March 23, of 1964 in Los Angeles, California, (heart attack).

Biography from Baseline:

Both a skilled actor and a unique screen presence, Peter Lorre was one of the movies' most memorable personalities. Lorre appeared on the stage and had several small film roles in Europe before coming to international attention in 1931 in Fritz Lang's M. Lorre's performance as the child-murderer set the standard for all sexual psychopaths on film since. Initially, his cherubic face and protruding eyes project the perfect mask of innocence. But as the film progresses and the massed forces of the police and the underworld close in on him, that innocence collapses into a series of feral outbursts. Lorre's confession scene is a finely balanced mixture of self-loathing and uncontrollable passion that still produces a painful double blow of revulsion and pity in viewers. Peter Lorre's performance in M remains one of the greatest in the history of cinema.

Almost as quickly as he achieved worldwide fame, Lorre became typecast. In spite of his diminuitive size, Lorre became synonymous with dread. Fleeing the Nazi machine, Lorre left Germany in 1933, landing in England, where Alfred Hitchcock exploited his image by casting him as the head of a ring of kidnappers who menace young Nova Pilbeam in THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934). Two years later Hitchcock cast him in a similar role in SECRET AGENT. For MAD LOVE (1935), his first American film and a rare foray into horror for MGM, Lorre's head was shaved, further emphasizing his bulging eyes and giving him a slick, reptilian appearance. In his second Hollywood outing he played yet another murderer—Raskolnikov in von Sternberg's version of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT—an excellent performance in a rather disappointing film. Although obssesives and psychopaths were Lorre's stock-in-trade, he never gave the same performance twice. Each of his villains was a singular creation born out of distinctive character psychology and motivations.

Between 1937 and 1939 Lorre stepped into a more conventional role, playing the Japanese detective Mr. Moto in eight films for 20th Century-Fox. Always beneath the easygoing surface of Lorre's Moto was a threatening edge that made the character far more interesting than most of Hollywood's other series detectives. This ability to give subtle shading to his acting was a key to Lorre's success. All his villainous roles have a darkly humorous touch, while his light or comedic performances feature a sinister undertone. The slight twist in his performances gave them a tension that continues to tantalize audiences.

Most of Lorre's starring roles were in B features, where he was often teamed with Sydney Greenstreet, although a number of these films were better than typical Hollywood A product. For instance, Lorre added a judicious amount of pathos to his role as a vengeful, disfigured immigrant in THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (1941), turning the film into an eloquent statement about the failure of the American dream. Throughout the 1940s Lorre added color to movies in numerous supporting roles, notably in Warner Bros. films, as Joel Cairo in THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) and as Ugarte, the obsequious black marketeer, in CASABLANCA (1942).

By the end of the decade, Lorre's face and silken voice had become so recognizable that he was caricatured in Warner Bros. cartoons and on Spike Jones records. He even successfully parodied his "image" in films like ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944) and MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE (1947), yet he was never reduced to parodying himself. During the 1950s, health problems forced Lorre to take fewer roles, although he did expand his repertoire with a musical, SILK STOCKINGS (1957), and several comedies. His comedic talent was displayed in a 1960s series of comedy/horror films for American-International Pictures. His precise timing and droll delivery in THE RAVEN (1963) suggested that Hollywood never fully explored Lorre's range as an actor.

Filmography de Peter Lorre

Patsy, The (1964) .... Morgan Heywood
Muscle Beach Party (1964) .... Mr. Strangdour
Comedy of Terrors, The (1963) .... Felix Gillie
Raven, The (1963) .... Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) .... Ahmed
Tales of Terror (1962) (segmento "The Black Cat") .... Montresor Herringbone
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) .... Lucius Emery
Scent of Mystery (1960) .... Smiley
Big Circus, The (1959) .... Skeeter
Silk Stockings (1957) .... Brankov
Buster Keaton Story, The (1957) .... Kurt Bergner
Hell Ship Mutiny (1957) .... Lamouet
Sad Sack, The (1957) .... Abdul
Story of Mankind, The (1957) .... Neron
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) ....
Congo Crossing (1956) .... Colonel Arragas
Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) (uncredited)
Fifth Wheel (1955) (TV)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) .... Conseil
Beat the Devil (1954) .... O'Hara
Verlorene, Der (1951) .... Dr. Karl Rothe
Quicksand (1950) .... Nick
Double Confession (1950) .... Paynter
Rope of Sand (1949) .... Toady
Casbah (1948) .... Slimane
My Favorite Brunette (1947) .... Kismet
Chase, The (1946) .... Gino
Black Angel (1946) .... Marko
Three Strangers (1946) .... Johnny West
Beast with Five Fingers, The (1946) .... Hilary Cummins
Verdict, The (1946) .... Victor Emmric
Confidential Agent (1945) .... Contreras
Hotel Berlin (1945) .... Johannes Koenig
Hollywood Canteen (1944) .... Peter Lorre
Conspirators, The (1944) .... Bernazsky
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) .... Dr. Einstein
Mask of Dimitrios, The (1944) .... Cornelius Latimer Leyden
Passage to Marseille (1944) .... Marius
Background to Danger (1943) .... Nikolai Zaloshoff
Constant Nymph, The (1943) .... Fritz Bercovi
Cross of Lorraine, The (1943) .... Sgt. Berger
Invisible Agent (1942) .... Baron Ikito
In This Our Life (1942) .... Customer
All Through the Night (1942) .... Pepi
Boogie Man Will Get You, The (1942) .... Dr. Lorenz
Casablanca (1942) .... Ugarte
Maltese Falcon, The (1941) .... Joel Cairo
Face Behind the Mask, The (1941) .... Janos Szaby
Mr. District Attorney (1941) .... Mr. Hyde
They Met in Bombay (1941) .... Captain Chang
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) .... the Stranger
I Was an Adventuress (1940) .... Polo
Strange Cargo (1940) .... Monsieur Pig
Island of Doomed Men (1940) .... Stephen Danel
You'll Find Out (1940) .... 'Prof. Karl Fenninger'
Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) .... Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) .... Kentaro Moto
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939) .... Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938) .... Mr. Moto
I'll Give a Million (1938) .... Louie
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938) .... Mr. Moto
Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) .... Mr. Moto
Lancer Spy (1937) .... Major Sigfried Gruning
Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) .... Professor Sturm
Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) .... Mr. Moto
Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937) .... Kentaro Moto
Crack-Up (1936) .... Colonel Gimpy
Secret Agent (1936) .... General
Crime and Punishment (1935) .... Raskolnikov
Mad Love (1935) .... Dr. Gogol
Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1934) .... Abbott
Du haut en bas (1933) .... Beggar
Unsichtbare Gegner (1933) .... Henry Pless
Was Frauen träumen (1933) .... Otto Fuessli
F.P.1 antwortet nicht (1932) .... Johnny
Fünf von der Jazzband (1932) .... Thief
Schuß im Morgengrauen (1932) .... Klotz
Stupéfiants (1932)
Weiße Dämon, Der (1932) .... Hunchback
Koffer des Herrn O.F., Die (1931) .... Stix
Bomben auf Monte Carlo (1931) .... Pawlitschenk
M, Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931) .... Hans Beckert
Mann ist Mann (1931)
Verschwundene Frau, Die (1929) (uncredited)