
Conrad Veidt
Known for Acting · 121 credits
- Born
- 1893-01-22
- Died
- 1943-04-03
- Place of birth
- Berlin, Germany
- Also known as
- Hans Walter Conrad Veidt
Biography
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent film, where he was one of the best-paid stars of Ufa, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with his new Jewish wife after the Nazis came to power. They settled in Britain, where he participated in a number of films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the United States around 1941, which lead to him having a supporting role in Casablanca (1942).
From 1916 until his death, Veidt appeared in more than 100 films. One of his earliest performances was as the murderous somnambulist Cesare in director Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a classic of German Expressionist cinema, with Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover. His starring role in The Man Who Laughs (1928), as a disfigured circus performer whose face is cut into a permanent grin, provided the (visual) inspiration for the Batman villain the Joker, created in 1940 by Bill Finger. Veidt also starred in other silent horror films such as The Hands of Orlac (1924), another film directed by Robert Wiene, The Student of Prague (1926) and Waxworks (1924) where he played Ivan the Terrible.
Veidt also appeared in Magnus Hirschfeld's film Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others, 1919), one of the first films to sympathetically portray homosexuality, although the characters in it do not end up happily. He had a leading role in Germany's first talking picture, Das Land ohne Frauen (Land Without Women, 1929).
He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s and made a few films, but the advent of talking pictures and his difficulty with speaking English led him to return to Germany. During this period he lent his expertise to tutoring aspiring performers, one of whom was the later American character actress Lisa Golm.
Known For
Movies (121)

Casablanca
1943
as Major Heinrich Strasser

Napoleon
1927
as Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1920
as Cesare

The Thief of Bagdad
1940
as Jaffar

All Through the Night
1942
as Franz Ebbing

Above Suspicion
1943
as Hassert Seidel

A Woman's Face
1941
as Torsten Barring

The Man Who Laughs
1928
as Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie

Nazi Agent
1942
as Otto Becker / Baron Hugo von Detner

The Hands of Orlac
1924
as Paul Orlac
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
1974
as Self (archive footage)

Escape
1940
as General Kurt von Kolb

Whistling in the Dark
1941
as Joseph Jones

Vito
2011
as Self (archive)

The Beloved Rogue
1927
as King Louis XI

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
1940
as Self

Under the Red Robe
1937
as Gil de Berault

The Spy in Black
1939
as Captain Ernst Hardt

The Men in Her Life
1941
as Stanislas Rosing

Contraband
1940
as Capt. Andersen

Lucrezia Borgia
1922
as Cesare Borgia

Eerie Tales
1919
as Der Tod / Various Other Roles

Dark Journey
1937
as Baron Karl Von Marwitz

The Film in the Film
1924
as Self

Desire: The Tragedy of a Dancer
1921
as Ivan

The Indian Tomb, Part I: The Mission of the Yoghi
1921
as Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur

Rome Express
1932
as Zurta

Universal Horror
1998
as (archive footage)

The Many Faces of Dracula
2000
as Self (archive footage)
Wilhelm Tell
1934
as Gessler

Bella Donna
1934
as Mahmoud Baroudi

The Wandering Jew
1933
as Matathias / The Unknown Knight / Dr Matteos Battadios

The Last Company
1930
as Hauptmann Burk

Danton
1921
as Minor Role (rumored)

Waxworks
1924
as Ivan the Terrible
Two Brothers
1926
as Wenzel Schellenberg / Michael Schellenberg

Congress Dances
1931
as Fürst Metternich

Evening – Night – Morning
1920
as Brilburn - Maud's brother

The Indian Tomb, Part II: The Tiger of Eschnapur
1921
as Ayan, Majarajah of Eschnapur

The Head of Janus
1920
as Dr. Warren

The Great Passion
1930
as Himself

Jew Süss
1934
as Josef 'Jew Süss' Oppenheimer

The Passing of the Third Floor Back
1935
as The Stranger

F.P.1
1933
as Maj. Ellissen

Different from the Others
1919
as Paul Körner

The Man Who Committed the Murder
1931
as Oberst Marquis de Sévigné

The Chess Player
1938
as Le baron de Kempelen

A Man's Past
1927
as Paul La Roche

Opium
1919
as Dr. Richard Armstrong Jr.

The Last Performance
1929
as Erik the Great

King of the Damned
1935
as Convict 83

Colomba
1918
as Henryk von Rhyn

Es werde Licht! 4. Teil: Sündige Mütter
1918
as Kramer

Rasputin, Demon of the Women
1932
as Grigori Rasputin
The Movie City of Hollywood
1928
as Self

The Black Hussar
1932
as Captain Hansgeorg von Hochberg

The Other Side
1931
as Hauptmann Stanhope

Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand
1920
as Christian Wahnschaffe

Wenn Tote sprechen
1917
as Richard von Worth

Impetuous Youth
1926
as Renées Vater

Husbands or Lovers
1924
as Der Liebhaber, ein Dichter

Diary of a Lost Woman
1918
as Dr. Julius

Don Carlos und Elisabeth
1924
as Don Carlos
Glanz gegen Glück
1923

The Night of the Decision
1931
as General Gregori Platoff

The Flight in the Night
1926
as Count di Nolli, Heinrich IV
Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft
1921

Prostitution
1919
as Alfred Werner

Prinz Kuckuck
1919
as Carl Kraker

The Ingmar Inheritance
1925
as Hellgum

Journey into the Night
1921
as Der Maler

The Student of Prague
1926
as Balduin, Student
Nocturno der Liebe
1919
as Frederic Chopin

I Was a Spy
1933
as Commandant Oberaertz

Das Geheimnis von Bombay
1921
as Tossi

The Story of Dida Ibsen
1918
as Erik Norrensen

Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 1. Jettchen Gebert
1918
as Doktor Köstling

The Only Girl
1933
as Marquis de Pontignac

The Count of Cagliostro
1920
as Minister

Jettchen Geberts Geschichte. 2. Henriette Jacoby
1918
as Doktor Köstling

Figures of the Night
1920
as The clown

Laws of Love: Innocently Outlawed!
1927
Liebestaumel
1921
as Jalenko

Lady Hamilton
1921
as Lord Nelson
Künstlerlaunen
1920
Wahnsinn
1919
as Bankier Lorenzen

People in Ecstasy
1921
as Professor Munk

Wilhelm Tell
1923
as Hermann Gessler
Peer Gynt - 2. Teil: Peer Gynts Wanderjahre und Tod
1919
The Mexican
1919
as Dr. von Dossen

The Japanese Woman
1919
Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad
2008
as Jaffar (archival footage)
Kurfürstendamm
1920
as The devil
Die Okarina
1919

The Merry-Go-Round
1920
as Petre Karvan

Prostitution II
1919
as Alfred Werner
Patience
1920
as Sir Percy Parker

The Love Storm
1930
as Kingsley
Schicksal
1925

Christian Wahnschaffe II: Escape from the Golden Dungeon
1921
as Christian Wahnschaffe

Paganini
1923
as Niccolo Paganini

Should We Be Silent?
1926
as Paul Hartwig, Maler

Love is Blind
1926

Tempête sur l'Asie
1938
as Erich Keith

Der Weg des Todes
1917
Manolescu's Memoirs
1920
as Manolescu

Fear
1917
as Indian Priest

Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore
1921
as Hektor Dalmore

Landstraße und Großstadt
1921
as Raphael, der Geiger

Le Comte Kostia
1925
as Comte Kostia

The Mystery of Bangalore
1918
as Dinja

Das Dreimäderlhaus
1918
as Schober

Das Land ohne Frauen
1929
as Dick Ashton

Moriturus
1920
as Wilmos, sanatorium director
Die Nacht auf Goldenhall
1920

Around the World in 80 Days
1919
as Phineas Fogg

The Wife's Crusade
1926
as Der Staatsanwalt
Der Spion
1917
as Steinau
Opfer der Gesellschaft
1919
Die Augen der Welt
1920
as Johannes Kay
About Conrad Veidt
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent film, where he was one of the best-paid stars of Ufa, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with his new Jewish wife after the Nazis came to power. They settled in Britain, where he participated in a number of films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the… With 121 credits spanning from 1917 to 2011, Conrad Veidt has appeared in 121 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for Conrad Veidt movies, Conrad Veidt filmography, or the latest projects starring Conrad Veidt can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Conrad Veidt Movies
- Casablanca (1943) — as Major Heinrich Strasser
- Napoleon (1927) — as Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) — as Cesare
- The Thief of Bagdad (1940) — as Jaffar
- All Through the Night (1942) — as Franz Ebbing
Where to Watch Conrad Veidt Films
Most Conrad Veidt movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Conrad Veidt, check our movies catalogue and browse page.