Paul MuniPaul Muni photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1932Paul Muni (September 22, 1895 - August 25, 1967) was a versatile actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood, nominated for five Academy Awards. Born Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund in Lwow, Galicja, autonomus province of Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine), his family emigrated to the United States in 1902. Both of Muni's parents were actors with the Yiddish theater and it was only natural that he would join them on stage. He made his stage debut at the age of twelve, and was quickly recognized by Maurice Schwartz, who signed him up with his Yiddish Art Theater. In a stage quirk, Muni played an eighty-year-old man as his first role. It was an appropriate beginning for an actor who loved wearing elaborate costumes and assuming accents in his film career. Muni was twenty-nine when he began acting on Broadway. His first role, that of an elderly Jewish man in the play We Americans by Sam Harris, was also the first time that he ever acted in English. He was signed by Fox three years later, in 1929, and received an Oscar nomination for his first film The Valiant, but he was unhappy with the roles and decided to return to Broadway. In 1932 Muni returned to Hollywood to star in Scarface and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, for which he received a second Best Actor nomination. Warner Brothers recognized his considerable talent and signed a long-term contract with him. He went on to receive a Best Actor nomination for The Life of Emile Zola (1937) and to win the Academy Award for The Story of Louis Pasteur (1939). In the ensuing years until his retirement in 1959, he spent his time acting on film and stage. He was widely recognized as a talented if eccentric individual. He would go into a rage whenever anyone wore red, but at the same time he could often be found between sessions relaxing with his violin. Over the years, he also because increasingly dependent on his wife Bella, who terrified directors by forcing them to redo scenes that did not meet her satisfaction. After several failed projects, Muni was nominated for a Tony Award in 1955 for the role of Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind. He was becoming increasingly infirm, however, and by 1959, soon after receiving his final Academy Award nomination for The Last Angry Man (1959) he retired from acting. He died in Montecito, California. Partial Filmography
Academy Awards and Nominations
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6435 Hollywood Blvd. This page about Paul Muni includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Paul Muni News stories about Paul Muni External links for Paul Muni Videos for Paul Muni Wikis about Paul Muni Discussion Groups about Paul Muni Blogs about Paul Muni Images of Paul Muni |
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He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6435 Hollywood Blvd. See also: Other Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood. Academy Awards and Nominations. Pidgeon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6414 Hollywood Blvd. Partial Filmography. In accordance with his wishes, his body was donated to the UCLA, Medical School for medical research. He died in Montecito, California. Walter Pidgeon died in 1984. He was becoming increasingly infirm, however, and by 1959, soon after receiving his final Academy Award nomination for The Last Angry Man (1959) he retired from acting. He retired fully in 1971, and died in Santa Monica, California. After several failed projects, Muni was nominated for a Tony Award in 1955 for the role of Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind. He was nominated again in 1944 for Madame Curie, but he left Hollywood in the mid-1950s for the stage. Over the years, he also because increasingly dependent on his wife Bella, who terrified directors by forcing them to redo scenes that did not meet her satisfaction. Miniver (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor). He would go into a rage whenever anyone wore red, but at the same time he could often be found between sessions relaxing with his violin. He starred opposite Greer Garson in Blossom in the Dust and in Mrs. He was widely recognized as a talented if eccentric individual. It wasn't until he starred in How Green Was My Valley that he became well-known. In the ensuing years until his retirement in 1959, he spent his time acting on film and stage. He made several silent movies in the 1920s, then made some early talkie musicals, then played second fiddle to the main male star in such films as Saratoga and The Girl of the Golden West. He went on to receive a Best Actor nomination for The Life of Emile Zola (1937) and to win the Academy Award for The Story of Louis Pasteur (1939). Born near Saint John, New Brunswick, he began his career by studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Warner Brothers recognized his considerable talent and signed a long-term contract with him. Walter Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 - September 25, 1984) was a Canadian actor. In 1932 Muni returned to Hollywood to star in Scarface and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, for which he received a second Best Actor nomination. He was signed by Fox three years later, in 1929, and received an Oscar nomination for his first film The Valiant, but he was unhappy with the roles and decided to return to Broadway. His first role, that of an elderly Jewish man in the play We Americans by Sam Harris, was also the first time that he ever acted in English. Muni was twenty-nine when he began acting on Broadway. It was an appropriate beginning for an actor who loved wearing elaborate costumes and assuming accents in his film career. In a stage quirk, Muni played an eighty-year-old man as his first role. He made his stage debut at the age of twelve, and was quickly recognized by Maurice Schwartz, who signed him up with his Yiddish Art Theater. Both of Muni's parents were actors with the Yiddish theater and it was only natural that he would join them on stage. Born Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund in Lwow, Galicja, autonomus province of Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine), his family emigrated to the United States in 1902. Paul Muni (September 22, 1895 - August 25, 1967) was a versatile actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood, nominated for five Academy Awards. 1930 Nominated The Valiant. 1934 Nominated I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. 1937 Won The Story of Louis Pasteur. 1938 Nominated The Life of Emile Zola. 1960 Nominated The Last Angry Man. The Last Angry Man (1959). Counter Attack (1945). A Song to Remember (1945). Hudson's Bay (1940). Juarez (1939). The Good Earth (1937). The Life of Emile Zola (1937). The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936). Socrates (1935). Dr. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932). Scarface (1932). Seven Faces (1929). The Valiant (1929). |