Foto: Alexander Binder (1888-1929)

1896 - 1964

But in contrast to many other actor sons this was pressure was no problem for the young Joseph Schildkraut. He already appeared on stages as a child and in 1910 he went together with his fahter to the USA where he studied acting. From 1913 he was a successful actor on Max Reinhardt's stage.
After first great successes at the theater he made his film debut in the German movie "Schlemihl" (15), in which also his father played a role. It followed the movies "Das Wiegenlied" (15) and "Schweigepflicht" (16). In 1920 he appeared in the Austrian movie "Der Roman der Komtesse Orth" (20), after that the family Schildkraut emigrated to the USA.

There he soon rose to a leading actor for the Broadway and when D.W. Griffith engaged for his movie "Orphans of the Storm" (22), the way to a film career was paved for Joseph Schildkraut. In two of his next movies he acted under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille in "Road to Yesterday" (25) and "The King of Kings" (27), in which again his father was involved too.

In the 30's followed much more offers and Joseph Schildkraut took part in some of very successful movies. To his well-known movies belong "Viva Villa! - Schrei der Gehetzten" (34), the both Cecil-B.-DeMille movies "Cleopatra" (34) and "The Crusades" (35) as well as "The Garden of Allah" (36) and finally "The Life of Emile Zola". For the last mentioned movie he was achieved for 1936's Best Support Actor Academy Award for his part as Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
He completed the successful 30's with the movies "The Three Musketeers/The Singing Musketeer - Die drei Musketiere" (39) and "The Man in the Iron Mask - Der Mann mit der eisernen Maske" (39).

Joseph Schildkraut also appeared in some well-known movies of the 40's, among them "The Shop Around the Corner - Rendezvous nach Ladenschluss" (40), "Flame of the Barbary Coast" (45) and "The Plainsman and the Lady" (46).

With the movies "The Diary of Anne Frank - Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank" (59) and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (64) he finished his impressive screen career.

His biography "My Father and I" was published in 1959.
 

Other movies with Joseph Schildkraut:
Dämon und Mensch (15) Für den Ruhm des Geliebten (16) The Song of Love (23) The Road to Yesterday (25) Young April (26) Shipwrecked (26) Meet the Prince (26) The Heart Thief (27) The King of Kings - Der König der Könige (27) His Dog (27) The Forbidden Woman (27) Tenth Avenue (28) The Blue Danube (28) Show Boat (29) Mississippi Gambler (29) Die Sehnsucht jeder Frau (30) Night Ride (30) Cock o^the Walk (30) Carnival/Dance Pretty Lady/Venetian Nights (31) The Blue Danube (32) Sisters Under the Skin (34) Souls at Sea - Schrecken der Meere/Schiffbruch der Seelen (37) Slave Ship (37) Lancer Spy - Der unabhängige Spion (37) Lady Behave (37) Marie Antoinette (38) Suez (38) The Baroness and the Butler (38) The Rains Came (39) Lady of the Tropics (39) Idiot's Delight (39) Pack up Your Trouble/We're in the Army Now (39) Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation - Mr. Moto und sein Lockvogel (39) Rangers of Fortune (40) Phantom Raiders (40) Meet the Wildcat (40) The Tell-Tale Heart (41) The Parson of Panamint (41) The Cheaters/The Castaway (45) Monsieur Beaucaire (46) Northwest Outpost/End of the Rainbow (47) In Old Los Angeles/California Outpost (48) Gallant Legion (48) Serie "Masterpiece Playhouse: Six Characters in Search of an Author" (50) Hamlet (53) Serie "Joseph Schildkraut Presents" (53) King of the Roaring 20's - The Story of Arnold Rothstein/The Big Bankroll (61) Serie "The Twilight Zone: Death's-Head Revisited" (61) Serie "The Twilight Zone: The Trade-Ins" (62) Serie "The Untouchables: Jake Dance" (63)