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Conrad Veidt was an iconic German actor who left his impression on many through several haunting horror and villain roles. However, his current cult following is drawn to him through his defiance in the face of the Nazi regime as much as it is by his career. Unafraid to speak out against the Third Reich at the time of Hitler’s power, his political opinions and loyalty to his Jewish wife got him blacklisted in Germany, and made him the target of Gestapo assignation attempts.
Veidt has had many roles, most memorably his role as the hypnotized somnambulist Cesare in The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari (1920). When speaking about the role years later, he said, “No matter what roles I play, I can't get Caligari out of my system.” Despite being the monster figure of this silent horror, the subtlety in his acting made the character eerily sympathetic, and an image that would last through the years, and inspire the appearance and mannerisms of such characters as Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990).
His most famous and highly paid role, however, was ironically as Gestapo Maj. Strasser in Casablanca (1942). Though not the star, he was the highest paid actor on the film. Veidt was often type-cast as Nazis in American and British cinema due to his nationality. Had he lived longer, sadly this probably would have continued. Only twice was he cast in a hero role in American cinema – in Nazi Agent, a b-movie in which he played two brothers, and Above Suspicion, in which he was a supporting actor. He played villains exquisitely, often with a worryingly light, almost comical element that mingled with his sinister tones to create something very twisted. This had made him a legend in Germany. In America, this meant Nazi roles, repeatedly portraying the people that had alienated him from his home. Each negative portrayal of them was a slight revenge, but he craved the variety he’d had in German film and onstage. He got a little bit of this in England, where he eventually got his dream of a heroic action role in Under The Red Robe (1937).
“I was never a villain on the stage. I always played strong, sympathetic types. My first stage role with a speaking part, believe it or not, was as a priest. It wasn't until I began acting in films that the producers and directors saw me primarily as a bizarre villain.”
He had many great roles in German cinema, in films such as Der Kongress Tanzt (1931) or Ich und die Kaiserin (1933), and Germany’s first ‘talkie’, Bride Number 69 (1929). In the 1928 silent, The Man Who Laughs, he played a unique character - Gwynplaine, a child stolen by gypsies who has his face mutilated to be sold to a freak show. He escapes, but must live his life with a horrifying grin forever carved on his face. The role is a testimony to Veidt’s acting, who managed to convey pain, fear, love, uncertainty…all with a manic grin still on his face. To create the grin, he was given tooth caps that would hook back his cheeks. In the genre of silent acting, where expressions were exaggerated in order to communicate, being restricted to acting with his eyes was a dramatic achievement for Veidt.
However, he came to rely on his career in British and American cinema after fleeing Germany in 1933 due to the rise of Hitler, knowing his defense of Jews and hatred of the Nazi party would prove dangerous. He often spoke out against them on the radio, a dangerous undertaking which he felt compelled to do. Despite this, he would eventually return to unsafe Germany to work there again as well, because he felt his English was not good enough to maintain a career in English-speaking ‘talkies’ alone.
Veidt was not highly educated. He attended the Sophiengymnasium in the Schoeneberg district of Berlin, graduating without a diploma in 1912. He came last in his class of 13. But, like many who are less prolific at school, he found a future in his natural talent for acting.
On screen, Veidt’s presence was stunning. Even in horror roles, audiences found there was often something oddly appealing about him. He had an unconventional appearance, but striking eyes and a natural charisma which resulted in the catchphrase “Women Fight for Conrad Veidt" being coined. He was almost cast in the Dracula role that made Bella Lugosi’s name, but lost it when the director for the project was changed.
He made his biggest impact on modern culture, not by playing Dracula, but through his leading role in The Man Who Laughs. If you look at Gwynplaine, you will see a striking resemblance to the original design for one of Batman’s greatest nemeses, the Joker. Bob Kane, the inventor of Batman, based the Joker’s design directly on Veidt’s appearance in this film, a fitting testimony to his prowess at villainy.
Another less likely claim to fame is the song he recorded in 1933, ‘When The Lighthouse Shines Across The Bay’. At the time, the record flopped, but remarkably became a hit in 1980, almost fifty years later, after Terry Wogan received a request to play it on the Radio 2 breakfast show. After this swell in popularity, it found its way onto a now out of print nostalgia album, Move Star Memories. It is also available on Amazon.
Veidt was not one to conform, and often took chances, in both his personal life and career. He always put “Juden” (Jew) as his ethnic identity on his job application forms, to stand by his wife and share in any prejudice she faced. He also took risks to speak out against other prejudices – in 1919 he starred in Anders als die Andern (Different From The Others). This film is sited as the first ever to deal sympathetically with homosexuality. In it, Veidt plays a homosexual concert violinist who falls in love with his male student, but ends up losing everything he has and being disgraced because of the German law at the time forbidding homosexual behavior. The narrative has a tragic ending, as did the film itself; in 1930 Hitler had it burnt, and sadly large chunks of it are now missing as a result. However, fifty minutes of scenes still remain, and are possible to obtain or to view online. It was a surprisingly sensitive and extremely daring work by Richard Oswald, co-written and co-funded by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, who was campaigning against the outlawing of homosexual behavior at the time. It was one of a series of educational films made by the doctor, and does not hold back in presenting its bold message.
This outspoken nature of Veidt’s became dangerous when the Nazis took power, hence his decision to flee to the UK. He was blacklisted, and when in Germany, he only escaped assassination attempts by the Gestapo through luck. Though he loved his country, he hated its leaders, which led him to support Britain in its war effort against his own land. He gave them most of his estate, and also gave the British War Relief a large portion of his salary from each film he worked on.
He was divorced twice, but stayed married to Ilona (Lily) Prager for the last decade of his life. He had one child with previous wife Felicitas Radke; Viola Vera Veidt. Despite his dicing with death in the face of Nazi Germany, he died of a heart attack whilst playing golf at the 8th hole of the Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles, California. He was playing with Arthur Field of MGM and his personal doctor, Dr. Bergman. Bergman pronounced him dead at the scene. His daughter Viola also died of a heart attack some years later.
Tragically, because he had been blacklisted, nobody in Germany was informed of Veidt’s death. He was a beloved figure, and yet no-one was allowed to know. His own family only heard the news via his ex-wife and his daughter, who had fled to Switzerland and heard about it on the radio.
Today his fans remember him for the little things; he liked theatre, cinema, fast cars, pastries, thunderstorms, gardening, swimming, and, of course, golfing. He disliked heights, flying, the number 17, wearing ties, pudding, and interviews. They also remember him for his bravery to speak when others didn’t, but mostly it is his performances that will live on and continue to stun audiences for decades. Conrad once said, “I have no illusions about my art. I am what the public made me and, consequently, I am not likely to forget my debt to them." AIB
Jackie Chan is revered and adored by audiences and contemporaries alike as the world’s favourite action movie star. His infectious blend of comedy and action has seen him conquer not only the Far Eastern movie markets but also Hollywood’s, bridging cultural divides, and mirroring the incredible accomplishments of Bruce Lee.
Born 7th of April 1954 in Hong Kong to a poor but loving family, Jackie was named Chan Kong-sang. His parents worked for Hong Kong’s French Embassy, and fought to provide their son with better prospects than their own. As with other great names to be borne of the institute, he was enrolled at the Peking Opera School as the age of 7. Signing for a stay of ten years, he met and grew up with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao - Hong Kong cinema’s ‘Three Brothers’ – as well as other notable talents, such as Corey Yuen and Yuen Wah.
The punishing regime at the respected school is well documented, with regular beatings from Master Yu Jim Yuen, as well as long days of repetitive training and tutoring in various forms of martial arts, as well as acting and singing. These were essential to the craft and performance of the then-dying tradition of Chinese Opera. Chan proved most adept at Hapkido, as well as learning classic kung-fu styles such as Shaolin and even Tae-Kwon Do. Seeing that this art form was no longer held in the public’s hearts, Master Yu Jim Yuen picked his finer students and found them work in film and television as child stars. These include Big And Little Wong Tin Bar, which also featured other members of the School’s Seven Little Fortunes, a troupe of the schools best performers.
Once his stay was over, Jackie, now aged 17, and strapping as well as handsome, found work as a stunt player. Blink and you’ll miss his very early appearances in Bruce Lee classics Enter The Dragon and Fist Of Fury. It wasn’t long before he attracted the attention of producers, and with the off-screen aid of long-time friend and producer Willie Chan, he appeared in 1978 movie Snake In The Eagles Shadow. It was clear that Chan was agile and extremely fast, but what shone through in his earliest films, including breakout classic Drunken Master, was his stunning ability for physical comedy. A thread he’d constantly play up to throughout his extensive career.
The 1980s saw his star not only eclipse that of the supposed heir to the Hong Kong action film god throne, Sammo Hung, but it also saw the west get a delicious taste of the action phenomenon, too. In Hong Kong and Japan, Chan was already a legend, and was an enormous presence on VHS. Whispers of this Hong Kong superstar reached Tinseltown. He took on the lead role in US picture The Protector, but didn’t enjoy his experience. The film featured, as Chan saw it, needless nudity and profanity. Disillusioned, after it proved to be the flop he feared, he returned to Hong Kong. He wouldn’t try his luck in Hollywood again until Brett Ratner helmed Kung-Fu buddy comedy Rush Hour in 1998.
The early to mid-80s saw a slight reversal of fortunes on home turf, too. Dragon Lord, a traditional kung-fu adventure with Chan as the cheeky but agile lead did badly. However, Chan understood the bad reaction and Box Office receipts wasn’t the public’s disillusionment with him; rather it was disillusionment with the tired and frankly dull narratives that Hong Kong had been trotting out for decades. So Chan resolved to devise a break from the cinematic norm. Penning and directing Project A, an absolute riot of action, comedy skits, and Three Brothers interplay, Chan helped to bring about a tremendous change in fortune and revive the story form on the Hong Kong screen.
The success of the movie proved that as well as his solo hits; Chan was not adverse to collaborations. Rather, he thrived on acting and playing with friends and close colleagues. The Lucky Stars series is a prime example. These featured the Three Brothers (admittedly Biao in cameo mode) with such comedy stars like Eric Tsang and Richard Woo (formerly Ng). A group of criminal misfits, headed by Hung, work alongside policeman and former orphanage housemate Chan to bring down heavy players in the Far East’s underworld. My Lucky Stars, instalment two, broke Box Office records.
Chan’s star never looked like dimming, even in the capricious hearts of the Far East cinema-going public. Chan knew what it took to keep them hooked, and his trademark astonishing stunts kept those tickets selling and picture house seats warm. He famously risked death by electrocution in Police Story, and almost met his maker again in the Indiana Jones inspired Armour Of God. A fairly simple stunt, one wall to another via a branch, saw Jackie plummet to the ground and whack his head on a rock. The branch broke under his hand and one trip to Accident & Emergency later and he was in emergency surgery. Chan has a metal plate in his skull from that scrape.
While still churning out a continuous stream of classic movies, Jackie also released albums and worked tirelessly for charity. By his own admission, he was brash and cocky when his star was first in the ascendency. He thought nothing of releasing details of his forthcoming marriage in the press and sporting the odd ingot of ‘bling’. But the suicides of two Japanese fans over his announced nuptials saw Chan retreat and think heavily. From that tragic point onwards, he more than raised his responsibility to the audience he played up to, and has kept his private life and family fiercely private since. Jackie works tirelessly for charity and stops for every fan’s request of a photo and autograph. This altruistic attitude, borne from his sense of loyalty to not only his fans but humanity as a whole, flows from the man in his work and extremely youthful outlook on life.
Professionally, though, Jackie Chan still wanted the western hit that would cement his star with molten gold. Brett Ratner, a confessed martial arts fanatic, thought he’d the perfect vehicle for Jackie’s Hollywood explosion. Teaming up with wise-cracking sharp-suited and fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker, Rush Hour was born. Chan plays Inspector Lee, a dedicated Chinese policeman loyal to the Chinese Consul, Han. When Han’s young daughter is kidnapped in the USA by secretive crime boss Juntao, Lee flies to help get back the little girl. Slick, wonderfully edited and directed, as well as having a cool script, Rush Hour gave Jackie not only a film he could be proud of, but also an American and worldwide Box Office hit. Although the franchise has run out of steam, Rush Hour 3 set in France proved to be stilted and lacklustre; Jackie was finally recognised by the ficklest of gilm buffs. Shanghai Noon, featuring Owen Wilson and Lucy Lui, kept the US hot streak running, as did the sequel.
Lately, however, Jackie has returned home for such films as Shinjuku Incident and Little Big Soldier, and to produce Wushu. He has also reached the level of being able to pre-title his movies, such as Jackie Chan’s The Myth, an effects-laden supernatural adventure. His son, Jaycee Chan, is also trying to carve a career for himself in film and music.
Jackie always had the desire to be a more serious actor and make physical comedy take a backseat, but as he approaches 58, Jackie shows no signs of stopping his exceptional career. As Hong Kong and China’s best loved action star since the legendary Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan’s career is enviable, and his accomplishments as a caring human being will long see his star pulse in the galaxy of film stars. JM
Sammo Hung is one of the most prolific stars/innovators/directors/martial arts choreographers in this history of Eastern cinema. Known more for his impressive fighting skills that belie his girth and his adept hand at comedy, his path to cinematic success was perhaps not so surprising. Born in Jiangsu province on 2nd January 1952, young Sammo came from a family of film workers and is the grandson of a celebrated actress. His mother was a movie art director.
As a child, young Sammo - his stage name is a nickname taken from a cartoon character popular at the time (literally translated it means three hairs) – was, by his own admission, a truant and a street kid, something of a bully. Directionless and hard to control, he was signed up for a stay of seven years at the Peking Opera School under the tutelage of Sifu Yu Jim Yuen to learn the practicalities of Chinese opera. This was a blessing for Sammo, who harboured a dream of acting, as his workaholic parents were busy and the grandparents rearing him were getting desperate at his antics.
Excelling at the strict discipline imposed, he headed a team called the Seven Little Fortunes, which also comprised schoolmates Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. The conditions were hard, and much has been written about the often brutal regime. Sammo said: “We had to sign an agreement, a contact for seven years. On the third day after I signed it, I started to regret it, because the master beat the hell out of me. We were once made to do a handstand on a stool placed on a table. We did for an hour and a half.” Sammo and the other students terrible lives were immortalised on screen in his film Painted Faces. The movie does not shy away from the beatings and conditions they lived in, as they were trained for long hours each day in stage combat, acrobatics, singing and dance.
A broken ankle as a teenager saw him unable to train and he packed on a lot of weight, which he was forever unable to shift. Before his apprenticeship in film truly began, he received that trademark scar on his top lip. If you look carefully, its part of a circle that goes into his right cheek, a remnant of a broken coke bottle shoved into his face outside a Kowloon nightclub by a gangster who disliked Sammo’s acrobatics on the dance floor.
Once free of his contract with the school, Sammo set his sharp sights on a career in film and became an apprentice at 16 years of age. Starting out on screen as a hefty stuntman and ‘heavy’, he soon graduated to a credited extra. His first supporting role of note was in A Touch Of Zen, cited as possibly the first Chinese fight flick to garner international acclaim. This helped Sammo gain a contract with Golden Harvest, one of the most venerated studios in Eastern cinema. He was charged with staging fights in 1971 film The Fast Sword. He stayed with Golden Harvest until 1989. By now his name was growing and his professionalism and sharp uptake of the techniques of filmmaking was also proving him a reliable addition to a film set off-camera.
After a minor altercation with the late great Bruce Lee, the men became friends. Bruce asked Sammo to appear in Enter The Dragon, 1973. Sammo is the poor chubby fellow getting a kicking in the opening scene. This association with the Lee legacy continued as Sammo choreographed and appeared in Game Of Death (what was to have been Bruce’s next big screen project) and also worked with his daughter, Shannon Lee, in an episode of CBS show Martial Law.
Hapkido, 1972, gave Sammo a large supporting role alongside Angela Mao and Carter Wang. He plays a tempestuous young Hapkido student who cannot stay away from a challenge. He studied the martial art for the movie, a form of method acting he continued through his career, such as learning the art of nunchucks for Enter The Fat Dragon, a movie where he idolises the late Bruce Lee and does an impressive impersonation - other deft impersonations of Bruce can be seen in Skinny Tiger Fatty Dragon, a slightly disappointing film but still riotous amount of fun with Karl Maka, and Millionaires Express. Sammo’s character takes on a highly skilled Cynthia Rothrock and channels the late master to defeat her.
By now Sammo was moving out of the being the ‘bad guy’ supporting role into a ‘good guy’ and lead man. Iron Fisted Monk, 1977, saw Sammo’s official directorial debut. He plays a young man seeking vengeance against the oppressive Manchu’s over the death of his uncle. Taking himself to a Shaolin temple, he learns to fight to seek his revenge. The movie proved he had a good eye, knew how to frame a shot and pace a storyline. He also had the reputation of wanting realism in his fight scenes and made sure that actors actually did land the blows they threw.
Along with Enter The Fat Dragon, Sammo was seen to be the natural successor to Bruce Lee as Hong Kong cinema’s next big thing. But a young Jackie Chan put paid to that with his appearance in Drunken Master, and he went on to become the biggest star in Asia. Sammo, who’d made the classic Magnificent Butcher (a movie that used Drunken Master as a supporting character), was not bitter as they were students together back at the Peking Opera School. They decided current cinema was derivative of the old times and something new was needed, so they set out to work together. Along with the stunning physical ability of Yuen Biao, who Sammo introduced to the cinematic world in movies such as Knockabout, this triumvirate would be affectionately named the Three Brothers. Project A, Wheels On Meals and Dragons Forever, as well as The Lucky Stars series, would mark the Three Brothers’ screen endeavours. Each movie is credited as a modern classic, and the affection and seasoned interplay between them works like no other screen partnership had before.
A small falling out between Sammo and Jackie saw this profitable and box office smashing partnership end in bad feeling. Sammo continued to work with Yuen Biao in great pieces like Eastern Condors, and continue his own leading man career with a rash of comedies like Where’s Officer Tuba, Pantyhose Hero and Skinny Tiger Fatty Dragon. He also built up three movie companies of his own and took other projects on as action director. But as he stretched his talents, his movies took less at the box office. Looking back, Eastern Condors is credited as an absolute classic, a 1988 endeavour that sees a group of criminals dropped in Vietnam to retrieve a stashed arsenal. Yet, at the time, it got a lukewarm reception. His late-70s and early to mid-80s heyday was waning.
With his divorce in 1994 from his Korean wife and Peking Opera School sweetheart and mother of his four children, Sammo’s career had nosedived. The Chinese public do not look favourably on divorce, and the quick turnaround in marrying his new wife and Eastern Condors co-star Joyce Mina Godenzi saw him fall out of favour. Struggling to find work in an industry that once embraced him, and after a string of flops that included Don’t Give A Damn and The Pale Sky, he decided to relocate.
With Stanley Tong and the script help of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, a vehicle was built around our now middle-aged hero. Martial Law was set in Los Angeles and ran for two seasons between 1998-2000. A surprising hit in its first season, Sammo played a good hearted Shanghai police Captain who travels to the US to find his best detective, Grace Chen, played by the beautiful Kelly Hu. Some tweaking of the format saw him gain a partner in Arsenio Hall early in the run. Broadcast on CBS in a prime-time Saturday slot it exposed Hung to a new crop of potential fans and career opportunities. Although he struggled with the English, and was said to have recited some lines phonetically, he shone in the show with specially choreographed fight scenes to best display his skill. Obligatory outtakes at the end of each episode show his struggles with understanding and speaking the language, but also show a fun-loving respected character off-screen.
LA’s TV industry seemed to respect him in a way that Hong Kong once had. Even though a disastrous change of format made sure the second season was sadly the last, Sammo had broadened his range and fan base. The advent of DVD and downloading saw his once old dusty movies remastered, repackaged and sold around the world. His impressive physical skill, direction and natural ability as an actor won him new fans and deeper admiration.
Going back to China he found work again, working with the new wave of stars. Roles supporting Vanness Wu in Dragon Squad, Maggie Q in Three Kingdoms and his own Son Timmy Hung in Kung-Fu Chefs came fast. He has also worked with Wu Jing in Twins Mission and Fatal Move. But it’s his continuing relationship with the exploding star that is Donnie Yen that has seen Sammo happily back home and cemented. His choreography in modern classic Ip Man won him a Hong Kong Film Award. Also, he played a Triad boss in Wilson Yip’s acclaimed crime drama SPL (international title Kill Zone), his first foray into ‘bad guy’ territory for twenty-five years. This was the first chance to face off against Donnie Yen on screen in a whirlwind of Brazilian Jujitsu, a satisfying final fight reel that showed a man in his mid-fifties could still dance with the younger crop.
His re-emergence however was stilted after emergency heart surgery in early 2009. Making a recovery he worked on Ip Man 2, even taking another role opposite Donnie Yen. With a slew of projects in the pipeline it’s good to see the greatest exponent of Hong Kong cinema back on the cusp of the cutting edge. JM
