Sig Ruman | |
|---|---|
.png) Trailer forThink Fast, Mr. Moto (1937) | |
| Born | Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (1884-10-11)October 11, 1884 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | February 14, 1967(1967-02-14) (aged 82) Julian, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Julian Cemetery,San Diego County, California |
| Other names | Siegfried Rumann Sig Rumann |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1928–1966 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann (October 11, 1884 – February 14, 1967), billed asSig Ruman andSig Rumann, was aGerman-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypicallyTeutonic officials or villains in more than 100 films.[1]
Born inHamburg,German Empire, to Alban Julius Albrecht Ludwig Rumann and his wife, Caroline Margarethe Sophie Rumann on October 11, 1884,[2] he studiedelectrical engineering, then began working as an actor and musician[3] before serving with theImperial German Army duringWorld War I.[4] He resumed his acting career after the war.[5] After emigrating to the United States in 1924, his acting career blossomed. BefriendingplaywrightGeorge S. Kaufman andtheater criticAlexander Woollcott, he enjoyed success in manyBroadway productions. His Broadway credits includedOnce There Was a Russian (1961),Lily of the Valley (1942),Eight Bells (1933),Alien Corn (1933),Grand Hotel (1930),Half Gods (1929), andThe Channel Road (1929).[6]
Ruman made his film debut inLucky Boy (1929).[1]He became a favorite comic foil of theMarx Brothers, appearing inA Night at the Opera (1935),A Day at the Races (1937), andA Night in Casablanca (1946). His German accent and large stature kept him busy duringWorld War II, playing sinisterNazi characters in a series of wartime thrillers.
During this period, he also appeared in several films by directorErnst Lubitsch, a fellow Germanémigré, includingNinotchka (1939), portraying aRussian, and inTo Be or Not to Be (1942) as the pompous Nazi Colonel "Concentration-Camp Erhardt". He played the role of Professor Herman Von Reiter inShining Victory (1941), an adaptation of anA. J. Cronin play. Ruman continued his trend of portraying over-the-top German characters later in his career for Lubitsch's protegeBilly Wilder, in his filmsThe Emperor Waltz (1948), andStalag 17 (1953). Ruman's voice was dubbed over German actor Hubert Von Meyerinck's voice in Wilder'sOne, Two, Three (1961), and he had a cameo role inThe Fortune Cookie (1966).
Around 1936, Ruman modified his screen name fromSiegfried Rumann toSig Ruman in an attempt to make it a little less German-sounding, as anti-German prejudice was rising at that time, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.
Despite declining health during the 1950s and 1960s, Ruman continued to appear in films and made many guest appearances ontelevision. He guest-starred as pompous Broadway director Eric von Bissell in the memorable 1965 episode ofThe Addams Family, "My Fair Cousin Itt".
Ruman died of aheart attack on February 14, 1967, at his home inJulian, California, at the age of 82. He was buried in Julian Cemetery,San Diego County, California.
From his first marriage, to Else Rumann, he had a daughter named Senta.[7]
