Mario Walter Lippert (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996), better known by hisstage nameHoward Vernon, was a Swiss-German actor and photographer. He had an extensive career inFrench cinema which spanned nearly 200 productions over 55 years, between 1945 and 2000.[1] He was best known for his close association with cult filmmakerJesús Franco, appearing in 40 of the director’s films, beginning with the titular character inThe Awful Dr. Orloff (1962).[1][2]
Vernon was bornMario Walter Lippert inBaden-Baden,Baden-Württemberg, Germany to a Swiss hotelier, Julius Lippert, and a German mother, Doris (née Häffner).[4] His family returned toSwitzerland shortly after he was born, and he was raised in thecanton of Aargau. He grew up in a trilingual household, and was fluent in French, German, and English. He studied acting inBerlin, where he made his stage acting debut in 1936. Back in Switzerland, he continued his studies underErwin Kalser. Moving toParis, France, he performed in theaters, cabarets, and music halls, notably theCasino de Paris.[3]
At the outbreak ofWorld War II and the occupation of France, Vernon was employed by Fernsehsender Paris, the German-run television broadcaster, as he was bilingual and from a neutral country.[5] In 1944, he moved toEngland and joined theBBC as a translator and broadcaster. He returned to Paris after theliberation of France.
Originally a stage and radio actor, he worked primarily in France and became a well-known supporting actor after 1945 by playing villainousNazi officers in post-war French films.Jean-Pierre Melville'sLe Silence de la mer, in which he played a gentle anti-Nazi German officer, made him somewhat famous but, in part due to his rough-hewn looks and Swiss accent, he was subsequently relegated to playing gangsters and heavies.[citation needed] He was nonetheless a favorite of Melville, who subsequently cast him in films.
In the 1960s, he became a favorite actor of Spanishhorror directorJesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic movies produced in Spain and France, often portraying a mad doctor or a sadist. He continued to make increasingly small appearances in high-profile films while often getting top billing in many Grade-Z low budget films. Horror film fans consider his three greatest horror roles to beThe Awful Dr. Orloff (1962) which introduced Franco's famed mad doctor character,Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) in which he actually played Count Dracula, andThe Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (1972) in which he played Count Cagliostro.
Between his work with Franco, whom he came to consider a personal friend, he continued to appear in more high-profile projects, and was active as adubber. He also remained active in the theatre.[3]
Vernon was an avidphotographer, and worked as a behind-the-scenes still photographer on several films in which he acted, credited under his birth name “Mario Lippert”.[6]
Robinson und seine wilden Sklavinnen/ Three Naked Women on Robinson Island (1972, director: Jesús Franco).... Yakube / Actor in Adult Movie / Film Director's Assistant
^Lemieux, Emmanuel (1 July 2013).On l'appelait Télé-Paris - L'histoire secrète des débuts de la télévision française (1936-1946) (in French). L'Archipel. p. 165.ISBN978-2809811292.
