Fritz Leiber
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 29, 1882
- Died
- October 14, 1949
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Fritz Reuter Leiber Sr. was an American actor. A Shakespearean actor on stage, he also had a successful career in film. He was the father of science fiction and fantasy writer Fritz Leiber Jr., who was also an actor for a time. Leiber and his wife spent much of their time touring in a Shakespearean acting company, known by the 1930s as Fritz Leiber & Co. Leiber made his film bow in 1916, playing Mercutio in the Francis X. Bushman version of “Romeo and Juliet.” With his piercing eyes and shock of white hair, Leiber seemed every inch the priests, professors, musical professors, and religious fanatics that he was frequently called upon to play in films. His many silent-era portrayals included Caesar in Theda Bara's 1917 “Cleopatra” and Solomon in the mammoth 1921 Betty Blythe vehicle “The Queen of Sheba.” He thrived as a character actor in sound films, usually in historical roles. In the film “Champagne Waltz” he portrayed an orchestra maestro; the role required him to play classical music on a violin and jazz on a clarinet. One of Leiber's larger assignments of the 1940s, and his most notable musical role, was as Franz Liszt in the Claude Rains' remake of “Phantom of the Opera” (1943). Leiber appears together with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in the wedding-feast scene of Greta Garbo's film “Camille” (1936) and in Warner Bros.' “The Great Garrick” (1937). Leiber also appeared with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939), but Fritz Leiber Jr. was not credited for his small speaking part. Late in his career, Leiber performed briefly opposite Charles Chaplin as the priest who visits Monsieur Verdoux in his prison cell.
Filmography
Devil's Doorway 1950
as Mr. Poole
Samson and Delilah 1949
as Lord Sharif
Bagdad 1949
as Emir
Bride of Vengeance 1949
as Filippo
Song of India 1949
as Nanaram
Inner Sanctum 1948
as Dr. Valonius
Another Part of the Forest 1948
as Col. Isham
Adventures of Casanova 1948
as D'Anneci
To the Ends of the Earth 1948
as Binda Sha
Monsieur Verdoux 1947
as Father Fareaux
High Conquest 1947
as Priest
The Web 1947
as Leopold Kroner
Dangerous Venture 1947
as Chief Xeoli
Bells of San Angelo 1947
as Padre
Humoresque 1947
as Hagerstrom
Strange Journey 1946
as Prof. Jenner
Angel on My Shoulder 1946
as Chemist Who Poisoned Wife (uncredited)
A Scandal in Paris 1946
as Painter
Scarlet Street 1945
as Evangelist (uncredited)
This Love of Ours 1945
as Dr. Bailey
The Spanish Main 1945
as Bishop
The Cisco Kid Returns 1945
as The Padre
Youth Runs Wild 1944
as Judge (uncredited)
Cry of the Werewolf 1944
as Dr. Charles Morris
Cobra Woman 1944
Actor
Phantom of the Opera 1943
as Franz Liszt
First Comes Courage 1943
as Dr. Aanrud
Crossroads 1942
as Foreign Minister Deval (uncredited)
Aloma of the South Seas 1941
as High Priest
Lady with Red Hair 1940
as Mr. Foster
The Sea Hawk 1940
as Inquisitor
The Way of All Flesh 1940
as Max
All This, and Heaven Too 1940
as Abbe Gallard
Pack Up Your Troubles 1939
as Pierre Ferrand
Nurse Edith Cavell 1939
as Sadi Kirschen
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939
as Old Nobleman
They Made Her a Spy 1939
as Dr. Krull
Gateway 1938
as Dr. Weilander
Flight Into Nowhere 1938
as Ti-Ana
The Jury's Secret 1938
as John Morrow
The Great Garrick 1937
as Horatio in 'Hamlet'
The Prince and the Pauper 1937
as Father Andrew
Under Southern Stars 1937
as Stonewall Jackson
Champagne Waltz 1937
as Franz Strauss
Anthony Adverse 1936
as Ouvrard
Sins of Man 1936
as Father Prior
- Down to the Sea
Down to the Sea 1936
as Gregory Pappas
Hearts in Bondage 1936
as Capt. John Ericsson
The Story of Louis Pasteur 1936
as Dr. Charbonnet
A Tale of Two Cities 1935
as Gaspard
The Queen of Sheba 1921
as King Solomon
The Song of the Soul 1920
as Jerry Wendover
If I Were King 1920
as Louis XI
Cleopatra 1917
as Caesar
Romeo and Juliet 1916
as Mercutio
Credits from TMDB.