Sig Ruman
Known for Acting
Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypical Teutonic officials or villains. Ruman made his film debut in Lucky Boy (1929). He became a favorite of the Marx Brothers, appearing in A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, and A Night in Casablanca. His German accent and large stature kept him busy during World War II, playing sinister Nazi characters in a series of wartime thrillers. During this period, he also appeared in several films by director Ernst Lubitsch including Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be. Ruman continued playing over-the-top German characters later in his career for Billy Wilder in The Emperor Waltz, Stalag 17, and The Fortune Cookie.
Filmography
Stalag 17
1953
as Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Heidi
1937
as Police Captain
To Be or Not to Be
1942
as Col. Ehrhardt
A Day at the Races
1937
as Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
White Christmas
1954
as Landlord (uncredited)
The Glenn Miller Story
1954
as W. Kranz
A Night at the Opera
1935
as Gottlieb
36 Hours
1964
as German Guard
Ninotchka
1939
as Comrade Iranoff
The Fortune Cookie
1966
as Professor Winterhalter
One, Two, Three
1961
as Count von Droste Schattenburg (voice) (uncredited)
Robin and the 7 Hoods
1964
as Hammacher (uncredited)
O. Henry's Full House
1952
as Menkie (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
The Song of Bernadette
1943
as Louis Bouriette
The Wings of Eagles
1957
as Manager
A Night in Casablanca
1946
as Count Pfefferman / Heinrich Stubel
The Errand Boy
1961
as Baron Elston Carteblanche
House of Frankenstein
1944
as Burgomeister Hussman
Only Angels Have Wings
1939
as Dutchy
Tarzan Triumphs
1943
as Sergeant