Conrad Veidt: Demon of the Silver Screen

We spend a lot of time going over the big names and the big monsters, but I today, there’s a lesser known legend we’re covering. And I do mean legend. Just because you haven’t heard of him, doesn’t mean he’s not worth knowing … he literally inspired the joker! He was a great man, and he did not have enough time here on earth. Today, we’re talking about Conrad Veidt.

Conrad Veidt was born January 22, 1893 in Berlin, Germany. For a brief time, he hoped to become a surgeon, in honor of a surgeon who helped his father when they were unable to afford surgery, but unfortunately his grades weren’t that of a budding surgeon, and his plan changed after performing in a school Christmas play in which he was the standout. He began taking classes and getting bit parts in plays, but when World War I broke out, he enlisted in the army until 1917. When he left the army, he immediately rejoined the theater, and then transitioned to silent film.

His reputation started to grow, he played Frederic Chopin in “Nocturno de Leibe”, Phineas Fogg in “Around the World in 80 Days,” and portrayed one of the first explicitly gay characters on screen in “Different From the Others,” all just in 1919. By 1920 he would be cast in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - one of the most important roles of his life. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is considered quintessential German Expressionist cinema. This movie was a huge influence on Universal horror. Because Conrad Veidt had so much experience with Expressionist theater, he shined in this role. He became known as “the demon of the silver screen,” and soon his face would be known around the world.

Uncle Carl Laemmle with Conrad Veidt

He made his first trip to Hollywood in 1926 to act in The Beloved Rogue with John Barrymore. While there, he was courted by many of the major studios, but it was Uncle Carl at Universal who won. Conrad Veidt signed with Universal for $2,000 per week, and made 3 pictures with them.

If The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari put Conrad Veidt on the map, it was The Man Who Laughs that cemented his legacy as a master of expression. As Gwynplaine, Veidt brought to life a character trapped in a perpetual smile - a role that required him to act through layers of makeup, and a dental contraption that hooked his mouth up at the corners, created by the incomparable Jack Pierce. Somehow he conveyed so much without being able to talk … he could hardly move his face! It’s reminiscent of Lon Chaney in the best ways.

Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928)

When talkies came on the scene, Conrad Veidt went back to Germany, knowing he’d have more luck there since he struggled with English and spoke with such a strong accent. By this time, in his personal life, Conrad Veidt had already been married once, to a cabaret performer named Gussy Holl, but while grieving over the death of his mother in 1922, and with his career on the upswing, he was admittedly not the best husband.

He married his second wife Felizitas Radke in 1923, and they had a daughter Viola. They would remain married for almost 10 years, but frequently moved for work and Conrad was often gone for his career. It caused a rift in their marriage, and they divorced in 1932. As his marriage fell apart, he accepted work in England, where he learned English and began working steadily. He married a woman named Lily, who he would stay with the rest of his life.  She was Jewish, and it was a scary time to be Jewish in Europe.

Conrad Veidt and his daughter Vera Viola Maria Veidt.

Conrad Veidt was told if he divorced his new wife and declared his loyalty to the new regime, he could continue acting in Germany, Instead, he declared his loyalty to his wife. He began identifying as Jewish, even adding it to his race on his official identification card. He was staunchly and openly against anti-semitism.

In 1938, he became a British citizen, and he made two more films in the UK before it became too dangerous for he and his wife to remain in there any longer either. In 1940, the two escaped to Hollywood. Before going, he donated much of his personal fortune to help finance the British war effort.

When Conrad Veidt fled London, he was working on The Thief of Bagdad, and the entire production ultimately relocated to Hollywood. His work as Jaffar in the film inspired Jaffar in Disney’s Aladdin!

Conrad Veidt as Jaffar in Thief of Bagdad, the inspiration for Jafar in Disney’s Aladdin.

Outside of The Thief of Bagdad, Conrad Veidt often started playing the very people he hated: Nazis. Knowing his accent would cause this type-casting, he had it mandated in his contract that all nazis he played had to be villains. His most famous was as Major Strasser in Casablanca. What an ironic twist of fate to be praised for portraying the kind of character who forced him to leave his homeland.

Conrad Veidt had the same heart condition that killed his mother in 1922, which was aggravated by his smoking. On April 3, 1943, while golfing at the Riviera Country Club, Conrad Veidt died suddenly of a heart attack. He was only 50 years old. Today, Conrad Veidt is best remembered as the man who inspired the joker in The Man Who Laughs, or the man who inspired Jafar in The Thief of Baghdad, but I think he should be remembered for so much more.

I already mentioned how he donated so much to the British War Effort. He donated thousands of dollars in toys, gifts, and actual money to children in need in air raid shelters. He supported the European Film Fund, co-founded by Uncle Carl Laemmle, which helped European refugees who needed affidavits, money, or jobs. He helped his relatives and friends escape nazi-occupied Europe. He used all the money and power he gained from playing nazis on-screen to help fight them off-screen.

Conrad Veidt’s story is one of bravery, through and through. His commitment to his craft and his convictions left a legacy that leave me inspired, and wanting to know more. His name and his work isn’t known the way we know Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff, but when I look at his legacy, I think maybe it should be.

So what is the missing ingredient that’s kept Conrad Veidt from the recognition he so rightly deserves?