Walter Slezak

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slezak in a photo (1957)

Walter Slezak (3 May 1902 – 21 April 1983) was an Austrian television and movie actor who appeared in many movies. Slezak mostly played villains or thugs, most notably the German U-boat captain in Alfred Hitchcock's movie Lifeboat (1944), but occasionally he got to play lighter roles, as in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962). He also played a cheerfully corrupt and philosophical private detective in the film noir Born to Kill (1947) and appeared as Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (1972). He is also known for playing the Clock King in Batman (1966). Slezak won a Tony Award in 1955.

Slezak was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Slezak was married to Johanna Van Rijn from 1943 until his death in 1983. They had three children. Slezak died on April 21, 1983 after he shot himself in his home in Flower Hill, New York.[1] He is buried in Rottach-Egern, Germany.

Movies[change | change source]

Slezak in March 1934
Slezak in 1943
Slezak with his daughter, Erika Slezak in 1974
  • Sodom and Gomorrah (1922)
  • Michael (1924)
  • Addio giovinezza (1927)
  • Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942)
  • This Land Is Mine (1943)
  • The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
  • Lifeboat (1944)
  • The Princess and the Pirate (1944)
  • Step Lively (1944)
  • The Spanish Main (1945)
  • Cornered (1945)
  • Sinbad the Sailor (1947)
  • Born to Kill (1947)
  • Riffraff (1947)
  • The Pirate (1948)
  • The Inspector General (1949)
  • Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)
  • The Yellow Cab Man (1950)
  • Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)
  • People Will Talk (1951)
  • Call Me Madam (1953)
  • White Witch Doctor (1953)
  • The Miracle (1959)
  • Come September (1961)
  • The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
  • Wonderful Life
    (US title: Swingers' Paradise[2] 1964)
  • Dr. Coppelius (1966)
  • Heidi (1968)
  • Black Beauty (1971)
  • Treasure Island (1972)

References[change | change source]

  1. "Turner Classic Movies: Biography for Walter Slezak". TCM.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  2. Overview for Swingers' Paradise (1965)"[permanent dead link], Turner Classic Movies page

Other websites[change | change source]