{{Short description|Austrian-American actor (1902–2004)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Carl Esmond | image = Carl Esmond in Sundown (1941).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Esmond in ''Sundown'' (1941) | birth_name = Carl Cäsar Willy Simon | birth_date = {{Birth date|1902|06|14|df=yes}} | birth_place = Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) | death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|12|04|1902|06|14|df=yes}} | death_place = Brentwood, Los Angeles, U.S. | other_names = Willy Eichsberger<br/>Charles Esmond | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1933–1985 | spouse = Ruth Taub<br>({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??) | website = }}
'''Willy Eichberger'''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |date=2004-12-11 |title=Carl Esmond |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/dec/11/guardianobituaries.austria |access-date=2025-12-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2004-12-14 |title=Carl Esmond |url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/obituaries/carl-esmond-686583.html |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> (born '''Carl Cäsar Willy Simon''';'''<ref name="ebf">{{cite book |last1=McFarlane |first1=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7vPDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Willy+Eichberger%22&pg=PA1968-IA91 |title=The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9781526111968 |language=en |access-date=15 November 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/40/?name=Carl_Esmond&birth=1902&location=2&name_x=1_1&priority=usa |website=Ancestry.com}}</ref>'''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Porträt des Schauspielers Willy Eichberger / Carl Esmond by Thomas Staedeli |url=https://www.cyranos.ch/smeicw-d.htm |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=www.cyranos.ch}}</ref> June 14, 1902<ref name="opa">{{cite book |last1=Lentz |first1=Harris M. III |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IHvGCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Willy+Eichberger%22&pg=PA118 |title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2004: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture |date=2005 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786421039 |language=en |access-date=15 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="g">{{cite news |last1=Bergan |first1=Ronald |date=December 10, 2004 |title=Carl Esmond |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/dec/11/guardianobituaries.austria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115031434/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/dec/11/guardianobituaries.austria |archive-date=15 November 2017 |access-date=15 November 2017 |work=theguardian}}</ref><ref name=":0" />– December 4, 2004) was an Austrian actor, credited in most of his English-language roles as '''Carl Esmond'''. He had a successful stage and screen career in Europe, before emigrating to the United States in the late 1930s as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
== Early life == Esmond was born '''Carl Cäsar Willy Simon''' in Vienna. Although his age was given as 33 in the passenger list when he arrived in the US in January 1938,<ref name=":0" /> in his naturalization petition his birth year is stated as 1902.
Prior to his acting career, he worked as a bank clerk. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he was a pupil of Ernst Arndt. While in drama school, he changed his name to '''Willy Eichberger'''.<ref name=":2" />
== Career == Esmond (as Eichsberger) made his professional debut at the Burgtheater aged 22. He played leading roles on stage in Vienna, Berlin, and Hamburg. He made his film debut in the operetta ''The Emperor's Waltz'' (1933).<ref name="g" /> He was active in the Viennese genre of light romantic comedies so popular in the Austria of the interwar period.<ref name="g" /> One of his best known film roles in this period was in Max Ophüls' ''Liebelei''. From 1935 to 1936, he was a matinee idol for UFA.
In 1933, he traveled to London to appear in the musical ''Blossom Time'', for which used the stage name '''Carl Esmond''', which thereafter became his name in English-language productions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asper |first=Helmut G. |title=Etwas Bessres als den Tod...: Filmexil in Hollywood: Portäts, Filme, Dokumente |publisher=Schüren Verlag |year=2002 |location=Marburg}}</ref> He then starred as Prince Albert in the West End stage play ''Victoria Regina'' (replacing Vincent Price), to great critical success.
In January 1938, Esmond came to Hollywood to play a German World War I pilot in ''The Dawn Patrol''. While in America, he received threats to his family from ''Das Schwarze Korps'', a newspaper run by the Nazi SS.<ref name="ebf" /> Three months later, the Anschluss occurred, and Esmond refused to return to Austria for fear of reprisal. He remained in America, where he continued to appear on stage as well as in English-language films.<ref>{{cite web |last=League |first=The Broadway |title=Carl Esmond – Broadway Cast & Staff – IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/carl-esmond-110073 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>
He appeared in over 50 films and numerous television programs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Staff |first1=Times |last2=Reports |first2=Wire |date=9 December 2004 |title=Carl Esmond, 97; Vienna Native Acted in More Than 50 Films |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-09-me-passings9-story.html |via=LA Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Carl Esmond |url=http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=5369 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208100135/http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=5369 |archive-date=8 December 2021 |access-date=30 December 2017 |website=www.aveleyman.com}}</ref> During World War II, he often portrayed a Nazi villain, though he also played more sympathetic roles in films like ''Little Men'' (1940) and ''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944).<ref name=":1" /> He worked with many prominent directors in Hollywood, including Cecil B. DeMille, Howard Hawks, Jacques Tourneur, Edmund Goulding, Fritz Lang and Otto Preminger.
After the war, he became a fixture of early television plays. In 1953, he had a brief return to his native Europe, once again billed as Eichsberger, appearing in three films including Max Ophüls' ''Lola Montès''.<ref name=":1" />
His last on-screen work was in the made-for-television biopic ''My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn'' (1985).
== Death == Esmond died in Brentwood, Los Angeles in 2004 at the age of 102.<ref name="g" />
==Filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''The Emperor's Waltz'' (1933) as Viktor Eggersdorf * ''Liebelei'' (1933) as Oberleutnant Theo Kaiser * ''Little Girl, Great Fortune'' (1933) as Georg Hellwig * ''Inge and the Millions'' (1933) as Walter Brink * ''Blossom Time'' (1934) as Count Rudi von Hohenberg * ''Evensong'' (1934) as Archduke Theodore * ''Love Conquers All'' (1934) as Willy Schneider * ''Invitation to the Waltz'' (1935) as Carl * ''Blood Brothers'' (1935) as Mirko * ''Die Pompadour'' (1935) as François Boucher * ''The Postman from Longjumeau'' (1936) as Chapelou * ''The Empress's Favourite'' (1936) as Fähnrich Alexander Tomsky * ''Fräulein Veronika'' (1936) as Paul Schmidt * ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Der Weg des Herzens|de}}'' (1936) as Fred * ''Court Theatre'' (1936) as Josef Rainer * ''Romance'' (1936) as Graf Eduard Romanel * ''The Dawn Patrol'' (1938) as Hauptmann Von Mueller * ''Thunder Afloat'' (1939) as U-boat Captain * ''Little Men'' (1940) as Professor Bhaer * ''Sergeant York'' (1941) as German Major * ''Sundown'' (1941) as Jan Kuypens * ''Pacific Rendezvous'' (1942) as Andre Leemuth * ''Panama Hattie'' (1942) as Lucas Kefler (uncredited) * ''The Navy Comes Through'' (1942) as Richerd Kroner * ''Seven Sweethearts'' (1942) as Carl Randall * ''Margin for Error'' (1943) as Baron Max von Alvenstor * ''First Comes Courage'' (1943) as Maj. Paul Dichter * ''Address Unknown'' (1944) as Baron von Freische * ''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944) as Lt. Dirk van Daal * ''Resisting Enemy Interrogation'' (1944) as Major von Behn (uncredited) * ''The Master Race'' (1944) as Dr. Andrei Krystoff * ''Ministry of Fear'' (1944) as Willi Hilfe * ''Experiment Perilous'' (1944) as Maitland * ''Without Love'' (1945) as Paul Carrell * ''Her Highness and the Bellboy'' (1945) as Baron Zoltan Faludi * ''This Love of Ours'' (1945) as Uncle Bob * ''The Catman of Paris'' (1946) as Charles Regnier * ''Lover Come Back'' (1946) as Paul Millard * ''Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman'' (1947) as Dr. Lorenz * ''Slave Girl'' (1947) as El Hamid * ''Walk a Crooked Mile'' (1948) as Dr. Ritter von Stolb * ''The Desert Hawk'' (1950) as Kibar * ''Mystery Submarine'' (1950) as Lt. Heldman * ''Racket Squad'' (1951) * ''Stars Over Hollywood'' (1951) * ''The World in His Arms'' (1952) as Prince Semyon * ''Gruen Guild Playhouse'' (1952) as Baron de Sarnac, Chief of Police * ''Biff Baker, U.S.A.'' (1952) as Major Morovik * ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' (1952) as Count Borselli * ''Ford Theatre'' (1953) as Maurice de Szekely * ''Love's Awakening'' (1953) as Michael Rainer * ''Regina Amstetten'' (1954) as Prof. Werner Grüter * ''Lola Montès'' (1955) as Doctor * ''Crossroads'' (1956, TV Series) as Major Zuntz * ''Lux Video Theatre'' (1955–1956, TV Series) as Pierre / Victor Laszlo * ''Jane Wyman Presents: The Fireside Theatre'' (1956) * ''Cheyenne'' (1956) as Col. Picard * ''Passport to Danger'' (1955–1956, TV Series) as Fabian * ''The Joseph Cotten Show'' (1955–1956, TV Series) as Vail * ''Soldiers of Fortune'' (1955–1956, TV Series) as Nicholas Van Loon / Helmut Van Dorn * ''Climax!'' (1957) as Paul Ehrenhardt * ''Meet McGraw'' (1957) as Baron Von Schekt * ''From the Earth to the Moon'' (1958) as Jules Verne * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1959) as Dr. Haas * ''General Electric Theater'' (1959) as Nikolas Bethlan * ''Thunder in the Sun'' (1959) as Andre Dauphin * ''77 Sunset Strip'' (1959) as Kurt von Paulus * ''Five Fingers'' (1959, TV Series) as Marcuse * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1959, TV Series) as Dr. Haas<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ctva.biz/US/Spy/BehindClosedDoors.htm|title=Behind Closed Doors'|publisher=ctva.biz|access-date=September 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824105911/http://ctva.biz/US/Spy/BehindClosedDoors.htm|archive-date=2011-08-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> * ''Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' (1960) as Emile * ''The Deputy'' (1960) as Duke Dmitri * ''Maverick'' (1961) as Comte deLisle * ''Hawaiian Eye'' (1961) as Von Steuben * ''Brushfire'' (1962) as Martin * ''Hitler'' (1962) as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel * ''Kiss of Evil'' (1963) as Anton (US TV version) * ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1964) as Baron Pyrrhos * ''Morituri'' (1965) as Busch * ''Run for Your Life'' (1965) as Otto Hiltz * ''Convoy'' (1965) as Field Marshal Von Spear * ''Agent for H.A.R.M.'' (1966) as Professor Jan Stefánik * ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1966, TV Series) as Baron Freddy de Chasseur * ''Garrison's Gorillas'' (1967, TV Series) as German General * ''Insight'' (1967, TV Series) * ''The Big Valley'' (1967, TV Series) as Marquis de Laccaise * ''To Rome With Love'' (1970, TV Series) as Kurt * ''O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'' (1972, TV Series) as August Werner * ''McMillan & Wife'' (1972, TV Series) as Zeiss * ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' (1977, TV Series) as Kolbe * ''My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn'' (1985, TV Movie) as General Von Helmuth (final film role) {{div col end}}
==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name|id=0260722}} * [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=990 Photographs of Carl Esmond] * [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/carl-esmond-686583.html Carl Esmond Obituary in ''The Independent'']
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Esmond, Carl}} Category:1902 births Category:2004 deaths Category:20th-century Austrian male actors Category:Austrian men centenarians Category:Austrian expatriate male actors in the United States Category:Austrian male film actors Category:Austrian male silent film actors Category:Austrian male television actors Category:Male actors from Vienna Category:American men centenarians