{{Short description|German-American stage and film actor}} {{more footnotes|date=February 2013}} {{Infobox person | image = Wolfgang Zilzer in Enemy of Women.jpg | caption = Zilzer in ''Enemy of Women'' (1944) | name = Wolfgang Zilzer | birth_date = {{birth date|1901|1|20}} | birth_place = [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1991|6|26|1901|1|20}} | death_place = [[Berlin]], Germany | othername = Paul Andor<br>John Voight, John Voigt<ref name="Staedeli">{{cite web | last=Staedeli | first=Thomas | title=Portrait of the actor Wolfgang Zilzer/Paul Andor by Thomas Staedeli | website=Autogramme / Autographen / Autographs by Cyranos Autogramm | url=http://www.cyranos.ch/smzilz-e.htm | access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="filmportal.de 1901">{{cite web | title=Wolfgang Zilzer | website=filmportal.de | date=20 January 1901 | url=https://www.filmportal.de/person/wolfgang-zilzer_1e82d4e5eb0e42d0b4647c633d37c60f | language=de | access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> | occupation = Actor | spouse = Lotte Palfi | yearsactive = 1915–1986 }} '''Wolfgang Zilzer''' (January 20, 1901 – June 26, 1991) was a German-American stage and film actor, often under the stage name '''Paul Andor'''.<ref name=JTA/>
==Biography== Zilzer was born in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, to German-Jewish emigrant [[Max Zilzer]],{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} who was employed at the local theater. Zilzer's mother died soon after his birth, and his father returned to [[Imperial Germany|Germany]] in 1905.
Zilzer appeared on stage in child roles and made his first movie appearance in the age of 14. Around 1930, he moved back to the United States, but had only small success as an actor. He returned to Germany. According to a 1943 [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] newspaper article, he "was a featured player of [[Universum Film AG|UFA]] in the palmy days before the Furore [Hitler]",<ref name=JTA>{{cite news |title=Our Film Folk (column) |last=Zigmond |first=Helen |newspaper=[[Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle]] |agency=JTA |date=August 27, 1943 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1854483/wolfgang_zilzer_info/ |via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> but after [[Adolf Hitler]]'s rise to power, Zilzer fled to [[France]], where he worked dubbing voices in several French versions of Hollywood productions. In 1935, Zilzer returned to Germany again, finally emigrating to the US in 1937. Applying for a [[Visa (document)|visa]] at the U.S. embassy, he first realized he already had US citizenship. After his emigration, he started to work with [[Ernst Lubitsch]] in several anti-Nazi movies, using pseudonyms<ref name=JTA/> to protect his father, who was still living in Berlin. With appearances in films from 1915 to 1986, Zilzer had one of the longest careers in cinema history. The [[Internet Broadway Database]] lists a single credit for a Wolfgang Zilzer, in the 1943 play ''The Barber Had Two Sons''.<ref>{{IBDB name|467013}}</ref>
Zilzer married the German-Jewish actress {{ill|Lotte Palfi|de|Lotte Palfi-Andor|display=1}} (1903–1991); both appeared in the 1942 movie ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]''. Zilzer played the man without a passport who is shot by French policemen at the beginning of the film. After World War II, Zilzer performed on stage in the United States and in Germany.
Later in life he became known to a new audience as a recurring character "Henry" on ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', who Letterman would continuously fire for mundane reasons. These exchanges were almost always prefaced by Henry mentioning he was a short time away from collecting his pension.
At the end of the 1980s Zilzer contracted [[Parkinson's disease]] and decided to return to Germany. His wife refused to do so, and their marriage ended in divorce after almost 50 years, close to both their deaths.
Wolfgang Zilzer died in [[Berlin]] on June 26, 1991, aged 90 and is buried at the [[Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf]].
==Selected filmography== {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Der Barbier von Flimersdorf'' (1915) * ''Professor Erichsons Rivale'' (1916) * ''Die Spinne'' (1917) * ''[[The Ancient Law]]'' (1923) – Page * ''[[Vineta. Die versunkene Stadt]]'' (1923) * ''Schützenliesel'' (1926) – Dr. Blasius Nestl * ''Das edle Blut'' (1927) – Von Günsfeld * ''[[Forbidden Love (1927 film)|Forbidden Love]]'' (1927) – Freund von Hans * ''[[Poor Little Colombine]]'' (1927) – Christoph Burger * ''[[Venus im Frack]]'' (1927) * ''[[Mata Hari (1927 film)|Mata Hari]]'' (1927) – Erzherzog Oskar * ''Primanerliebe'' (1927) – Rolf Karsten * ''[[The Marriage Nest]]'' (1927) – Leutnant Wranow * ''[[Alpine Tragedy]]'' (1927) – Fredo, Lehrer * ''[[The Awakening of Woman]]'' (1927) – Fritz Wille, Sohn * ''[[The White Spider (1927 film)|The White Spider]]'' (1927) – Diener bei Lord Barrymore * ''[[Schwere Jungs - leichte Mädchen]]'' (1927) – Hoppler * ''[[Die Geliebte des Gouverneurs]]'' (1927) – Husarenoffizier * ''[[Alraune (1928 film)|Alraune]]'' (1928) – Wölfchen * ''[[Thérèse Raquin (1928 film)|Thérèse Raquin]]'' (1928) – Camille Raquin * ''[[Eve's Daughters]]'' (1928) – Baron Hans von Stetten / Jean de Stetten * ''[[When the Mother and the Daughter]]'' (1928) * ''[[Sir or Madam]]'' (1928) * ''[[Lemke's Widow (1928 film)|Lemke's Widow]]'' (1928) * ''[[Docks of Hamburg]]'' (1928) – The nipper * ''[[The Abduction of the Sabine Women (1928 film)|The Abduction of the Sabine Women]]'' (1928) – Balsamo, Intrigant * ''Hotelgeheimnisse'' (1929) – Komplize des Hochstaplers * ''[[Painted Youth]]'' (1929) – Walter * ''[[The Right of the Unborn]]'' (1929) – Fredy * ''[[The Woman in the Advocate's Gown]]'' (1929) – Leif Andersen * ''[[Crucified Girl]]'' (1929) * ''[[Tragedy of Youth]]'' (1929) – Emil * ''[[Revolt in the Reformatory]]'' (1930) – Hans * ''Karriere'' (1930) * ''[[Such Is Life (1929 film)|Such Is Life]]'' (1930) – Wooer * ''[[Marriage in Name Only]]'' (1930) – Max Benken * ''[[Retreat on the Rhine]]'' (1930) – Karl, Oskars Bursche * ''[[Boycott (1930 film)|Boycott]]'' (1930)- Möller, Oberprimaner * ''[[Bookkeeper Kremke]]'' (1930) * ''[[Wibbel the Tailor (1931 film)|Wibbel the Tailor]]'' (1931) – Schneidergeselle Zimpel * ''[[Ash Wednesday (1931 film)|Ash Wednesday]]'' (1931) – Neufert * ''Casanova wider Willen'' (1931) * ''[[Raid in St. Pauli]]'' (1932) – Musiker-Leo * ''Strafsache von Geldern'' (1932) * ''[[Ever in My Heart]]'' (1933) – Voice of Hugo Wilbrandt (French version) (uncredited) * ''[[Bluebeard's Eighth Wife]]'' (1938) – Book Salesman (uncredited) * ''[[Crime Ring (film)|Crime Ring]]'' (1938) – Hans, the Forger (uncredited) * ''[[I'll Give a Million (1938 film)|I'll Give a Million]]'' (1938) – Citizen (uncredited) * ''[[Hotel Imperial (1939 film)|Hotel Imperial]]'' (1939) – Limping Tenor (uncredited) * ''[[Confessions of a Nazi Spy]]'' (1939) – Westphal (as John Voigt) * ''[[Espionage Agent]]'' (1939) – Heinrich (uncredited) * ''[[Ninotchka]]'' (1939) – Taxi Driver (uncredited) * ''[[Hitler - Beast of Berlin]]'' (1939) – Kleswing (as John Voight) * ''[[Television Spy]]'' (1939) – Frome * ''[[Everything Happens at Night]]'' (1939) – Thief at Dock (uncredited) * ''[[Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet]]'' (1940) – Kellner (uncredited) * ''[[Four Sons]]'' (1940) – Peasant (uncredited) * ''[[Three Faces West]]'' (1940) – Dr. Rudolf Preussner (uncredited) * ''[[A Dispatch from Reuter's]]'' (1940) – Post Office Clerk (uncredited) * ''[[Escape (1940 film)|Escape]]'' (1940) – Pavilion Counter Clerk (uncredited) * ''[[So Ends Our Night]]'' (1941) – Vogt (uncredited) * ''[[Forbidden Passage]]'' (1941 short) – Otto Kestler * ''Out of Darkness'' (1941 short) – Leon Rochelle – Second Editor of La Libre Belgique (uncredited) * ''[[Shining Victory]]'' (1941) – Subordinate (uncredited) * ''[[Underground (1941 film)|Underground]]'' (1941) – Hoffman * ''[[World Premiere (film)|World Premiere]]'' (1941) – Bushmaster's Aide (uncredited) * ''[[All Through the Night (film)|All Through the Night]]'' (1941) – Frascher (uncredited) * ''[[The Lady Has Plans]]'' (1942) – German Clerk – Baron's Office (uncredited) * ''[[To Be or Not to Be (1942 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]'' (1942) – Man in Bookstore (uncredited) * ''[[Joan of Ozark]]'' (1942) – Kurt * ''[[Invisible Agent]]'' (1942) – Von Porten (uncredited) * ''[[Berlin Correspondent]]'' (1942) – Patient (uncredited) * ''[[The Devil with Hitler]]'' (1942 short) – Otto Schultz (uncredited) * ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' (1942) – Man with Expired Papers (uncredited) * ''[[Margin for Error]]'' (1943) – Bit Part (uncredited) * ''[[They Got Me Covered]]'' (1943) – Cross (uncredited) * ''[[Assignment in Brittany]]'' (1943) – Captain Deichgraber's Aide (uncredited) * ''[[They Came to Blow Up America]]'' (1943) – Schlegel * ''[[Hitler's Madman]]'' (1943) – SS Colonel (uncredited) * ''[[Appointment in Berlin]]'' (1943) – Cripple (uncredited) * ''[[Bomber's Moon]]'' (1943) – Nazi Doctor Treating Jeff * ''[[Behind the Rising Sun (film)|Behind the Rising Sun]]'' (1943) – Max (uncredited) * ''[[The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler (film)|The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler]]'' (1943) – Attorney * ''[[Paris After Dark]]'' (1943) – German Announcer (uncredited) * ''[[In Our Time (1944 film)|In Our Time]]'' (1944) – Father Józef (uncredited) * ''[[They Live in Fear]]'' (1944) – Old Man (uncredited) * ''[[Enemy of Women]]'' (1944) – Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (as Paul Andor) * ''[[Hotel Berlin]]'' (1945) – Walter Baumler (uncredited) * ''[[Counter-Attack]]'' (1945) – Krafft (as Paul Andor) * ''[[Week-End at the Waldorf]]'' (1945) – Waiter (uncredited) * ''[[Stairway to Light]]'' (1945 short) – Dr. Philippe Pinel (uncredited) * ''[[Carnegie Hall (film)|Carnegie Hall]]'' (1947) – Waiter (uncredited) * ''[[Women in the Night]]'' (1948) – German Doctor (as Paul Ander) <!-- spelled Ander according to both IMDb and TCM !--> * ''[[Walk East on Beacon!]]'' (1952) – August Helmuth (as Paul Andor) * ''[[Singing in the Dark]]'' (1956) – Refugee (as Paul Andor) * ''[[Terror After Midnight]]'' (1962) – Vater Reynolds * ''{{Ill|No Survivors, Please|de|Der Chef wünscht keine Zeugen}}'' (1964) * ''[[Mister Buddwing]]'' (1966) – Man on the Street (uncredited) * ''[[The Diary of Anne Frank (1967 film)|The Diary of Anne Frank]]'' (1967, TV film) * ''[[Union City (film)|Union City]]'' (1980) – Ludendorff (as Paul Andor) * ''[[Lovesick (1983 film)|Lovesick]]'' (1983) – Analyst (as Paul Andor) * ''FDR: A One Man Show'' (1986 TV film) – Understudy * ''[[The Passenger – Welcome to Germany]]'' (1988) – Levi (final film role) {{div col end}}
==Partial television credits== * ''[[Claudia (American TV series)|Claudia: The Story of a Marriage]]'' (1952 TV series) * ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'' (1957 TV episode "The Bottle Imp") * ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' (1983–85) (recurring role, as Paul Andor or "Old Henry")
==References== {{reflist}}
== Bibliography == *John Holmstrom, ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 17.
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * {{IMDb name}} * {{TCMDb name|686871}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180330233416/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fbea77a Wolfgang Zilzer] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}} * {{IBDB name}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060211000231/http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze2rdt7/Casablanca/minor_characters.html Biography of ''Casablanca''- actors] * [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=854 Photographs of Wolfgang Zilzer]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zilzer, Wolfgang}} [[Category:1901 births]] [[Category:1991 deaths]] [[Category:German male film actors]] [[Category:German male silent film actors]] [[Category:German male stage actors]] [[Category:German male child actors]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American male stage actors]] [[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]] [[Category:American emigrants to Germany]] [[Category:Jewish American male actors]] [[Category:Jewish German male actors]] [[Category:Male actors from Cincinnati]] [[Category:20th-century German male actors]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:Burials at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf]] [[Category:20th-century American Jews]]