Howard Vernon
Encyclopedia
Howard Vernon was a Swiss actor.
Vernon was born Mario Lippert to a Swiss father and an American
mother and was fluent in German, English, and French. Originally a stage and radio actor, he worked primarily in France
and became a well-known supporting actor after 1945 by playing villainous Nazi
officers in French films. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Silence de la mer
, in which he played a gentle anti-Nazi German officer, made him somewhat famous, but, in part due to his looks and Swiss accent, he was subsequently relegated to playing gangsters and heavies.
In the 1960s, he became a favorite actor of Spanish horror
director Jesús Franco
and began starring in many low-budget horror movies produced in Spain or in France, often portraying a mad doctor, "Dr. Orloff". Franco cast him in a number of adult films, in some of which Vernon even did nude scenes (he stated once in an interview that he would always do anything Franco requested of him). He continued to make increasingly small appearances in high-profile movies while often getting top billing in many Z-grade horror films.
Vernon was born Mario Lippert to a Swiss father and an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mother and was fluent in German, English, and French. Originally a stage and radio actor, he worked primarily in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and became a well-known supporting actor after 1945 by playing villainous Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
officers in French films. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Silence de la mer
Le Silence de la Mer (film)
Le Silence de la mer is a 1949 film by Jean-Pierre Melville that takes place in 1941 and concerns a Frenchman and his niece's relationship with a German lieutenant who lives in their house during the German occupation of France...
, in which he played a gentle anti-Nazi German officer, made him somewhat famous, but, in part due to his looks and Swiss accent, he was subsequently relegated to playing gangsters and heavies.
In the 1960s, he became a favorite actor of Spanish horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
director Jesús Franco
Jesús Franco
Jesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
and began starring in many low-budget horror movies produced in Spain or in France, often portraying a mad doctor, "Dr. Orloff". Franco cast him in a number of adult films, in some of which Vernon even did nude scenes (he stated once in an interview that he would always do anything Franco requested of him). He continued to make increasingly small appearances in high-profile movies while often getting top billing in many Z-grade horror films.
Death
He remained active until his death from natural causes in 1996. He died in Paris soon after his 82nd birthday.Selected Filmography
- Les jeux sont faitsLes jeux sont faits (film)Les jeux sont faits is a 1947 French drama film directed by Jean Delannoy, based on the book of the same name. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Micheline Presle - Eva Charlier* Marcello Pagliero - Pierre Dumaine...
/ The Die Is Cast (1947) (aka "The Chips Are Down") - Le Diable boiteux / The Lame Devil (1948), director: Sacha GuitrySacha GuitryAlexandre-Pierre Georges Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.- Biography :...
- Le Silence de la merLe Silence de la Mer (film)Le Silence de la mer is a 1949 film by Jean-Pierre Melville that takes place in 1941 and concerns a Frenchman and his niece's relationship with a German lieutenant who lives in their house during the German occupation of France...
/ The Silence of the Sea (1949), director: Jean-Pierre Melville - Black JackBlack Jack (film)Black Jack is a 1950 adventure film written and directed by Julien Duvivier and starring George Sanders, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Roc and Dennis Wyndham. It tells the story of a man who uses his yacht to smuggle drugs tries to go straight, but finds it harder than he had anticipated...
(1950) - Die Tausend Augen des Dr. Mabuse/ The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960), director: Fritz LangFritz LangFriedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
- The Awful Dr. Orloff / Screams in the Night/ Gritos en la Noche/ L'Horrible Docteur Orloff (1961), director: Jesús FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Train (1964) director: John FrankenheimerJohn FrankenheimerJohn Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
- AlphavilleAlphavilleAlphaville may refer to:* Alphaville , French science fiction film directed by Jean-Luc Godard* Alphaville , German music trio* Alphaville, São Paulo, neighbourhood on the western edges of São Paulo, Brazil...
(aka "Une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution") (1965), director: Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave".... - The Diabolical Dr. Z / Miss Muerte/ Miss Death (1965), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Unknown Man of ShandigorThe Unknown Man of ShandigorThe Unknown Man of Shandigor is a 1967 Swiss drama film directed by Jean-Louis Roy. It was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Marie-France Boyer - Sylvaina / Sylvaine* Ben Carruthers - Manual / Manuel...
(1967) - Necronomicon: Dreamt Sin / Succubus (1967), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Marquis de Sade's Justine / Deadly Sanctuary (1968 ), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Bloody Judge / Throne of Fire/ The Witch Killer of Blackmoor (1969), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Blood Rose / Le Rose Eschorchee/ The Flayed Rose (1970), director: Claude Mulot
- She Killed in EcstasyShe Killed in EcstasyShe Killed in Ecstasy is a 1971 exploitation film written and directed by Jesus Franco under the pseudonym "Frank Hollmann".-Plot:Dr. Johnson lives in bliss with his beautiful wife until his unorthodox experiments with human embryos cause a medical committee to reject his findings and orders him...
/ Mrs. Hyde (1970), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England... - The Devil Came From Akasava (1970), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- X-312 Flight To Hell (1971), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Orloff and the Invisible Man (1971) director: Pierre Chevalier
- A Virgin Among the Living DeadA Virgin Among The Living DeadA Virgin Among The Living Dead is a European zombie movie made before the height of the zombie craze. Also titled "Christine, Princess of Eroticism" or in Italian "Christina, princesse de l'érotisme" -Plot:...
/ Christina, Princess of Eroticism (1971), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England... - The Curse of Frankenstein / La Maldicion de Frankenstein/ The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (1971), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Daughter of Dracula (1972), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Dracula vs Frankenstein / Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Les Demons/ The Demons (1972), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Lovers of Devil's Island (1974), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Lorna the Exorcist (1974), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Perverse Countess / La Comtesse Perverse (1974), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Love and DeathLove and DeathLove and Death is a 1975 comedy film by Woody Allen. Starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, Love and Death is a satirical take on Russian epic novels. Coming in between Sleeper and Annie Hall, Love and Death is in many respects an artistic transition between the two...
(1975), director: Woody AllenWoody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema... - The Musician KillerThe Musician KillerThe Musician Killer is a 1976 French drama film directed by Benoît Jacquot and starring Anna Karina.-Cast:* Anna Karina - Louise* Joël Bion - Gilles* Hélène Coulomb - Anne* Gunars Larsens - Storm* Philippe March - Le directeur...
(1976) - Docteur Jekyll et les femmesDocteur Jekyll et les femmesDocteur Jekyll et les femmes is a 1981 French horror film directed by Walerian Borowczyk. The film is a variation on Robert Louis Stevenson's story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and stars Udo Kier, Marina Pierro and Howard Vernon....
(1981) - Zombie LakeZombie LakeZombie Lake, known in the original French as Le Lac des Morts Vivants , is a 1981 zombie horror film directed by Jean Rollin . The film is considered Rollin's worst film ever. Apparently, Rollin felt so embarrassed by the film he had not admitted for years he directed it under his alternative...
/ Le Lac des Morts Vivants/ Lake of the Living Dead (1981) director: Jean RollinJean RollinJean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his films in the fantastique genre such as the vampire film Le Viol du Vampire and the first French gore film Les Raisins de la Mort .-Early life:Jean Rollin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine , France to... - Revenge in the House of Usher / Neurosis (1982), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- The Sinister Dr. Orloff (1984), director: Jesus FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
- Sac de noeudsSac de noeudsSac de noeuds is a 1985 French comedy film directed by Josiane Balasko and starring Isabelle Huppert.-Cast:* Isabelle Huppert - Rose-Marie Martin* Josiane Balasko - Anita* Farid Chopel - Rico Da Silva* Jean Carmet - Le pharmacien* Coluche - Coyotte...
/ All Mixed Up (1985) - Howl of the Devil (1987), director: Paul NaschyPaul NaschyPaul Naschy was a Spanish movie actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—the wolfman, the hunchback, Count Dracula, the mummy—have earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney...
- The Death of EmpedoclesThe Death of EmpedoclesThe Death of Empedocles is a 1987 German drama film directed by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub. It was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Martina Baratta* Vladimir Baratta* William Berger...
(1987) - FacelessFaceless (film)Faceless is a 1988 French slasher film directed by Jesús Franco. The film is about Dr. Flamand and his assistant Nathalie who lure unsuspecting victims to use their skin to perform plastic surgery on the doctor's disfigured sister - a plot reminiscent of Franco's first film, Gritos en la noche...
/ Predators of the Night (1988), director: Jesús FrancoJesús FrancoJesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England... - Black SinBlack SinBlack Sin is a 1989 German-French short drama film directed by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Andreas von Rauch as Empédocle...
(1989) - DelicatessenDelicatessen (film)Delicatessen is a 1991 French black comedy film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, starring Dominique Pinon and Karin Viard. It is set in an apartment building in a post-apocalyptic France of an ambiguous time period. The story focuses on the tenants of the building and their desperate...
(1991), director: Jean-Pierre JeunetJean-Pierre Jeunet-Life and career:Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, Loire, France. He bought his first camera at the age of 17 and made short films while studying animation at Cinémation Studios. He befriended Marc Caro, a designer and comic book artist who became his longtime collaborator and...