Sig Arno
Encyclopedia
Sig Arno was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as Pardon My Sarong
, and The Mummy's Tomb
. He may be best remembered from The Palm Beach Story
(1942) as "Toto", the nonsense-talking mustachio'd man who follows around Mary Astor's "Princess Centimillia".
, Germany
. Before beginning to make films in 1920 he was well known in Germany as a stage comedian. He acted in ninety films in Germany – including G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box
with Louise Brooks
– playing primarily comic roles, before leaving the country in 1933, due to the rise of Hitler. He worked in Europe until 1939, when he moved to Hollywood.
During the next twenty years he appeared in over fifty films, often playing waiters, maitre d's and "funny Europeans". Arno also appeared three times on Broadway
, notably in the musical Song of Norway
and the play Time Remembered by Jean Anouilh
, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award
as "Best Featured Actor in a Play" in 1958. In 1966, Arno won an honorary award at the German Film Awards "for his continued outstanding individual contributions to the German film over the years."
in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
on August 17, 1975, aged 79.
Pardon My Sarong
-Plot:Tommy Layton , a wealthy bachelor, rents a city bus and rides it from Chicago to Los Angeles. Once there he intends to participate in a yacht race to Hawaii. The drivers of the bus, Algy and Wellington , are then chased by a detective who was hired by the bus company. They escape capture by...
, and The Mummy's Tomb
The Mummy's Tomb
The Mummy's Tomb is the 1942 sequel to The Mummy's Hand .Lon Chaney, Jr. disliked the role of Kharis the mummy. Make-up artist Jack Pierce spent up to eight hours to wrap Lon Chaney. A rubber mask was used for long shots...
. He may be best remembered from The Palm Beach Story
The Palm Beach Story
The Palm Beach Story is a 1942 romantic screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor and Rudy Vallée. Victor Young contributed the lively musical score, including a fast-paced variation of William Tell Overture for the...
(1942) as "Toto", the nonsense-talking mustachio'd man who follows around Mary Astor's "Princess Centimillia".
Biography
Siegfried Arno was born Siegfried Aron in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Before beginning to make films in 1920 he was well known in Germany as a stage comedian. He acted in ninety films in Germany – including G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box (film)
Pandora's Box is a 1929 German silent melodrama film based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora . Directed by Austrian filmmaker Georg Wilhelm Pabst, the film stars Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, and Francis Lederer...
with Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
– playing primarily comic roles, before leaving the country in 1933, due to the rise of Hitler. He worked in Europe until 1939, when he moved to Hollywood.
During the next twenty years he appeared in over fifty films, often playing waiters, maitre d's and "funny Europeans". Arno also appeared three times on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, notably in the musical Song of Norway
Song of Norway
Song of Norway is an operetta written in 1944 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Edvard Grieg and the book by Milton Lazarus and Homer Curran...
and the play Time Remembered by Jean Anouilh
Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles' Classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's...
, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
as "Best Featured Actor in a Play" in 1958. In 1966, Arno won an honorary award at the German Film Awards "for his continued outstanding individual contributions to the German film over the years."
Personal life
Arno, who besides acting was also a successful portrait painter, was married three times:- Caroline Dahms (1922–1932, ended in divorce, 1 child)
- Barbara Kiranoff (1934–1953, ended in divorce)
- Kitty Mattern (1953–1975, ended with his death)
Death
He died from Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
on August 17, 1975, aged 79.
Selected filmography
- Manon Lescaut (1926)
- Dark Streets of CairoDark Streets of CairoDark Streets of Cario is a 1940 American mystery film directed by László Kardos and starring Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan, George Zucco and Katherine DeMille.-Cast:* Sigrid Gurie - Ellen Stephens* Ralph Byrd - Dennis Martin...
(1940) - His Butler's SisterHis Butler's SisterHis Butler's Sister is a 1943 comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording His Butler's Sister is a 1943 comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording His Butler's Sister is a 1943...
(1943)