Emil Jannings

Birth Name: Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz

Date of Birth: 23 July, 1884

Place of Birth: Rorschach, Switzerland

Date of Death: 2 January, 1950

Place of Death: Strobl, Allied-occupied Austria

Ethnicity: German

Emil Jannings was a Swiss-born actor, with German and Austrian citizenship. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a shared prize for The Way of All Flesh (1927) and The Last Command (1928).

He was born in Rorschach, Switzerland, the son of Margarethe (Schwabe) and Emil Janenz, a businessman. His father was American, from St. Louis, and was of German descent. His mother was German. The family moved to Leipzig in the German Empire, and later Gorlitz, during his childhood. During WWII, he starred in Nazi propaganda films.

Emil was married to German actress and singer Gussy Holl, until his death. He had a daughter with his former wife Lucy Höfling.

Emil’s mother was sometimes said to have been from Russia, and have Jewish ancestry. It is not clear if this is accurate. Emil was not declared as having Jewish heritage by the Nazis, in whose propaganda he participated.

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk