Fritz Reuter Leiber Sr. was an American actor. A Shakespearean actor on stage, he also had a successful career in film. He was the father of science fiction and fantasy writer Fritz Leiber Jr., who was also an actor for a time. Leiber and his wife spent much of their time touring in a Shakespearean acting company, known by the 1930s as Fritz Leiber & Co. Leiber made his film bow in 1916, playing Mercutio in the Francis X. Bushman version of “Romeo and Juliet.” With his piercing eyes and shock of white hair, Leiber seemed every inch the priests, professors, musical professors, and religious fanatics that he was frequently called upon to play in films. His many silent-era portrayals included Caesar in Theda Bara's 1917 “Cleopatra” and Solomon in the mammoth 1921 Betty Blythe vehicle “The Queen of Sheba.” He thrived as a character actor in sound films, usually in historical roles. In the film “Champagne Waltz” he portrayed an orchestra maestro; the role required him to play classical music on a violin and jazz on a clarinet. One of Leiber's larger assignments of the 1940s, and his most notable musical role, was as Franz Liszt in the Claude Rains' remake of “Phantom of the Opera” (1943). Leiber appears together with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in the wedding-feast scene of Greta Garbo's film “Camille” (1936) and in Warner Bros.' “The Great Garrick” (1937). Leiber also appeared with his son Fritz Leiber Jr. in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939), but Fritz Leiber Jr. was not credited for his small speaking part. Late in his career, Leiber performed briefly opposite Charles Chaplin as the priest who visits Monsieur Verdoux in his prison cell.
Movie | Devil's Doorway | Mr. Poole | 1950-09-15 |
Movie | Song of India | Nanaram | 1949-02-28 |
Movie | Bride of Vengeance | Filippo | 1949-04-07 |
Movie | Samson and Delilah | Lord Sharif | 1949-12-21 |
Movie | Bagdad | Emir | 1949-11-23 |
Movie | Adventures of Casanova | D'Anneci | 1948-02-07 |
Movie | To the Ends of the Earth | Binda Sha | 1948-02-07 |
Movie | Inner Sanctum | Dr. Valonius | 1948-10-15 |
Movie | Another Part of the Forest | Col. Isham | 1948-05-18 |
Movie | Dangerous Venture | Chief Xeoli | 1947-05-23 |
Movie | Humoresque | Hagerstrom | 1947-01-25 |
Movie | Bells of San Angelo | Padre | 1947-04-15 |
Movie | The Web | Leopold Kroner | 1947-06-04 |
Movie | Monsieur Verdoux | Father Fareaux | 1947-09-26 |
Movie | High Conquest | Priest | 1947-06-21 |
Movie | A Scandal in Paris | Painter | 1946-07-19 |
Movie | Strange Journey | Prof. Jenner | 1946-10-03 |
Movie | Angel on My Shoulder | Chemist Who Poisoned Wife (uncredited) | 1946-09-20 |
Movie | The Spanish Main | Bishop | 1945-10-01 |
Movie | The Cisco Kid Returns | The Padre | 1945-02-16 |
Movie | This Love of Ours | Dr. Bailey | 1945-11-02 |
Movie | Scarlet Street | Evangelist (uncredited) | 1945-12-25 |
Movie | Cobra Woman | 1944-05-12 | |
Movie | Cry of the Werewolf | Dr. Charles Morris (uncredited) | 1944-08-17 |
Movie | Youth Runs Wild | Judge (uncredited) | 1944-09-01 |
Movie | First Comes Courage | Dr. Aanrud | 1943-07-29 |
Movie | Phantom of the Opera | Franz Liszt | 1943-08-12 |
Movie | Crossroads | Foreign Minister Deval (uncredited) | 1942-07-23 |
Movie | Aloma of the South Seas | High Priest | 1941-08-27 |
Movie | The Way of All Flesh | Max | 1940-07-05 |
Movie | All This, and Heaven Too | Abbe Gallard | 1940-07-05 |
Movie | Lady with Red Hair | Mr. Foster | 1940-11-30 |
Movie | The Sea Hawk | Inquisitor | 1940-08-10 |
Movie | They Made Her a Spy | Dr. Krull | 1939-04-14 |
Movie | Nurse Edith Cavell | Sadi Kirschen | 1939-08-31 |
Movie | Pack Up Your Troubles | Pierre Ferrand | 1939-10-24 |
Movie | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Old Nobleman | 1939-12-29 |
Movie | The Jury's Secret | John Morrow | 1938-01-16 |
Movie | Flight Into Nowhere | Ti-Ana | 1938-04-19 |
Movie | Gateway | Dr. Weilander | 1938-08-05 |
Movie | Champagne Waltz | Franz Strauss | 1937-02-05 |
Movie | Under Southern Stars | Stonewall Jackson | 1937-02-20 |
Movie | The Prince and the Pauper | Father Andrew | 1937-04-30 |
Movie | The Great Garrick | Horatio in 'Hamlet' | 1937-10-30 |
Movie | Hearts in Bondage | Capt. John Ericsson | 1936-05-26 |
Movie | Down to the Sea | Gregory Pappas | 1936-05-30 |
Movie | The Story of Louis Pasteur | Dr. Charbonnet | 1936-02-22 |
Movie | Sins of Man | Father Prior | 1936-06-19 |
Movie | Anthony Adverse | Ouvrard | 1936-08-26 |
Movie | A Tale of Two Cities | Gaspard | 1935-12-25 |
Movie | The Queen of Sheba | King Solomon | 1921-04-10 |
Movie | The Song of the Soul | Jerry Wendover | 1920-10-05 |
Movie | If I Were King | Louis XI | 1920-08-09 |
Movie | Cleopatra | Caesar | 1917-10-14 |
Movie | Romeo and Juliet | Mercutio | 1916-10-19 |