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J. Edward Bromberg

J. Edward Bromberg

Birthday: 1903-12-25 | Place of Birth: Temesvár, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Romanian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. By virtue of his physique, the short, somewhat rotund actor was destined to play secondary roles. Bromberg made his stage debut at the Greenwich Village Playhouse and in 1926 made his first appearance in a Broadway play, Princess Turandot. The following year, Bromberg married Goldie Doberman, with whom he had three children. Occasionally credited as J.E. Bromberg' and Joseph Bromberg, he performed secondary roles in 35 Broadway productions and 53 motion pictures until 1951. For two decades, Bromberg was highly regarded in the New York theatrical world and was a founding member of the Civic Repertory Theatre (1928–1930) and of the Group Theatre (1931–1940). Bromberg made his screen debut in 1936 under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox. The versatile actor played a wide variety of roles ranging from a ruthless New York newspaper editor (in Charlie Chan on Broadway) to a despotic Arabian sheik (in Mr. Moto Takes a Chance). Although he spoke with no trace of an accent, he was often called upon to play humble immigrants of various nationalities. When Warner Oland, the actor who played Charlie Chan, died in 1938, Fox considered Bromberg as a suitable replacement, but the role ultimately went to Sidney Toler. Fox began loaning Bromberg to other studios in 1939 and finally dropped him from the roster in 1941. He kept working for various producers, including a stint at Universal Pictures in the mid-1940s. Bromberg's most outstanding attribute was his facility with sensitive character roles; he could take a standard, undistinguished supporting part and make it unforgettably sympathetic. In Hollywood Cavalcade he portrays Don Ameche's friend who knows he will never get the girl; in Three Sons he is the lowly business associate who longs to be given a partnership; in Easy to Look At he is the once-great couturier now reduced to night watchman. In September 1950, the anti-communist magazine Red Channels accused Bromberg of being a member of the American Communist Party. Subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in June 1951, Bromberg refused to answer any questions in accordance with his Fifth Amendment rights.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1950
Guilty Bystander

as    Varkas

1949
I Shot Jesse James

as    Harry Kane

1947
Queen of the Amazons

as    Gabby

1946
Tangier

as    Alec Rocco

1946
The Walls Came Tumbling Down

as    Ernst Helms

1946
Cloak and Dagger

as    Trenk

1945
Pillow of Death

as    Julian Julian

1944
Chip Off the Old Block

as    Blaney Wright

1943
Phantom of the Opera

as    Amiot

1943
Lady of Burlesque

as    S.B. Foss

1942
Tennessee Johnson

as    Coke

1942
Reunion in France

as    Durand

1942
Invisible Agent

as    Karl Heiser

1942
Half Way to Shanghai

as    Maj. U. Vinpore

1941
Hurricane Smith

as    'Eggs' Bonelli

1941
Devil Pays Off

as    Arnold DeBrock

1941
Pacific Blackout

as    Pickpocket

1940
The Mark of Zorro

as    Don Luis B. Quintero

1940
Strange Cargo

as    Flaubert

1940
The Return of Frank James

as    George Runyan

1939
Hollywood Cavalcade

as    Dave Spingold

1939
Jesse James

as    George Runyan

1938
Four Men and a Prayer

as    General Torres

1938
One Wild Night

as    Norman

1938
Suez

as    Prince Said

1938
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

as    Raja Ali

1938
The Baroness and the Butler

as    Zorda

1937
Seventh Heaven

as    Aristide the Astrologer

1937
Second Honeymoon

as    Herbie

1937
Charlie Chan on Broadway

as    Murdock, Editor New York Bulletin