ERICH VON STROHEIM

Erich von Stroheim was a legendary Austrian actor, director and writer from the 1910s to the 1950s. He did not make any movies in Austria, but rather he worked at a variety of jobs in Austria, and became a member of the elite Austrian Dragoons military unit. He resigned his commission in 1914 and moved to the United States, where he became both an actor and worked behind the scenes. He became a leading actor (he was nicknamed "The Man You Love to Hate", because he mostly played German villains), and he became Hollywood's leading director with major triumphs such as Foolish Wives, The Wedding March, and Greed. But he almost bankrupted Paramount Studios with his never finished "Queen Kelly", and that ended his career as a director, but he made extremely memorable acting appearances in Grand Illusion and Sunset Boulevard (nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for this film), as well as appearing in many less notable movies. He passed away in 1957 at the age of 71.