Sig Ruman
AKA: Sig Rumann
Birthday: 1884-10-10
Died: 1967-02-14
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypical Teutonic officials or villains. Ruman made his film debut in Lucky Boy (1929).
He became a favorite of the Marx Brothers, appearing in A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, and A Night in Casablanca. His German accent and large stature kept him busy during World War II, playing sinister Nazi characters in a series of wartime thrillers.
During this period, he also appeared in several films by director Ernst Lubitsch including Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be. Ruman continued playing over-the-top German characters later in his career for Billy Wilder in The Emperor Waltz, Stalag 17, and The Fortune Cookie.
Filmography
Character: Burgomeister Hussman
Character: Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
Character: Emil Von Hofer
Character: Count Pfefferman / Heinrich Stubel
Character: Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich
Character: Dr. Alex Dubroc
Character: Kafka (as Sig Rumann)
Character: Prime Minister
Character: Heinrich, Spy Leader
Character: General Ivan Vorashilov
Character: Hoffman the Great
Character: Nicolas Marloff
Character: Colonel Tchernov
Character: Dr. Hans Wolfert
Character: Lt. Col. Gottfried Hollen
Character: Poppa Ingleborg
Character: Blacksmith (as Siegfried Rumann)
Character: Commandante Sebastian Golle
Character: Professor Herman Von Reiter
Character: Sergeant Pellerin
Character: Dr. Herman Holger
Character: Anatole Primerose
Character: Professor Boris Riminoffsky
Character: Herr Hanfstangel
Character: Louis Bouriette
Character: Menkie (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
Character: Dirk Van Hoorten
Character: Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Character: Count von Droste Schattenburg (voice) (uncredited)
Character: Baron von Gerhardt (as Siegfried Rumann)
Character: Jericho Schlosser
Character: General Montero
Character: Dr. Emile Egelhofer
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Character: Dr. Emil Eggelhoffer (as Sig Rumann)
Character: Ignatz Tsimmis
Character: John Jacob Astor
Character: Russian Delegate
Character: Dr. Simms (as Sig Rumann)
Character: Comrade Iranoff
Character: Police Captain
Character: Fanchon (as Sig Rumann)
Character: Professor Winterhalter
Character: Durand (as Sig Rumann)
Character: Baron Elston Carteblanche
Character: Landlord (uncredited)
Character: General Ronsky
Character: The Burgomaster
Character: Hammacher (uncredited)
Character: Franz von Bushmaster
Character: Hans Hansen (as Siegfried Rumann)
Character: Prof. Werner von Koenig
Character: Self (archive footage)
Character: General von Hindenburg