1. Walter Slezak mainly appeared in German films before migrating to the United States in 1930 and performing in numerous Hollywood productions.
18 Facts About Walter Slezak
1. 2.
Walter Slezak stood out as shrewd, unscrupulous private investigators in film noir, as in Cornered and Born to Kill.
3.
Walter Slezak was born in Vienna, the son of opera tenor Leo Walter Slezak and Elisabeth "Elsa" Wertheim.
4.
Walter Slezak studied medicine for a time and later worked as a bank teller.
5.
Walter Slezak was talked into taking his first role, in the 1922 Austrian film Sodom und Gomorrah, by his friend and the film's director, Michael Curtiz.
6.
Walter Slezak acted on the stage for many years, debuting on Broadway in 1931.
7.
Walter Slezak worked steadily and appeared in over 100 films including The Princess and the Pirate, The Spanish Main, Sinbad the Sailor, Born to Kill, Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, People Will Talk, and Call Me Madam.
8.
Walter Slezak played the lead in Broadway musicals, including Fanny, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
9.
Walter Slezak acted in radio in such shows as Lux Radio Theater, Columbia Workshop, The Pepsodent Show, and The Charlie McCarthy Show.
10.
Walter Slezak made numerous television appearances, including in the programs The Loretta Young Show, This Is Show Business, Playhouse 90, and Studio One.
11.
Walter Slezak starred in an unsold television pilot, Slezak and Son, that aired in 1960 as an episode of the anthology series New Comedy Showcase, and appeared as The Clock King in episodes 45 and 46 of TV series Batman in 1966.
12.
Walter Slezak married Johanna "Kaasi" Van Rijn on 10 October 1943.
13.
In 1974, Walter Slezak appeared on the series as her character's godfather, Lazlo Braedecker.
14.
Walter Slezak was close friends in Vienna in the 1930s with heiress Maria Altmann and her family.
15.
On 21 April 1983, Walter Slezak died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
16.
Walter Slezak was reportedly despondent over the state of his health, most notably heart trouble, a recent prostate operation, and a shoulder injury requiring several treatments a week.
17.
Walter Slezak was buried in the grave of his parents in the cemetery of St Laurentius Church, a Catholic parish in Egern, Bavaria.
18.
In 1955, Walter Slezak won a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway production of Fanny.