Sig Ruman
Born: 1884-10-10
• 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
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Way... Way Out
The Fortune Cookie
The Last of the Secret Agents?
Doom of Dracula
36 Hours
Robin and the 7 Hoods
One, Two, Three
The Errand Boy
Around the World with Nellie Bly
The Wings of Eagles
Spy Chasers
Many Rivers to Cross
Carolina Cannonball
3 Ring Circus
White Christmas
Living It Up
The Glenn Miller Story
The Girl on The Roof
Houdini
Stalag 17
Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
The World in His Arms
O. Henry's Full House
On the Riviera
Father Is a Bachelor
Border Incident
The Emperor Waltz
Give My Regards to Broadway
If You Knew Susie
Mother Wore Tights
Faithful in My Fashion
Night and Day
A Night in Casablanca
The Dolly Sisters
She Went to the Races
Men in Her Diary
A Royal Scandal
House of Frankenstein
Summer Storm
The Hitler Gang
It Happened Tomorrow
The Song of Bernadette
Government Girl
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
They Came to Blow Up America
Tarzan Triumphs
China Girl
Desperate Journey
Berlin Correspondent
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
Crossroads
To Be or Not to Be
Remember Pearl Harbor
Breakdowns of 1941
This Woman Is Mine
World Premiere
Shining Victory
Love Crazy
The Wagons Roll at Night
That Uncertain Feeling
The Man Who Lost Himself
So Ends Our Night
Victory
Comrade X
Bitter Sweet
Four Sons
I Was an Adventuress
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
Remember?
Ninotchka
Only Angels Have Wings
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
Never Say Die
Honolulu
The Great Waltz
Suez
Girls on Probation
I'll Give a Million
Paradise for Three
The Saint in New York
Thank You, Mr. Moto
Nothing Sacred
Heidi
Lancer Spy
Thin Ice
Love Under Fire
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
A Day at the Races
This Is My Affair
The Great Hospital Mystery
Midnight Taxi
Maytime
Seventh Heaven
On the Avenue
The Bold Caballero
The Princess Comes Across
East of Java
A Night at the Opera