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Sig Arno

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sig Arno
Born
Siegfried Aron

(1895-12-27)27 December 1895
DiedAugust 17, 1975(1975-08-17) (aged 79)
Occupation(s)Stage and film actor
Years activeca. 1915–1962
Spouses
Caroline Dahms
(m. 1923; div. 1932)
Barbara Kirsanoff
(m. 1934; div. 1953)
Kitty Mattern
(m. 1954; div. 1970)
Caroline Dahms
(m. 1971)

Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron; 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as Pardon My Sarong and The Mummy's Hand. He may be best remembered from The Palm Beach Story (1942) as Toto, the nonsense-talking, mustachioed man who hopelessly pursues Mary Astor's Princess Centimillia.

Biography

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Arno was born in Hamburg, Germany. Before beginning to make films in 1920, he was well-known in Germany as a stage comedian.[1] He acted in 90 films in Germany – including G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks – playing primarily comic roles, then he left Germany in 1933 due to the rise of Adolf Hitler. He worked in Europe until 1939 when he moved to Hollywood.[1]

During the next 20 years. he appeared in over 50 films,[2] often playing waiters, maitre d's and "funny Europeans".[1] Arno appeared three times on Broadway,[3] notably in the musical Song of Norway and the play Time Remembered by Jean Anouilh,[4] for which he was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1958.[5] In 1966, Arno won an honorary award at the German Film Awards "for his continued outstanding individual contributions to the German film over the years."[6]

Personal life

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Arno was also a successful portrait painter.[1] He was married four times:

  • Caroline (Lia) Dahms (1923–1932, ended in divorce, one child: Peter Paul * 1926)
  • Barbara Kirsanoff (1934–1953, ended in divorce)
  • Kitty Mattern (1953–1970, ended in divorce)
  • Caroline Dahms (1971; ended with his death)[7][8]

Death

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He died from Parkinson's disease in Woodland Hills, California on August 17, 1975, aged 79.[citation needed]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Erickson, Hal Biography (Allmovie) Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Sig Arno at IMDb
  3. ^ Sig Arno at the Internet Broadway Database
  4. ^ "Time Remembered". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
  5. ^ IBDB Awards
  6. ^ IMDB IMDb awards section
  7. ^ IMDB Biography
  8. ^ State of California. California Divorce Index, 1966–1984; State of California. California Marriage Index, 1960–1985
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