Walter Slezak (3 May 1902 – 21 April 1983) was a portly Austrian character actor who appeared in numerous Hollywood films. Slezak often portrayed villains or thugs, most notably the German U-boat captain in Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 Lifeboat, but occasionally he got to play lighter roles, as in 1962's The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. He also played a cheerfully corrupt and philosophical private detective in the 1947 film noir Born to Kill and appeared as Squire Trelawney in the 1972 version of Treasure Island.
Known For
The Pirate
(1948)
Don Pedro Vargas
Lifeboat
(1944)
Willi
Come September
(1961)
Maurice Clavell
People Will Talk
(1951)
Prof. Barker
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
(1962)
Stossel
The Princess and the Pirate
(1944)
La Roche
This Land Is Mine
(1943)
Major Erich von Keller
Once Upon a Honeymoon
(1942)
Baron Franz Von Luber
Born to Kill
(1947)
Matthew Arnett
Treasure Island
(1972)
Squire Trelawney
The Inspector General
(1949)
Yakov
Call Me Madam
(1953)
August Tantinnin
Heidi
(1968)
Father Richter
Bedtime for Bonzo
(1951)
Professor Hans Neumann
Cornered
(1945)
Melchior Incza
Black Beauty
(1971)
Hackenschmidt
Full Filmography
Acting
Sodom and Gomorrah
(1922)
Eduard Harber - Student am Cambridge-Lyzeum / Ein Goldschmied von Galiläa
Michael
(1924)
Michael
Mein Leopold
(1924)
O alte Burschenherrlichkeit
(1925)
Grüß mir das blonde Kind am Rhein
(1926)
Aus des Rheinlands Schicksalstagen
(1926)
Walter Thiermann
Junges Blut
(1926)
Oberprimaner
The Long Intermission
(1927)
Ottokar
Die Lorelei
(1927)
Ehegeheimnisse
(1927)
Das Recht zu leben
(1927)
Liebe geht seltsame Wege
(1927)
Addio giovinezza!
(1927)
Almenrausch und Edelweiss
(1928)
Mentel
Ledige Mütter
(1928)
Eros in Ketten
(1929)
Osudné noci
(1929)
Spione im Savoy-Hotel
(1932)
Kurt
Once Upon a Honeymoon
(1942)
Baron Franz Von Luber
The Fallen Sparrow
(1943)
Dr. Christian Skaas
This Land Is Mine
(1943)
Major Erich von Keller
The Princess and the Pirate
(1944)
La Roche
Lifeboat
(1944)
Willi
Step Lively
(1944)
Joe Gribble
Till We Meet Again
(1944)
Vitrey, The Mayor
Cornered
(1945)
Melchior Incza
The Spanish Main
(1945)
Don Juan Alvarado
Salome, Where She Danced
(1945)
Dimitrioff
Riff-Raff
(1947)
Eric Molinar
Born to Kill
(1947)
Matthew Arnett
Sinbad the Sailor
(1947)
Melik
The Pirate
(1948)
Don Pedro Vargas
The Inspector General
(1949)
Yakov
The Yellow Cab Man
(1950)
Dr. Byron Dokstedder
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion
(1950)
Sgt. Axmann
Spy Hunt
(1950)
Doctor Stahl
People Will Talk
(1951)
Prof. Barker
Bedtime for Bonzo
(1951)
Professor Hans Neumann
Call Me Madam
(1953)
August Tantinnin
White Witch Doctor
(1953)
Huysman
Confidentially Connie
(1953)
Emil Spangenberg
The Steel Cage
(1954)
Louis, the Prison Chef, segment "The Chef"
Ten Thousand Bedrooms
(1957)
Papa Martelli
Pinocchio
(1957)
Gepetto
The Miracle
(1959)
Flaco
Come September
(1961)
Maurice Clavell
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
(1962)
Stossel
A Cry of Angels
(1963)
Emil and the Detectives
(1964)
Baron
Wonderful Life
(1964)
Lloyd Davis
A Very Special Favor
(1965)
Etienne
Twenty-Four Hours to Kill
(1965)
Malouf
Congress of Love
(1966)
Der 'Ewige Wiener'
The Caper of the Golden Bulls
(1967)
Antonio Gonzales
Dr. Coppelius
(1968)
Dr. Coppelius
Heidi
(1968)
Father Richter
A Hundred-Odd Years from Now
(1969)
The Juggler of Notre Dame
(1970)
The Innkeeper
Black Beauty
(1971)
Hackenschmidt
Treasure Island
(1972)
Squire Trelawney
The Mysterious House of Dr. C.
(1976)
Dr. Coppelius