---
name: "Erich von Stroheim"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/erich-von-stroheim"
fi1m_id: "erich-von-stroheim"
imdb_id: "nm0002233"
tmdb_id: 8630
wikidata_id: "Q78508"
roles: ["Actor","Director","Writer"]
born: "22 September 1885"
died: "12 May 1957"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 92
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-25T06:05:17.650459+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Erich von Stroheim

## Identity

Erich von Stroheim

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/erich-von-stroheim
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** erich-von-stroheim
- **IMDb ID:** nm0002233
- **TMDB ID:** 8630
- **Wikidata ID:** Q78508
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Stroheim, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78508, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002233/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8630

Actor and director. Born 22 September 1885 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. Died 12 May 1957.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Director, Writer
- **Born:** 22 September 1885, Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
- **Died:** 12 May 1957
- **Active:** 1915–1950
- **Also known as:** Erich Stroheim, Eric von Stroheim, 에리히 폰 슈트로하임, 에리히 폰 스트로하임, Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim, Eric Oswald Stroheim
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 2 acting, 2 directing, 1 producing, 1 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Irving Thalberg](https://film.one/person/irving-thalberg.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 92, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1910s 58 (2), 1920s 80 (2), 1930s 92 (1), 1950s 91 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Stroheim, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q78508, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002233/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8630

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Greed*](https://film.one/film/greed.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Erich von Stroheim

> We value Erich von Stroheim for the unease beneath his sternness. Officers and aristocrats were his familiar territory, but *Sunset Boulevard* shows how troubling he could make a quiet, attentive man who has accepted too much.

In *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), von Mayerling’s attentiveness does little to reassure us. Erich von Stroheim makes him hard to read, keeping his manner reserved while Gloria Swanson gives her faded star full theatrical expression. We were unsettled by his reserve: he suggests that too much has been accepted, and offers no reassuring explanation.

*Blind Husbands* (1919), which he wrote, directed and acted in, began a directing career built on exacting attention to settings and costumes. *Greed* (1924) was heavily edited, and he was removed from *Queen Kelly* (1929), after repeated conflicts over length and detail. From the mid-1930s, he worked primarily as a character actor in Europe, with occasional American roles. It is tempting to read the later acting through that lost directing career. That risks overlooking what he actually does in a scene.

Officers and aristocrats gave him parts in which authority was established before he had done much at all. Jean Renoir cast him as Captain von Rauffenstein in *La Grande Illusion* (1937), and Wilder as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in *Five Graves to Cairo* (1943). Those performances are worth seeking out, though a stern officer can be too readily mistaken for the whole actor. In *Sunset Boulevard*, the reserve is harder to interpret, and that makes the performance more interesting to us.

Billy Wilder gets particular value from putting him alongside William Holden, whose conversational manner keeps Swanson’s theatricality from setting the volume for everyone. Von Stroheim is harder to read than either, so we have to pay attention in a different way. The screenplay sometimes enjoys humiliating its faded star more than it should, and no performance quite excuses that. Yet von Stroheim helps make her expansiveness effective without competing with it. Start with *Sunset Boulevard*, but do not spend the whole evening watching Swanson.

## Biography

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-American actor, director and screenwriter. Born Erich Oswald Stroheim in Vienna on 22 September 1885, he emigrated to the United States in 1909. He began working in films as an actor and assistant to D. W. Griffith on titles including *Intolerance* (1916).

He directed and appeared in several silent-era films, among them *Blind Husbands* (1919), *Foolish Wives* (1922) and *Greed* (1924). After studio conflicts curtailed his directing career, he became a character actor, notably as Captain von Rauffenstein in Jean Renoir’s *Grand Illusion* (1937) and as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in *Five Graves to Cairo* (1943).

Von Stroheim received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Max von Mayerling in Billy Wilder’s *Sunset Boulevard* (1950). He died on 12 May 1957 in Maurepas, France.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (2) — the average rests on these

- *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), Fi1m 91, as Max von Mayerling — [page](https://film.one/film/sunset-boulevard.md)
- *Grand Illusion* (1937), Fi1m 92, as Captain von Rauffenstein — [page](https://film.one/film/grand-illusion.md)

### Directed (2)

- *Greed* (1924), Fi1m 86, as Balloon Vendor (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/greed.md)
- *Foolish Wives* (1922), Fi1m 75, as Count Wladislaw Sergius Karamzin — [page](https://film.one/film/foolish-wives.md)

### Produced (1)

- *Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages* (1916), Fi1m 83, Assistant Production Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/intolerance-loves-struggle-throughout-the-ages.md)

### Crew (1)

- *The Birth of a Nation* (1915), Fi1m 32, Assistant Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-birth-of-a-nation.md)

## Complete filmography (82)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Morceaux de Cannes* (2021), Actor
- *Quand Jean devint Renoir* (2017), as Captain von Rauffenstein (archive footage)
- *Erich von Stroheim - Der Mann mit dem bösen Blick* (1966), as (archive footage)
- *Armored Attack!* (1957), as Dr. Otto Von Harden
- *Papatya* (1956), Original Story
- *La Madone des sleepings* (1955), as Dr Siefgried Traurig
- *Napoleon* (1955), as Ludwig van Beethoven
- *Série noire* (1955), as Sacha Zavaroff
- *Alarm in Morocco* (1953), as Conrad Nagel
- *Other Side of Paradise* (1953), as William O'Hara
- *Midnight... Quai de Bercy* (1953), as Le professeur Kieffer
- *Unnatural* (1952), as Jacob ten Brinken
- *Sunset Boulevard* (1950), as Max von Mayerling — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/sunset-boulevard.md)
- *Portrait of a Murderer* (1949), as Eric
- *The Red Signal* (1949), as Mathias Berthold
- *La Danse de mort* (1948), as Edgar
- *Devil and the Angel* (1946), as Frank Davis
- *One Does Not Die That Way* (1946), as Eric von Berg
- *The Mask of Diijon* (1946), as Diijon
- *Scotland Yard Investigator* (1945), as Carl Hoffmeyer
- *The Great Flamarion* (1945), as The Great Flamarion
- *Storm Over Lisbon* (1944), as Deresco
- *The Lady and the Monster* (1944), as Prof. Franz Mueller
- *The North Star* (1943), as Dr. von Harden
- *Five Graves to Cairo* (1943), as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
- *Gambling Hell* (1942), as Werner von Krall
- *So Ends Our Night* (1941), as Brenner
- *I Was an Adventuress* (1940), as Andre Desormeaux
- *Thunder Over Paris* (1940), as Korlick
- *Threats* (1940), as Le professeur Hoffman
- *Personal Column* (1939), as Pears, l'ex-couturier
- *Immediate Call* (1939), Actor
- *The World Will Shake* (1939), as Emil Lasser / Monsieur Frank
- *Behind the Facade* (1939), as Eric, German naturalized French
- *Ultimatum* (1938), as General Simovic
- *Boys' School* (1938), as Walter, le professeur d'anglais
- *Gibraltar* (1938), as Eric Marson · Scenario Writer
- *The Lafarge Case* (1938), as Denis
- *Rail Pirates* (1938), as Tchou King
- *Alibi* (1937), as Professor Winckler
- *Under Secret Orders* (1937), as Col. W. Mathesius / Simonis
- *Between Two Women* (1937), Story
- *Grand Illusion* (1937), as Captain von Rauffenstein — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/grand-illusion.md)
- *Marthe Richard* (1937), as van Ludlow
- *The Devil-Doll* (1936), Screenplay
- *The Crime of Doctor Crespi* (1935), as Dr. Andre Crespi
- *Crimson Romance* (1934), as Capt. Wolters
- *Fugitive Road* (1934), as Hpt. Oswald Von Traunsee
- *Hello, Sister!* (1933), Director, Scenario Writer, Writer
- *As You Desire Me* (1932), as Carl Salter
- *The Lost Squadron* (1932), as Arthur von Furst
- *Friends and Lovers* (1931), as Victor Sangrito
- *Three Faces East* (1930), as Valdar / Schiller / Blecher
- *Queen Kelly* (1929), Director, Original Story, Producer
- *The Honeymoon* (1929), as Prince Nicki · Director, Writer
- *The Great Gabbo* (1929), as Gabbo
- *The Wedding March* (1928), as Nicki / Prince Nickolas · Director, Writer, Producer
- *The Merry Widow* (1926), Director, Writer
- *Greed* (1924), as Balloon Vendor (uncredited) · Director, Screenplay, Production Design, Art Direction — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/greed.md)
- *Merry-Go-Round* (1923), Costume Design, Director
- *Foolish Wives* (1922), as Count Wladislaw Sergius Karamzin · Director, Writer, Scenario Writer — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/foolish-wives.md)
- *The Devil's Passkey* (1920), Director, Writer, Art Direction
- *Blind Husbands* (1919), as Lt. Erich von Steuben · Director, Screenplay, Story, Producer, Editor, Art Direction
- *The Heart of Humanity* (1918), as Eric von Eberhard
- *The Hun Within* (1918), as Von Bickel
- *Hearts of the World* (1918), as A Hun
- *The Unbeliever* (1918), as Herr Lieutenant Kurt von Schnieditz
- *Sylvia of the Secret Service* (1917), as Peter · Technical Advisor, Assistant Director
- *For France* (1917), as Minor Role (uncredited)
- *Blind Man's Luck* (1917), Technical Supervisor
- *In Again, Out Again* (1917), as Officer (uncredited), Art Direction · Assistant Director
- *Panthea* (1917), as Lieutenant · Assistant Director
- *Less Than the Dust* (1916), Assistant Director
- *The Social Secretary* (1916), as The Buzzard · Assistant Director
- *Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages* (1916), as Second Pharisee (uncredited) · Assistant Production Manager — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/intolerance-loves-struggle-throughout-the-ages.md)
- *Macbeth* (1916), Assistant Director
- *The Flying Torpedo* (1916), as Accomplice
- *His Picture in the Papers* (1916), as One of the Weazels (uncredited) · Assistant Director
- *Old Heidelberg* (1915), as Lutz · Assistant Director
- *Ghosts* (1915), as School Clerk · Wardrobe Assistant, Technical Advisor
- *The Birth of a Nation* (1915), Assistant Director — Fi1m 32, [page](https://film.one/film/the-birth-of-a-nation.md)
- *The Country Boy* (1915), as Diner in Restaurant

## Gallery

- ![Erich von Stroheim](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-c7d820de535e.jpg) Erich von Stroheim — Uncredited., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Erich_von_Stroheim.lowrey.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Blind Husbands is a 1919 drama film directed by Erich von Stroheim. This is a monochrome movie poster.](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-a96dc4f0e3f3.jpg) Blind Husbands is a 1919 drama film directed by Erich von Stroheim. This is a monochrome movie poster. — Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Blind-husbands-1919-movieposter.jpg/1280px-Blind-husbands-1919-movieposter.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Film poster for Blind Husbands (1919).](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-6021dc9386b8.jpg) Film poster for Blind Husbands (1919). — Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Blind_Husbands.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Advertisement for the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919) with Erich von Stroheim and Francelia Billington, on page 9 of the September 18, 1920 The Moving](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-926c800f9077.jpg) Advertisement for the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919) with Erich von Stroheim and Francelia Billington, on page 9 of the September 18, 1920 The Moving — Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Blind_Husbands_%281919%29_-_8.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Advertisement for the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919) with Erich von Stroheim and Francelia Billington, on the cover of the May 17, 1924 Universal Wee](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-1e88c485fb3b.jpg) Advertisement for the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919) with Erich von Stroheim and Francelia Billington, on the cover of the May 17, 1924 Universal Wee — Universal Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Blind_Husbands_%281919%29_-_9.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Still from the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919). Universal Pictures. Erich von Stroheim, director. From left to right, Erich von Stroheim and Sam De Gr](https://film.one/media/person/59255/gallery-2fd3c0d4ae2d.jpg) Still from the American drama film Blind Husbands (1919). Universal Pictures. Erich von Stroheim, director. From left to right, Erich von Stroheim and Sam De Gr — Erich von Stroheim and Universal Pictures, publicity still from Blind Husbands (1919 film)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Blind_Husbands_%281919_film%29%2C_publicity_still._Universal_Pictures._Erich_von_Stroheim%2C_director.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1951: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Sunset Boulevard*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Knight of the Legion of Honour 1957: Knight of the Legion of Honour (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/erich-von-stroheim