---
name: "George Sanders"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/george-sanders"
fi1m_id: "george-sanders"
imdb_id: "nm0001695"
tmdb_id: 3361
wikidata_id: "Q296491"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 July 1906"
died: "25 April 1972"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-09-25T05:32:19.811643+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."
---

# George Sanders

## Identity

George Sanders

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/george-sanders
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** george-sanders
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001695
- **TMDB ID:** 3361
- **Wikidata ID:** Q296491
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sanders, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q296491, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001695/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3361

Actor. Born 3 July 1906 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire [now Russia]. Died 25 April 1972.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 July 1906, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire [now Russia]
- **Died:** 25 April 1972
- **Active:** 1940–1967
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 7 acting, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Alfred Hitchcock](https://film.one/person/alfred-hitchcock.md), [Joan Fontaine](https://film.one/person/joan-fontaine.md), [Joan Harrison](https://film.one/person/joan-harrison.md), [Joseph L. Mankiewicz](https://film.one/person/joseph-l-mankiewicz.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 65 (1), 1940s 82 (3), 1950s 81 (3), 1960s 80 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 78 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 7 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Romance 4, Drama 3, Adventure 2, Mystery 2, Thriller 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $397m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sanders, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q296491, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001695/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3361

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*All About Eve*](https://film.one/film/all-about-eve.md) (90)
- **HBO Max:** [*Journey to Italy*](https://film.one/film/journey-to-italy.md) (82)
- **Disney+:** [*The Jungle Book*](https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book.md) (80)
- **Hulu:** [*Foreign Correspondent*](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md) (76)
- **Tubi:** [*Ivanhoe*](https://film.one/film/ivanhoe.md) (70)

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

## Fi1m on George Sanders

> George Sanders makes a cutting remark sound like something too obvious to require emphasis. We prize the precision, especially in *All About Eve*, though repeated casting as the cultivated cad could make him predictable.

In *All About Eve* (1950), George Sanders delivers Addison DeWitt’s superior remarks as though he has never had to search for one. The lack of apparent effort is the pleasure: he gives no suggestion that a particularly good line deserves congratulation. We laughed at Addison’s condescension because Sanders makes it sound so ordinary to the man speaking. It is exact, controlled comic acting, and Sanders deserves much of the credit for making a cruel film such good company.

That ease was useful well before Addison. Sanders had led the Saint and Falcon B-series before moving into prominent supporting work, and Alfred Hitchcock used him in both *Rebecca* (1940) and *Foreign Correspondent* (1940). Jack Favell in the former helped establish the suave villain; Scott ffolliott in the latter was a rarer heroic part. Playing Lord Henry Wotton in 1945 gave his precise delivery Wildean wit to work on.

*All About Eve* remains the place to start because Joseph L. Mankiewicz gives that precision something substantial to do. With so much polished speech, the cast could sound as though they were all waiting to deliver the author’s next clever line. Sanders makes Addison’s superiority habitual, while Bette Davis gives Margo Channing’s vanity feeling and Celeste Holm gives Karen Richards an independent life. We can hear different people using cleverness for different reasons, rather than a company competing to sound cleverest. The flashback structure can be stiff, but Sanders is among the reasons the writing never becomes merely an exercise.

The limitation is easy to hear, too. He was often cast as upper-class cads, and the smooth bass voice and dry cynicism could make those parts seem familiar before he had done much with them. We would not mistake that familiarity for laziness, but it can reduce the surprise of an entrance. His voice work as Shere Khan in *The Jungle Book* (1967) found a use for the same vocal qualities in sly menace. For a second look after Addison, try the less expected hero of *Foreign Correspondent*.

## Biography

George Sanders was a Russian-born British actor whose career in film and television spanned more than forty years. He was born on 3 July 1906 in Saint Petersburg and died on 25 April 1972 in Spain.

Sanders frequently played sophisticated or villainous characters, often drawing on his upper-class English accent and bass voice. He is known for roles including Jack Favell in *Rebecca* (1940), Addison DeWitt in *All About Eve* (1950), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the voice of Shere Khan in *The Jungle Book* (1967). He also appeared as Simon Templar in several *The Saint* films and as Mr Freeze in an episode of *Batman* (1966).

Other notable credits include *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), *The Ghost and Mrs. Muir* (1947), *Village of the Damned* (1960) and *A Shot in the Dark* (1964).

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

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (7) — the average rests on these

- *The Jungle Book* (1967), Fi1m 80, as Shere Khan the Tiger (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book.md)
- *Journey to Italy* (1954), Fi1m 82, as Alex Joyce — [page](https://film.one/film/journey-to-italy.md)
- *Ivanhoe* (1952), Fi1m 70, as Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert — [page](https://film.one/film/ivanhoe.md)
- *All About Eve* (1950), Fi1m 90, as Addison DeWitt — [page](https://film.one/film/all-about-eve.md)
- *The Ghost and Mrs. Muir* (1947), Fi1m 84, as Miles Fairley — [page](https://film.one/film/the-ghost-and-mrs-muir.md)
- *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), Fi1m 76, as Scott ffolliott — [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md)
- *Rebecca* (1940), Fi1m 85, as Jack Favell — [page](https://film.one/film/rebecca.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Things to Come* (1936), Fi1m 65, as Celestial Body (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)

## Complete filmography (137)

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

- *Footsteps on the Ceiling* (2013), as Addison DeWitt (archive footage)
- *Les messages de Fritz Lang* (2003), Actor
- *Death In Hollywood* (1990), Actor
- *Disney's Greatest Villains* (1977), as Shere Khan (voice) (archive footage)
- *Psychomania* (1973), as Shadwell
- *Endless Night* (1972), as Andrew Lippincott
- *Doomwatch* (1972), as The Admiral
- *The Night of the Assassin* (1970), as General Downes
- *The Kremlin Letter* (1970), as Warlock
- *The Best House in London* (1969), as Sir Francis Leybourne
- *The Body Stealers* (1969), as Gen. Armstrong
- *The Girl from Rio* (1969), as Sir Masius
- *The Candy Man* (1969), as Sidney Carter
- *One Step to Hell* (1968), as Captain Walter Phillips
- *Laura* (1968), as Waldo Lydecker
- *The Jungle Book* (1967), as Shere Khan the Tiger (voice) — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-jungle-book.md)
- *Good Times* (1967), as Mordicus
- *Warning Shot* (1967), as Calvin York
- *The Quiller Memorandum* (1966), as Gibbs
- *Mission: Impossible* (1966), series, as Armand Anderssarian — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md)
- *Trunk to Cairo* (1966), as Professor Schlieben
- *Batman* (1966), series, as Mister Freeze, Mister Freeze (uncredited)
- *The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders* (1965), as The Banker
- *Daniel Boone* (1964), series, as Col. Roger Barr
- *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* (1964), series, as G. Emory Partridge
- *The Rogues* (1964), series, as Leonard Carvel
- *The Golden Head* (1964), as Basil Palmer
- *F.B.I. Operation Baalbeck* (1964), as Principe Makowski
- *A Shot in the Dark* (1964), as Benjamin Ballon
- *Dark Purpose* (1964), as Raymond Fontaine
- *Ecco* (1963), as Narrator
- *Cairo* (1963), as The Major
- *The Cracksman* (1963), as Guv'nor
- *In Search of the Castaways* (1962), as Thomas Ayerton
- *Operation Snatch* (1962), as Maj. Hobson
- *Rendezvous* (1961), as Kellermann
- *The Rebel* (1961), as Sir Charles Broward
- *Five Golden Hours* (1961), as Mr. Bing
- *Checkmate* (1960), series, as Richard Gilmore
- *Village of the Damned* (1960), as Gordon Zellaby
- *Cone of Silence* (1960), as Sir Arnold Hobbes
- *World by Night* (1960), Actor
- *Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons* (1960), as Henri Landru
- *The Last Voyage* (1960), as Capitaine Robert Adams
- *A Touch of Larceny* (1960), as Sir Charles Holland
- *Solomon and Sheba* (1959), as Adonijah
- *That Kind of Woman* (1959), as A.L.
- *From the Earth to the Moon* (1958), as Stuyvesant Nicholl
- *The Whole Truth* (1958), as Carliss
- *The Seventh Sin* (1957), as Tim Waddington
- *The George Sanders Mystery Theater* (1957), series, as Host
- *Death of a Scoundrel* (1956), as Clementi Sabourin
- *The Bitter Waters* (1956), as Charles Ferris
- *That Certain Feeling* (1956), as Larry Larkin
- *The Dream* (1956), as Baron
- *While the City Sleeps* (1956), as Mark Loving
- *Never Say Goodbye* (1956), as Victor
- *Laura* (1955), as Waldo Lydecker
- *The 20th Century Fox Hour* (1955), series, as Waldo Lydecker
- *Screen Director's Playhouse* (1955), series, as Charles Ferris
- *The King's Thief* (1955), as King Charles II
- *The Scarlet Coat* (1955), as Dr. Jonathan Odell
- *Moonfleet* (1955), as Lord James Ashwood
- *Jupiter's Darling* (1955), as Fabius Maximus
- *The Unholy Four* (1954), Novel
- *Studio 57* (1954), series, as Dr. Grissom
- *Journey to Italy* (1954), as Alex Joyce — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/journey-to-italy.md)
- *King Richard and the Crusaders* (1954), as King Richard I
- *Witness to Murder* (1954), as Albert Richter
- *Call Me Madam* (1953), as Cosmo Constantine
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Dr. Grissom, William Clark, Major Watkins
- *Assignment: Paris* (1952), as Nicholas Strang
- *Ivanhoe* (1952), as Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/ivanhoe.md)
- *The Light Touch* (1951), as Felix Guignol
- *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, as John York
- *I Can Get It for You Wholesale* (1951), as J F Noble
- *Black Jack* (1950), as Mike Alexander
- *All About Eve* (1950), as Addison DeWitt — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/all-about-eve.md)
- *Samson and Delilah* (1949), as The Saran of Gaza
- *The Fan* (1949), as Lord Robert Darlington
- *Forever Amber* (1947), as King Charles II
- *Lured* (1947), as Robert Fleming
- *The Ghost and Mrs. Muir* (1947), as Miles Fairley — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-ghost-and-mrs-muir.md)
- *The Private Affairs of Bel Ami* (1947), as Georges Duroy
- *The Strange Woman* (1946), as John Evered
- *A Scandal in Paris* (1946), as Eugéne François Vidocq
- *The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry* (1945), as Harry Melville Quincey
- *The Picture of Dorian Gray* (1945), as Lord Henry Wotton
- *Hangover Square* (1945), as Dr. Allan Middleton
- *Summer Storm* (1944), as Fedja Michailovitch Petroff
- *Action in Arabia* (1944), as Michael Gordon
- *The Lodger* (1944), as Inspector John Warwick
- *Paris After Dark* (1943), as Dr. Andre Marbel
- *Appointment in Berlin* (1943), as Keith Wilson
- *This Land Is Mine* (1943), as George Lambert
- *They Came to Blow Up America* (1943), as Carl  Steelman / Ernst Reiter
- *Quiet Please, Murder* (1943), as Jim Fleg
- *The Black Swan* (1942), as Captain Billy Leech
- *The Moon and Sixpence* (1942), as Charles Strickland
- *The Falcon's Brother* (1942), as Gaylord "Gay" Lawrence
- *Tales of Manhattan* (1942), as Williams
- *Her Cardboard Lover* (1942), as Tony Barling
- *The Falcon Takes Over* (1942), as Gay Lawrence
- *Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake* (1942), as Sir Arthur Blake
- *A Date with the Falcon* (1942), as Gay Lawrence / The Falcon
- *Sundown* (1941), as Major A.L. Coombes
- *The Gay Falcon* (1941), as Gay Laurence / The Falcon
- *Man Hunt* (1941), as Major Quive-Smith
- *Rage in Heaven* (1941), as Ward Andrews
- *The Saint In Palm Springs* (1941), as Simon Templar
- *The Son of Monte Cristo* (1940), as Gurko Lanen
- *Bitter Sweet* (1940), as Baron Von Tranisch
- *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), as Scott ffolliott — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md)
- *The Saint Takes Over* (1940), as Simon Templar
- *The House of the Seven Gables* (1940), as Jaffrey Pyncheon
- *Rebecca* (1940), as Jack Favell — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/rebecca.md)
- *The Saint's Double Trouble* (1940), as Simon Templar
- *Green Hell* (1940), as Forrester
- *Allegheny Uprising* (1939), as Captain Swanson
- *Nurse Edith Cavell* (1939), as Capt. Heinrichs
- *The Saint in London* (1939), as Simon Templar
- *Confessions of a Nazi Spy* (1939), as Franz Schlager
- *The Saint Strikes Back* (1939), as Simon Templar
- *So This Is London* (1939), as Dr. de Reseke
- *The Outsider* (1939), as Anton Ragatzy
- *Mr. Moto's Last Warning* (1939), as Eric Norvel
- *Four Men and a Prayer* (1938), as Wyatt Leigh
- *International Settlement* (1938), as Del Forbes
- *Lancer Spy* (1937), as Baron Kurt von Rohback / Lt. Michael Bruce
- *The Lady Escapes* (1937), as Rene Blanchard
- *Slave Ship* (1937), as Lefty
- *Love Is News* (1937), as Count Andre de Guyon
- *Lloyd's of London* (1936), as Everett Stacy
- *Dishonour Bright* (1936), as Lisle
- *The Man Who Could Work Miracles* (1936), as Indifference - a God
- *Things to Come* (1936), as Celestial Body (uncredited) — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)
- *Love, Life and Laughter* (1934), as Singer in Public Bar (uncredited)

## Gallery

- ![George Sanders](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-d52a36602db5.jpg) George Sanders — Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/George_Sanders_Allan_Warren.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Rialto Theater advertisement for the American science fiction film From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-68a2c14302e9.jpg) Rialto Theater advertisement for the American science fiction film From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Company shown on advertisement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/1958_-_Rialto_Theater_Ad_-_2_Dec_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Leona Maricle & George Sanders in A Scandal in Paris - publicity still (cropped) (1946)](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-ae2d8216555f.jpg) Leona Maricle & George Sanders in A Scandal in Paris - publicity still (cropped) (1946) — unknown (Arnold Pressburger Films/United Artists), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/A_Scandal_in_Paris_%281946%29_still_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Original theatrical release poster for the 1950 film All About Eve.](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-7bcebdce1c6f.jpg) Original theatrical release poster for the 1950 film All About Eve. — "Copyright 1950 By Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/All_About_Eve_%281950_poster%29.jpg/1280px-All_About_Eve_%281950_poster%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![George Sanders](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-1332f4b7f855.jpg) George Sanders — Image via TMDB
- ![George Sanders](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-4a15e85ea93a.jpg) George Sanders — Image via TMDB
- ![Original theatrical release poster for the 1950 film All About Eve.](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-68596ec9712a.jpg) Original theatrical release poster for the 1950 film All About Eve. — "Copyright 1950 By Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/All_About_Eve_%281950_poster_-_retouch%29.jpg/1280px-All_About_Eve_%281950_poster_-_retouch%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, Anne Baxter and George Sanders pose for a studio publicity portrait for the movie All About Eve, 1950](https://film.one/media/person/105015/gallery-c9fe079232bd.jpg) Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, Anne Baxter and George Sanders pose for a studio publicity portrait for the movie All About Eve, 1950 — 20th Century Fox / Photographer not credited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Bette_Davis%2C_Gary_Merrill%2C_Anne_Baxter_and_George_Sanders%2C_1950.jpg/1280px-Bette_Davis%2C_Gary_Merrill%2C_Anne_Baxter_and_George_Sanders%2C_1950.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1951: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *All About Eve*

*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/george-sanders