---
name: "S.Z. Sakall"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/s-z-sakall"
fi1m_id: "s-z-sakall"
imdb_id: "nm0757064"
tmdb_id: 94110
wikidata_id: "Q955183"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "2 February 1883"
died: "12 February 1955"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 86
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T00:48:13.326566+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."
---

# S.Z. Sakall

## Identity

S.Z. Sakall

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/s-z-sakall
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** s-z-sakall
- **IMDb ID:** nm0757064
- **TMDB ID:** 94110
- **Wikidata ID:** Q955183
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Z._Sakall, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q955183, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757064/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/94110

Actor. Born 2 February 1883 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Budapest, Hungary]. Died 12 February 1955.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 2 February 1883, Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Budapest, Hungary]
- **Died:** 12 February 1955
- **Active:** 1942–1943
- **Also known as:** Szöke Szakall, S. K. Sakall, S. Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall, Szoke Szakall,  Szöke Szakáll , Szöke Szakàll,  Szöke Sakall
- **Average Fi1m score:** 86, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Z._Sakall, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q955183, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757064/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/94110

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Casablanca*](https://film.one/film/casablanca.md) (93)

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

## Biography

S.Z. Sakall, born Jakab Grünwald on 2 February 1883 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, was a Hungarian-American character actor. He began his career on the Hungarian stage in the 1910s under the name Szőke Szakáll and appeared in films in Hungary, Austria and Germany before fleeing Nazi persecution. He arrived in the United States in 1940 and worked in Hollywood until 1954.

Sakall is best known for his supporting roles in 1940s Hollywood films, including Carl the head waiter in *Casablanca* (1942), Professor Magenbruch in *Ball of Fire* (1941), Schwab in *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), Felix Bassenak in *Christmas in Connecticut* (1945) and Otto Oberkugen in *In the Good Old Summertime* (1949). He was often billed as S.Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall and died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on 12 February 1955.

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

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Casablanca* (1943), Fi1m 93, as Carl — [page](https://film.one/film/casablanca.md)
- *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), Fi1m 78, as Schwab — [page](https://film.one/film/yankee-doodle-dandy.md)

## Complete filmography (98)

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

- *The Student Prince* (1954), as Joseph Ruder
- *Small Town Girl* (1953), as Papa Schlemmer
- *It's a Big Country* (1951), as Stefan Szabo
- *Painting the Clouds with Sunshine* (1951), as Uncle Felix
- *Lullaby of Broadway* (1951), as Adolph Hubbell
- *Sugarfoot* (1951), as Don Miguel Wormser
- *Tea for Two* (1950), as J. Maxwell Bloomhaus
- *The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady* (1950), as Miklos Teretzky
- *Montana* (1950), as Papa Otto Schultz
- *Oh, You Beautiful Doll* (1949), as Alfred Breitenbach
- *Look for the Silver Lining* (1949), as Shendorff
- *In the Good Old Summertime* (1949), as Otto Oberkugen
- *My Dream Is Yours* (1949), as Felix Hofer
- *Whiplash* (1948), as Sam
- *Embraceable You* (1948), as Sammy
- *Romance on the High Seas* (1948), as Uncle Lazlo Lazlo
- *April Showers* (1948), as Mr. Curley
- *Cynthia* (1947), as Prof. Rosenkrantz
- *The Time, The Place and The Girl* (1946), as Ladislaus Cassel
- *Never Say Goodbye* (1946), as Willie Schmidt
- *Two Guys from Milwaukee* (1946), as Count Oswald
- *Cinderella Jones* (1946), as Gabriel Popik
- *San Antonio* (1945), as Sacha Bozic
- *The Dolly Sisters* (1945), as Latsie Dolly
- *Christmas in Connecticut* (1945), as Felix Bassenak
- *Wonder Man* (1945), as Schmidt
- *Shine on Harvest Moon* (1944), as Poppa Carl
- *Thank Your Lucky Stars* (1943), as Dr. Schlenna
- *Wintertime* (1943), as Hjalmar Ostgaard
- *Casablanca* (1943), as Carl — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/casablanca.md)
- *Seven Sweethearts* (1942), as Mr. Van Maaster, the Father
- *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), as Schwab — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/yankee-doodle-dandy.md)
- *Broadway* (1942), as Nick
- *Ball of Fire* (1941), as Prof. Magenbruch
- *The Devil and Miss Jones* (1941), as George (Merrick's Butler)
- *That Night in Rio* (1941), as Arthur Penna
- *The Man Who Lost Himself* (1941), as Paul
- *Spring Parade* (1940), as Latislav Teschek - the Baker
- *My Love Came Back* (1940), as Geza Peyer
- *Florian* (1940), as Max
- *It's a Date* (1940), as Carl Ober
- *Bubi* (1937), as Moller
- *The Lilac Domino* (1937), as Sandor
- *Keep Smiling* (1936), Actor
- *Miss Lilli* (1936), as Prokurist Seidl
- *Affairs of Maupassant* (1935), as Dr. Walitzky
- *Four and a Half Musketeers* (1935), as Sattler, Schlagzeuger
- *Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten* (1935), as Franz Novak
- *Ende schlecht, alles gut* (1934), as Anton Polgar, Papierhändler
- *Room for the Aged* (1934), Actor
- *When You're Young, the World Belongs to You* (1934), as Beppo
- *Stolen Wednesday* (1933), as Schmidz fotóriporter
- *Tokajerglut* (1933), as Schmidt · Pressephotograph
- *Frühlingsstimmen* (1933), as Krüger, Schuldiener
- *Scandal in Budapest* (1933), as Stangl
- *Adventure on the Lido* (1933), as Michael
- *Pardon, tévedtem* (1933), as Mr. Strangel
- *Grand Duchess Alexandra* (1933), as Dimitri
- *Muß man sich gleich scheiden lassen* (1933), as Professor Friedrich Hornung
- *Es war einmal ein Musikus* (1933), as Häberlein
- *A Woman Like You* (1933), as Theobald Roehn, Fabrikant
- *Her Majesty Love* (1933), as Bela Török
- *Kaiserwalzer* (1933), as Leitner - Fabrikant aus Budapest
- *The Town Stands on Its Head* (1933), as Der Bürgermeister
- *Glück über Nacht* (1933), as Haase
- *Mein Name ist Lampe* (1932), Director
- *Countess Mariza* (1932), as Lampe
- *I Do Not Want to Know Who You Are* (1932), as Ottokar, sein früherer Diener
- *Ein harmloser Fall* (1932), as Herr Werner
- *Besserer Herr gesucht, zwecks...* (1932), Actor
- *Right to Happiness* (1932), as Bernhard
- *Girls to Marry* (1932), as Alois Novak
- *Es wird geheiratet* (1932), as Mr. Winter
- *The Unknown Guest* (1931), as Leopold Kuhlmann
- *The Soaring Maiden* (1931), as Onkel Lampe
- *My Cousin From Warsaw* (1931), as Burel, Luciennes Gatte
- *The Squeeker* (1931), as Bill "Billy" Anerley, Direktor des "Leopard-Clubs"
- *The mute of Portici* (1931), as Ehemann
- *I Marry My Husband* (1931), as Adolphe
- *Waltz Paradise* (1931), as Schwartz, Theateragent
- *The Carnival Fairy* (1931), as Matthias, Diener
- *Headlong into happiness* (1931), as Baron Monteuil
- *The Jumping Jack* (1930), as Eickmeyer
- *Susie Cleans Up* (1930), as Dr. Fuchs
- *Komm' zu mir zum Rendezvous* (1930), as Crépin
- *Twice Wedding* (1930), as Grafenbergs Schwager
- *Two Hearts in Waltz Time* (1930), as Der Theaterdirektor
- *Wer wird denn weinen, wenn man auseinandergeht?* (1929), as Gottgetreu, Kassierer von Harder & Co.
- *Pavement Butterfly* (1929), as Paul Bennet
- *Whirl of Youth* (1928), as Sam
- *Mary Lou* (1928), as Der Jongleur
- *Family Gathering in the House of Prellstein* (1927), as Sami Bambus
- *The Merry Farmer* (1927), Actor
- *Make Up* (1927), as Theaterdirektor
- *Heaven on Earth* (1927), as Geschäftsführer
- *Hello Caesar!* (1927), Writer
- *The Master of Death* (1926), as Bordoni
- *Wenn das Herz der Jugend spricht* (1926), as Dr. Hecht

## Gallery

- ![Rialto Theater advertisement for the American musical comedy film Cinderella Jones (1946) - 10 Apr. 1946 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-e655341fc0a5.jpg) Rialto Theater advertisement for the American musical comedy film Cinderella Jones (1946) - 10 Apr. 1946 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Warner Bros., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/1946_-_Rialto_Theater_Ad_-_10_Apr_1946_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg/1280px-1946_-_Rialto_Theater_Ad_-_10_Apr_1946_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![A scene from the American film Cheating Herself (1919) with Peggy Hyland and S. Z. Sakall. Date stamped Aug. 3, 1919. From the back: "It is difficult to associa](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-397f03d6d2c9.jpg) A scene from the American film Cheating Herself (1919) with Peggy Hyland and S. Z. Sakall. Date stamped Aug. 3, 1919. From the back: "It is difficult to associa — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/A_scene_from_%22Cheating_Herself%22_%28SAYRE_13813%29.jpg/1280px-A_scene_from_%22Cheating_Herself%22_%28SAYRE_13813%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Verebes Ernő, Szőke Szakáll és Dénes György a Helyet az öregeknek című 1934-es filmben](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-2db5b8c833bf.jpg) Verebes Ernő, Szőke Szakáll és Dénes György a Helyet az öregeknek című 1934-es filmben — Unknown authorUnknown author (still photographer of the film is unknown), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Helyet_az_%C3%B6regeknek_%28Sz%C3%ADnh%C3%A1zi_%C3%89let%2C_1934%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![A screenshot of Judy Garland, Van Johnson and S. Z. Sakall from the trailer for In the Good Old Summertime (1949).](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-6a2e1cb71d32.png) A screenshot of Judy Garland, Van Johnson and S. Z. Sakall from the trailer for In the Good Old Summertime (1949). — MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Judy_Garland_as_Veronica_Fisher.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![S.Z. Sakall](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-aae638d217a2.jpg) S.Z. Sakall — Image via TMDB
- ![S.Z. Sakall](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-04dab782ea2d.jpg) S.Z. Sakall — Image via TMDB
- ![S.Z. Sakall](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-4b282097c73d.jpg) S.Z. Sakall — Image via TMDB
- ![S.Z. Sakall](https://film.one/media/person/58982/gallery-8fbdeddd581c.jpg) S.Z. Sakall — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Szoke_Szakall%2C_%28w%C5%82a%C5%9Bc._Gero_Jeno%29%2C_w%C4%99gierski_komik.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

---
© 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/s-z-sakall