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Torben Meyer
Meyer in 1950
Born	Torben Emil Meyer (1884-12-01)1 December 1884 Aarhus, Denmark
Died	22 May 1975(1975-05-22) (aged 90) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1912–1966

Torben Emil Meyer (1 December 1884 – 22 May 1975) was a Danish-American character actor who appeared in more than 190 films in a 55-year career. He began his acting career in Europe before moving to the United States.

Early life

Meyer was born in Aarhus, Denmark and began his career as a stage actor.

Starting in 1912 Meyer acted in 20 European silent movies, culminating with Don Quixote in 1926. He emigrated to the United States in 1927.

Hollywood acting career

Danish friends Benjamin Christensen and Jean Hersholt may have helped Meyer obtain his first roles in Hollywood films. For decades Meyer found roles playing characters from many countries. A 1948 newspaper article stated Meyer can't complain about being typecast for he speaks German in Sealed Verdict, was a 17th-century Dutch sea captain in The Exile, a French professor in To the Victor, and the headwaiter in Variety Girl.

Horror films

Meyer became a member of the "all-star peasant cast" in The Black Room, and considered Boris Karloff to be a good friend. He played the Dane in Murders in the Rue Morgue, and was strangled by Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein. Meyer was Gaston, the night watchman, in the 1958 film The Fly

Preston Sturges films

Meyer was in numerous Preston Sturges films, and addressed him as Maitre (French for director). Meyers played Mr. Schmidt in Christmas in July, Purser in The Lady Eve, Doctor in both Sullivan's Travels and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Mr. Schultz in Hail the Conquering Hero, Dr. Dahlmeyer in The Great Moment, Barber in The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, and Dr. Schultz in The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend.

Later roles

In 1961, when Meyer was 76 years old, he played Werner Lampe, an ex-Nazi judge on trial in Judgment at Nuremberg. His last film role was in A New Kind of Love, released in 1963, and his last television role was as Pedro Sven in the 1966 I Dream of Jeannie episode Jeannie Breaks the Bank.

Honored by King of Denmark

In 1962 Frederik IX of Denmark honored Meyer with the Knights’ Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. It was presented to him by the consul general of Denmark, Honorable A.C. Karsten.

Death

On 22 May 1975 Meyer died of bronchial pneumonia in Hollywood, California. He was cremated, and his remains are vaulted in the Chapel of the Pines.

Filmography

References

1. ^ Mette Hjort, Ursula Lindqvist, A Companion to Nordic Cinema, page 408, Wiley, 2016
2. ^ Diane Kachar, David Goudsward, The Fly at 50: The Creation and Legacy of a Classic Science Fiction Film (Kindle), BearManor Media, 2015
3. Linguistic Expert, The Austin American (Austin, Texas), January 9, 1948, page 18
4. Gregory William Mank, Hollywood Cauldron: Thirteen Horror Films from the Genre's Golden Age, page 168, McFarland, Inc., 2010
5. Scott Allen Nollen, Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life, Midnight Marquee, 2009
6. Diane Jacobs, Christmas in July: The Life and Art of Preston Sturges, page 253, University of California Press, 1992
7. Alessandro Paroling, The Cinema of Preston Sturges: A Critical Study, pages 176-181, McFarland, Inc., 2014
8. Nuremberg: Close-up of the Nazi Trials, The Los Angeles Times, November 5, 1961, page 499
9. Actor Receives Knights Cross, Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, May 18, 1962, page 9
10. Allan R. Ellenberger, Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory, page 27, McFarland Publishing, 2001

External links

• Torben Meyer at IMDb 
• Torben Meyer at Turner Classic Movies
• Torben Meyer at the British Film Institute

• 1884 births
• 1975 deaths
• American male film actors
• American male silent film actors
• Danish male film actors
• Danish male silent film actors
• 20th-century Danish male actors
• Deaths from bronchopneumonia
• Deaths from pneumonia in California
• 20th-century American male actors
• Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
• Danish emigrants to the United States
• Male actors from Copenhagen