J. Edward Bromberg

Born: 1903-12-25

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Romanian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. By virtue of his physique, the short, somewhat rotund actor was destined to play secondary roles. Bromberg made his stage debut at the Greenwich Village Playhouse and in 1926 made his first appearance in a Broadway play, Princess Turandot. The following year, Bromberg married Goldie Doberman, with whom he had three children. Occasionally credited as J.E. Bromberg' and Joseph Bromberg, he performed secondary roles in 35 Broadway productions and 53 motion pictures until 1951. For two decades, Bromberg was highly regarded in the New York theatrical world and was a founding member of the Civic Repertory Theatre (1928–1930) and of the Group Theatre (1931–1940). Bromberg made his screen debut in 1936 under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox. The versatile actor played a wide variety of roles ranging from a ruthless New York newspaper editor (in Charlie Chan on Broadway) to a despotic Arabian sheik (in Mr. Moto Takes a Chance). Although he spoke with no trace of an accent, he was often called upon to play humble immigrants of various nationalities. When Warner Oland, the actor who played Charlie Chan, died in 1938, Fox considered Bromberg as a suitable replacement, but the role ultimately went to Sidney Toler. Fox began loaning Bromberg to other studios in 1939 and finally dropped him from the roster in 1941. He kept working for various producers, including a stint at Universal Pictures in the mid-1940s. Bromberg's most outstanding attribute was his facility with sensitive character roles; he could take a standard, undistinguished supporting part and make it unforgettably sympathetic. In Hollywood Cavalcade he portrays Don Ameche's friend who knows he will never get the girl; in Three Sons he is the lowly business associate who longs to be given a partnership; in Easy to Look At he is the once-great couturier now reduced to night watchman. In September 1950, the anti-communist magazine Red Channels accused Bromberg of being a member of the American Communist Party. Subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in June 1951, Bromberg refused to answer any questions in accordance with his Fifth Amendment rights.


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Salome, Where She Danced

as Professor Max
Released: 1945-04-17

During the Austrian-Prussian war, Anna Marie is a dancer who is forced to flee her country after...

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Son of Dracula

as Professor Lazlo
Released: 1943-11-05

Carpathian Count Alucard is invited to the U.S. by a young heiress. Her boyfriend and local...

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Phantom of the Opera

as Amiot
Released: 1943-08-12

Following a tragic accident that leaves him disfigured, crazed composer Erique Claudin...

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Four Men and a Prayer

as General Torres
Released: 1938-04-29

The sons of a disgraced British officer try to clear his name.

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The Return of Frank James

as George Runyan
Released: 1940-08-10

Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.

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The Mark of Zorro

as Don Luis B. Quintero
Released: 1940-11-08

Around 1820 the son of a California nobleman comes home from Spain to find his native land under...

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I Shot Jesse James

as Harry Kane
Released: 1949-02-26

Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to...

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A Song Is Born

as Dr. Elfini
Released: 1948-10-19

The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to...

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Jesse James

as George Runyan
Released: 1939-01-14

After railroad agents forcibly evict the James family from their family farm, Jesse and Frank...

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Reunion in France

as Durand
Released: 1942-12-25

Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a...

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Invisible Agent

as Karl Heiser
Released: 1942-08-07

The Invisible Man's grandson uses his secret formula to spy on Nazi Germany in this comedy-thriller.

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Arch of Triumph

as Verdun Hotel Manager
Released: 1948-02-17

In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black...

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Cloak and Dagger

as Trenk
Released: 1946-09-28

Italian partisans help a professor sent by the OSS to find an atomic scientist held by Nazis.

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I'll Give a Million

as Editor
Released: 1938-07-27

After saving a tramp from suicide, a millionaire takes his clothing and disappears. Word is out...

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Stowaway

as Judge Booth
Released: 1936-12-25

Chin-Ching gets lost in Shanghai and is befriended by American playboy Tommy Randall. She falls...

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Guilty Bystander

as Varkas
Released: 1950-04-20

A drunken ex-cop gets a shot at redemption when his young son is kidnapped after a smuggling...

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Strange Cargo

as Flaubert
Released: 1940-03-01

Convicts escaping from Devil's Island come under the influence of a strange Christ-like figure.

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Queen of the Amazons

as Gabby
Released: 1947-01-15

Jean Preston is determined to find her fiancée, Greg Jones, who went on a safari and didn’t come...

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Chip Off the Old Block

as Blaney Wright
Released: 1944-02-01

The son of a strict Navy officer falls for the daughter of a musical-comedy star.

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Charlie Chan on Broadway

as Murdock, Editor New York Bulletin
Released: 1937-09-22

Returning from European exile where she avoided testifying against her criminal associates, a...

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Tennessee Johnson

as Coke
Released: 1942-12-01

The tumultuous presidency of 19th-president Andrew Johnson is chronicled in this biopic. The...

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Lady of Burlesque

as S.B. Foss
Released: 1943-05-01

After one member of their group is murdered, the performers at a burlesque house must work...

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Voice in the Wind

as Dr. Hoffman
Released: 1944-03-03

Former concert pianist, victim of Nazi torture, pursues a confused, melancholic existence on the...

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The Missing Corpse

as Henry Kruger
Released: 1945-06-01

A feud between rival newspapermen Kruger (Bromberg) and McDonald (Guilfoyle) goes deadly when...

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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

as Doctor Hill
Released: 1938-03-18

Rebecca's Uncle Harry leaves her with Aunt Miranda who forbids her to associate with show...

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Pillow of Death

as Julian Julian
Released: 1945-12-14

Attorney Wayne Fletcher and his secretary have an affair. When Wayne's wife is found smothered...

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Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

as Professor Lazlo (archive footage)
Released: 1991-01-01

A history of the famous vampire of books and movies, using film clips, previews and other methods.

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Sins of Man

as Anton Engel
Released: 1936-06-19

Austrian church bell ringer Freyman loves music and wants his two sons (both played by Ameche)...

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The Baroness and the Butler

as Zorda
Released: 1938-02-18

A Butler gets elected to the Hungarian parliament where he opposes his master's government.

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Sally, Irene and Mary

as Pawnbroker
Released: 1938-03-04

Manicurists Sally, Irene and Mary hope to be Broadway entertainers. When Mary inherits an old...

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Girls Dormitory

as Dr. Spindler
Released: 1936-08-08

When a busybody teacher in a girls' finishing school finds a love letter from a student to an...

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Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

as Raja Ali
Released: 1938-06-11

In the jungle near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Mr. Moto poses as an ineffectual archaeologist and a...

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Second Honeymoon

as Herbie
Released: 1937-11-13

Raoul McLish stops over in Miami Beach where he runs into his ex-wife, Vicky Benton, and her new...

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Seventh Heaven

as Aristide the Astrologer
Released: 1937-03-25

A Parisian sewer worker longs for a rise in status and a beautiful wife. He rescues a girl from...

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The Many Faces of Dracula

as Professor Lazlo (archive footage)
Released: 2000-01-01

Hosted by Christopher Lee, this documentary examines the different actors who have portrayed...

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Tangier

as Alec Rocco
Released: 1946-06-06

In Tangier, disgraced American war correspondent Paul Kenyon, café dancer Rita and local...

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Suez

as Prince Said
Released: 1938-10-28

Ferdinand de Lesseps, disappointed in love, is sent as a junior diplomat to the Isthmus of Suez,...

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The Walls Came Tumbling Down

as Ernst Helms
Released: 1946-06-07

A PI investigates a priest's murder.

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Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

as Sid Gordon
Released: 1942-12-09

Kathy lives in a cramped New York flat with her father Madden Thomas, a celebrated actor brought...

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Wife, Husband and Friend

as Rossi
Released: 1939-03-03

Woman hopes to be a great singer and is encouraged by her scheming teacher. After she flops her...

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Devil Pays Off

as Arnold DeBrock
Released: 1941-11-10

A former Navy man attempts to redeem his honor by exposing a shipping tycoon's dealings with the...

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The Crime of Dr. Forbes

as Dr. Eric Godfrey
Released: 1936-07-05

Injured scientist Eric Godfrey asks his protege to give him a fatal dose of opiates to end his...

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Hollywood Cavalcade

as Dave Spingold
Released: 1939-10-13

Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she...

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Hurricane Smith

as 'Eggs' Bonelli
Released: 1941-07-20

Rodeo rider Hurricane Smith is wrongly convicted of murder and robbery, but escapes and creates...

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Pacific Blackout

as Pickpocket
Released: 1941-12-31

Falsely convicted of murder, young Robert Draper escapes custody during a practice blackout...

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That I May Live

as Tex Shapiro
Released: 1937-09-13

Crooks use a man's safe-cracking skills then involve him in more crime after he spends three...

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Half Way to Shanghai

as Maj. U. Vinpore
Released: 1942-09-18

A murder occurs on a train bound for Shanghai during World War II.

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Star for a Night

as Doctor Spelimeyer
Released: 1936-08-28

Blind Mrs. Lind comes to American to visit her three children whom she thinks are successful.

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Three Sons

as Abe Ullman
Released: 1939-10-13

A shop owner tries to interest his heirs in the family business.

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Reunion

as Charles Renard
Released: 1936-11-20

Newspapers around the world proclaim the birth in Moosetown, Canada of the 3,000th baby brought...

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Dance Hall

as Max Brandon
Released: 1941-07-18

Singer Lili Brown is attracted to dance hall manager Duke till she realizes he does that to all...

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Fair Warning

as Matthew Jericho
Released: 1937-03-05

In California's Death Valley a chemistry whiz-kid helps a sheriff track the man who murdered a...

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Easy to Look At

as Gustav
Released: 1945-06-01

In this musical, a talented aspiring costume designer leaves her small town to seek her fortune...

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One Wild Night

as Norman
Released: 1938-06-02

Frenzied comedy starring June Lang as a reporter investigating the mysterious disappearances of...

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The Lost City of X

as Lt. George (archival footage)
Released: 2022-07-08

A team of academics fly to South America in search of ancient ruins only to find disaster.

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