Philip Dorn

Born: 1901-09-30

Frits van Dongen (1901–1975), born Hein van der Niet and sometimes billed as Philip Dorn, was a Dutch actor who had a career in Hollywood. As a teenager he moved out of his parental home to perform in an amateur theatre group; his stage name Frits van Dongen already dates from that period. In the early 1920s, Van Dongen ended up in the professional stage, but it was not until 1934 that he starred in his first film: 'Op Hoop van Zegen'. This film marked his breakthrough as a film star in the Netherlands: in 1935 he played in 'De Big van het Regiment', 'De Kribbebijter' and 'Op Stap' and in 1936 in 'Rubber'. Van Dongen then left for Berlin to work with the likes of Veit Harlan and star in a number of successful German films. In 1939 Van Dongen and his second wife, Jewish actress Marianne van Dam, left for the United States at the invitation of director Henry Koster, who had directed Van Dongen in 'De Kribbebijter'. When he was given a seven-year contract at MGM, Van Dongen changed his name to Philip Dorn. After making his American debut in 1940 with 'Enemy Agent', he would frequently be cast as continental lover, anti-Nazi German or refugee. In 1952 he returned to Europe for several German films and a Dutch theatre tour with Lily Bouwmeester. In 1953 he quit acting in films, partly due to speech problems due to a concussion. He retired for the rest of his life in California, where he died.


Placeholder

The Fighting Kentuckian

as Col. Georges Geraud
Released: 1949-09-15

John Breen (John Wayne), a Kentucky militiaman falls in love with French exile Fleurette De...

Movie page

Random Harvest

as Dr. Jonathan Benet
Released: 1942-12-17

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident...

Movie page

Ziegfeld Girl

as Franz Kolter
Released: 1941-04-25

Discovery by Flo Ziegfeld changes a girl's life but not necessarily for the better, as three...

Movie page

Reunion in France

as Robert Cortot
Released: 1942-12-25

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

Movie page

I Remember Mama

as Papa
Released: 1948-03-09

Norwegian immigrant Marta Hanson keeps a firm but loving hand on her household of four children,...

Movie page

Tarzan's Secret Treasure

as Vandermeer
Released: 1941-12-01

A scientific expedition happens to discover that gold exists on Tarzan's escarpment. The...

Movie page

Escape

as Dr. Ditten
Released: 1940-11-01

An American goes to pre-war Germany to find his mother and discovers her in a concentration...

Movie page

Passage to Marseille

as Renault
Released: 1944-03-11

A freedom-loving French journalist sacrifices his happiness and security to battle Nazi tyranny.

Movie page

Underground

as Eric Franken
Released: 1941-06-28

A World War II Hollywood propaganda film detailing the dark underside of Nazism and the Third...

Movie page

Blonde Fever

as Peter Donay
Released: 1944-12-05

Peter and Delilah are a married couple running a roadside café in Nevada. Their stable...

Movie page

Calling Dr. Gillespie

as Dr. John Hunter Gerniede
Released: 1942-08-01

Dr. Kildare's friend Dr. Gillespie is called in to investigate when a young man suffering from...

Movie page

Sealed Cargo

as Konrad
Released: 1951-05-19

A Newfoundland fishingboat comes to the aid of a wrecked Danish sailing ship and tows it to a...

Movie page

Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)
Released: 1944-01-01

This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...

Movie page

Spy Hunt

as Paul Kopel
Released: 1950-06-08

Roger Quain, escorting two zoo-bound black panthers on the train from Milan to Paris, is...

Movie page

Paris After Dark

as Jean Blanchard
Released: 1943-10-15

Andre Marbel is the upper-class doctor who is able to continue his practice above suspicion even...

Movie page

I've Always Loved You

as Leopold Goronoff
Released: 1946-12-02

A beautiful young concert pianist is torn between her attraction to her arrogant but brilliant...

Movie page

The Tiger of Eschnapur

as Maharadscha von Eschnapur
Released: 1938-01-06

Movie page

Salto Mortale

as Cadenos
Released: 1954-12-17

Movie page

Enemy Agent

as Jeffry Arnold
Released: 1940-04-18

A man is framed for being a spy. After he is released, he sets out to find who the real spies are.

Movie page

The Cross-Patch

as Willy van Hergershuizen
Released: 1935-08-07

Willy, the son of baron Van Hergershuizen, finds himself disinherited after he marries an...

Movie page

Diamond Frontier

as Jan Stafford De Winter
Released: 1940-09-30

Story of the early days of the diamond-mining era in South Africa.

Movie page

Covered Tracks

as Bezirksarzt Dr. Morot
Released: 1938-08-25

Séraphine and her mother arrive in Paris to visit the 1867 World Exhibition. In an overcrowded...

Movie page

Behind Monastery Walls

as Thomas Holinka
Released: 1952-04-21

Thomas Holinka has returned home from war and captivity. In the absence of a suitable home, he...

Movie page

Chetniks!

as Gen. Draja Mihailovitch
Released: 1943-01-11

Subtitled The Fighting Guerillas, Chetniks tells the story of Yugoslavian guerilla fighter...

Movie page

The Indian Tomb

as Chandra, Maharadscha von Eschnapur
Released: 1938-01-27

After the events of Der Tiger von Eschnapur, Maharadscha Chandra is ready to execute his...

Movie page

Ski Patrol

as Viktor Ryder
Released: 1940-05-09

In 1939, a group of Finnish soldiers defend the border from Russian invaders.

Movie page

The Journey to Tilsit

as Endrik Settegast
Released: 1939-11-02

A villager is tempted by a sophisticated city woman and almost kills his wife in a boating accident.

Movie page

Escape in the Desert

as Philip Artveld
Released: 1945-05-01

Escaped Nazi POWs hold the denizens of a California resort hostage.

Movie page

Waltz Melodies

as Hans v. Waldenau
Released: 1938-01-20

The big revue star Marietta falls in love and gives up the stage career. The theatre stands...

Movie page

Türme des Schweigens

as Captain de Vries
Released: 1952-09-30

Movie page

De Big van het Regiment

as Berkhage
Released: 1935-04-19

Diary fragments tell of the arrival of Belgian refugees across the Dutch border in winter 1915....

Movie page

The Good Hope

as Geert
Released: 1934-12-21

Fisherman’s widow Kniertje urges her two younger sons to set sail on the ‘Op hoop van zegen’, a...

Movie page

Rubber

as Johannes 'John' van Laer
Released: 1936-01-04

John Van Laer is the overseer of a vast rubber plantation in the Dutch East Indies. His new wife...

Movie page

Der Hampelmann

as Peter
Released: 1938-10-26

Movie page

Dreaming Lips

as Michael
Released: 1953-01-29

Movie page

On the Move

as George van Reen
Released: 1935-01-01

Janus Fortuin is a goodhearted piano tuner married to a greedy landlady. Their daughter Polly is...

Movie page