Berry Kroeger

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Berry Kroeger
Kroeger as the narrator for The Big Story, 1947.
Born(1912-10-16)October 16, 1912
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1991(1991-01-04) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1932–1991
SpouseMary Agnes (?-1991) (his death)

Berry Kroeger (October 16, 1912 – January 4, 1991) was an American film, television and stage actor.

Career

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Kroeger was born in San Antonio, Texas. He got his acting start on radio as an announcer on Suspense and as an actor, playing for a time The Falcon in the radio series[1] Also on radio, he portrayed Dr. Reed Bannister on Big Sister,[2] narrated Salute to Youth,[2]: 293  and was a regular as Sam Williams on Young Doctor Malone.[3]

Kroeger made his Broadway debut on December 6, 1943, at the Royale Theatre as Miley in Nunnally Johnson's The World's Full of Girls, which was adapted from Thomas Bell's 1943 novel Till I Come Back to You.[4] He went on to appear in Reclining Figure (1954), Julius Caesar (1950), and The Tempest (1944).[5] He portrayed the High Lama in the 1956 musical adaptation of Lost Horizon titled Shangri-La.[6]

Kroeger was discovered by filmmaker William Wellman while performing on Broadway[7] and began appearing in films with his role in The Iron Curtain (1948). He specialized in playing slimy bad guys in films like Act of Violence (1948), The Iron Curtain (1948), a crooked lawyer in Cry of the City (1948) and a heavy in Joseph H. Lewis' crime film, Gun Crazy (1949).[8]

His flair for decadent leering and evil scowls often led to his being cast in "schlock fare", like Chamber of Horrors (1966) and The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971).[9] He appeared in a small role as a village elder in Young Frankenstein (1974).[10] He also appeared in dozens of television programs. He guest starred on seven episodes of Perry Mason as well as in episodes of The Rifleman, Hawaiian Eye, Get Smart (as a character spoofing actor Sydney Greenstreet) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. His last major film role was in 1977's The Demon Seed (1977).[9]

Death

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Kroeger died on January 4, 1991, of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[11][7]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1941 Tom, Dick and Harry Boy Lead in Movie Voice, Uncredited
1948 The Iron Curtain John Grubb, aka 'Paul'
1948 Cry of the City W.A. Niles
1948 The Dark Past Mike
1949 Act of Violence Johnny
1949 Down to the Sea in Ships Manchester
1949 Black Magic Alexandre Dumas, Sr.
1949 Fighting Man of the Plains Cliff Bailey
1949 Chicago Deadline Solly Wellman
1950 Gun Crazy Packett
1950 Guilty of Treason Hungarian State Police Col. Timar
1951 The Sword of Monte Cristo Minister Charles La Roche
1952 Battles of Chief Pontiac Col. von Weber
1955 Yellowneck Plunkett
1955 Blood Alley Old Feng
1956 Man in the Vault Willis Trent
1960 Seven Thieves Hugo Baumer
1960 The Story of Ruth Huphim
1960 The Walking Target Arnie Hoffman
1961 The Rifleman Ansel Bain Episode: "Closer than a Brother"
1961 Atlantis, the Lost Continent Surgeon
1962 Mister Ed Jack Brady Episode: "Zsa Zsa"
1962 Womanhunt Petrie / Osgood
1962 Hitler Ernst Röhm
1964 The Time Travelers Preston
1964 Youngblood Hawke Jock Maas
1966 Chamber of Horrors Chun Sing
1969 Nightmare in Wax Max Black
1970 The Wild Scene Tim O'Shea
1970 Tora! Tora! Tora! U.S. Army General Uncredited
1971 The Mephisto Waltz Raymont
1971 The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant Max
1971 The Seven Minutes Paul Van Fleet
1973 Pets The Art Connoisseur
1974 Young Frankenstein First Village Elder Uncredited
1975 The Man in the Glass Booth Joachim Berger
1977 Demon Seed Petrosian

References

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  1. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. pg. 13.
  2. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  3. ^ Cox, Jim (2015). The Great Radio Soap Operas. McFarland & Company. p. 278.
  4. ^ B F. (December 18, 1943). "Legitimate: BROADWAY OPENINGS - THE ROYALE". Billboard. Vol. 55, no. 51. p. 27-28.
  5. ^ "("Berry Kroeger" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  6. ^ Adams, Val (March 15, 1956). STAGE REHEARSAL TO BE SEEN ON TV; 'Wide Wide World' Will Visit Session of 'Shangri-La,' a New Musical, on April 15. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b "Berry Kroeger". Variety. January 13, 1991. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  8. ^ Karen Burroughs Hannsberry (2014). Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. McFarland & Company.
  9. ^ a b Warren, Bill (2017). Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, The 21st Century Edition. McFarland & Company.
  10. ^ Landesman, Fred (2015). The John Wayne Filmography. McFarland & Company. p. 44.
  11. ^ Fraser, C. Gerald (January 12, 1991). "Berry Kroeger, 78, An Actor in Radio, Theater and Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.

Turner Classic Movies

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