Philip Dorn
Encyclopedia
Philip Dorn born Hein van der Niet and sometimes billed as Frits van Dongen, was a Dutch
actor who had a career in Hollywood
.
Dorn was born in Scheveningen, The Hague
, South Holland
and made his stage debut at age 14 in Dutch productions. By the 1930s, he was a popular matinee idol and was acting in films. From Germany
, where he had worked with the likes of Veit Harlan
, he moved to United States
when World War II
broke out and acted in a number of films, starting with Enemy Agent in 1940. He was usually cast as Continental lovers, anti-Nazi Germans or refugees. In the 1950s, he returned to Europe and acted in German films.
, requiring surgery and causing a number of stroke
s. After an accident on stage, he retired in 1955 and spent the next 20 years of his life in his home in California. He died of a heart attack
in Los Angeles
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
actor who had a career in Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Dorn was born in Scheveningen, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
and made his stage debut at age 14 in Dutch productions. By the 1930s, he was a popular matinee idol and was acting in films. From Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he had worked with the likes of Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...
, he moved to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out and acted in a number of films, starting with Enemy Agent in 1940. He was usually cast as Continental lovers, anti-Nazi Germans or refugees. In the 1950s, he returned to Europe and acted in German films.
Last years
Dorn suffered from phlebitisPhlebitis
Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs.When phlebitis is associated with the formation of blood clots , usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis...
, requiring surgery and causing a number of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s. After an accident on stage, he retired in 1955 and spent the next 20 years of his life in his home in California. He died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Marriages
He was married twice. Firstly to Cornelia Maria Twilt (1921–1930), and secondly, until his death in 1975, to Dutch actress Marianne van Dam (1933–1975).Partial filmography
- Op hoop van zegenOp hoop van zegen (1934 film)Op hoop van zegen is a 1934 Dutch drama film directed by Alex Benno.-Cast:*Esther De Boer-van Rijk ... Kniertje*Philip Dorn ... Geert - haar zoon *Jan Van Ees ... Barend - haar zoon*Annie Verhulst ... Jo - haar nicht...
(1934) - Op StapOp StapOp Stap is a 1935 Dutch musical comedy film directed by Ernst Winar.-Cast:*Jan Blok *Frans Boogaers *Heintje Davids ... Mrs. Fortuin*Louis Davids... Piano Tuner*Fien de la Mar ... Bella Ramona*Alex De Meester...
(1935) - The Cross-PatchThe Cross-PatchThe Cross-Patch or De Kribbebijter is a 1935 Dutch film directed by Henry Koster and Ernst Winar.-Cast:*Cor Ruys ... Baron de Kribbebijter*Philip Dorn ... Willy *Dolly Mollinger ... Loes...
or De Kribbebijter (1935) - Rubber (1936)
- De Big van het RegimentDe Big van het RegimentDe Big van het Regiment is a 1939 Dutch film directed by Max Nosseck.-Cast:*Philip Dorn ... Berkhage *Fien de la Mar ... Fietje*Heintje Davids ... Annemie*Jopie Koopman ... Nora*Sylvain Poons ... Maupie...
(1939) - EscapeEscape (1940 film)Escape is a 1940 drama film about an American in pre-World War II Nazi Germany who discovers his mother is in a concentration camp and tries desperately to free her. It starred Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt and Alla Nazimova...
(1940) - Ziegfeld GirlZiegfeld Girl (film)Ziegfeld Girl is a 1941 American film starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner, and co-starring Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper, Eve Arden, and Philip Dorn. Released by MGM, it was directed by Robert Z...
(1941) - UndergroundUnderground (1941 film)Underground is a 1941 film about the German Resistance opposing the Nazis in World War II. Jeffrey Lynn and Philip Dorn play two brothers initially on opposite sides.-Cast:*Jeffrey Lynn as Kurt Franken*Philip Dorn as Eric Franken...
(1941) - Tarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret Treasure is a 1941 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is the fifth in the MGM Tarzan series to star Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan.-Plot:An expedition team arrives on Tarzan's escarpment...
(1941) - Random Harvest (1942)
- Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942)
- Reunion in FranceReunion in FranceReunion in France is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film starring Joan Crawford, Phillip Dorn, and John Wayne in a story about a woman who, suspecting her well-heeled lover has Nazi connections, aids a downed American flyer. The screenplay by Jan Lustig, Marvin Borowsky and Marc Connelly was based...
(1942) - Chetniks! The Fighting GuerrillasChetniks! The Fighting GuerrillasChetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas was a major war film made by Twentieth Century Fox in 1943. The film starred Philip Dorn, Anna Sten, and Martin Kosleck. The movie, originally titled The Seventh Column, was directed by Louis King based on a story by Jack Andrews, who also co-wrote the screenplay....
(1943) - Passage to MarseillePassage to MarseillePassage to Marseille is a 1944 war film made by Warner Brothers, directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. The screenplay was by Casey Robinson and Jack Moffitt from the novel Sans Patrie by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall...
(1944) - I Remember MamaI Remember MamaI Remember Mama is a play by John Van Druten. Based on the fictionalized memoir Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, it focuses on the Hanson family, a loving family of Norwegian immigrants living on Steiner Street in San Francisco in the 1910s.Produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein...
(1948) - The Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
(1949) - Sealed CargoSealed CargoSealed Cargo is a 1951 war film about a fisherman, played by Dana Andrews, who gets tangled up with Nazis and their U-boats. It was based on the novel The Gaunt Woman by Edmund Gilligan.-Plot:...
(1951)