| Paul Muni Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 9 in |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Date of Birth | September 22, 1895 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Date of Death | August 25, 1967 |
Paul Muni was an American actor and stage artist who was considered one of the most prestigious actors at the Warner Bros. studio during the 1930s. His film credits include Scarface, Seven Faces, The Story of Louis Pasteur, The Valiant, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, The World Changes, Black Fury, A Song to Remember, Hudson’s Bay, Bordertown, Dr. Socrates, Angel on My Shoulder, The Good Earth, Imbarco a mezzanotte, The Woman I Love, Commandos Strike at Dawn, The Life of Emile Zola, Counter-Attack, We Are Not Alone, Juarez, Stage Door Canteen, The Last Angry Man, and Hi, Nellie!. He was a 5-time Academy Award nominee (for The Valiant, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, The Story of Louis Pasteur, The Life of Emile Zola, and The Last Angry Man), winning the award for The Story of Louis Pasteur in 1936.
Born Name
Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund
Other Names
Paul Muni, Muni Weisenfreund, Meshilem (his Hebrew name), Moony, Munya
Age
He was born on September 22, 1895.
Died
On August 25, 1967, Paul Muni died of a heart disorder at the age of 71 in Montecito, California, United States.
Resting Place
Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, United States
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
Lemberg, Austro-Hungarian Empire (later: Lviv, Ukraine)
Residence
He resided in California, United States.
Nationality
Education
Paul Muni studied in New York and Cleveland public schools.
Occupation
Actor, Stage Artist
Family
- Father – Phillip Weisenfreund (Actor)
- Mother – Salli (b. Khaya Tsilke Fishler) (Actor)
- Others – Moishe Finkel (c. 1850 – June 7, 1904) (also known as Morris or Maurice Finkel) (Father-In-Law) (Businessperosn and a prominent figure in the early years of Yiddish theater), Emma Thomashefsky Finkel (Mother-In-Law) (Actor) (Died in 1929), Lucy Finkel (Sister-In-Law), Abem Finkel (Brother-In-Law) (Scriptwriter)
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 9 in or 175 cm
Weight
75 kg or 165.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Paul Muni dated –
- Bella Finkel (1921-1967) – He got married to Bella Finkel (February 8, 1898 – October 1, 1971) in the year 1921 and they remained together until his death in 1967. She was an actor in the Yiddish theatre.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Paul Muni was of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- His complete transformations into the roles he played
- Shy personality
Religion
He was raised in a Jewish household.
Paul Muni Facts
- His first language was Yiddish.
- He was 7 years old when he emigrated to the United States with his family in 1902. The family then settled in Chicago.
- He developed his make-up skills at a young age and that enabled him to play much older characters. Film historian Robert Osborne stated that Muni’s makeup skills were so creative that for most of his roles, “he transformed his appearance so completely, he was dubbed ‘the new Lon Chaney.'”
- Paul Muni was 12 years old when he was cast in his debut stage role, playing an 80-year-old man.
- He made his first theatrical film appearance as James Dyke in the 1929 pre-Code drama film The Valiant. This role got him nominated for an Academy Award in the “Best Actor” category.
- He portrayed the character of Louis Pasteur (a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization) in the black-and-white biographical film The Story of Louis Pasteur in 1936. This performance earned Paul Muni an Academy Award for “Best Actor”.
- Along with David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Luther Adler, Claudia McNeil, and Joby Baker, Paul Muni co-starred as Dr. Samuel “Sam” Abelman in the 1959 drama film The Last Angry Man. This marked Muni’s last film appearance and the role won him the Mar del Plata Film Festival Award for “Best Actor” while he was also nominated for an Academy Award as well as a New York Film Critics Circle Award for “Best Actor”.
Featured Image by Trailer Screenshot / ‘Scarface’ Trailer / Public Domain
