A Tribute to Peter Lorre

The below video was created by Youtube user ZZ, and her channel is really worth checking out!

The nervous henchman and 'doctor' of a scarred maniac. The mentally deranged child killer stalking the streets of pre-WW2 Berlin. A conniving, greasy villain. A mad scientist fascinated with one woman and the macabre experiment he performs on her husband. An innocent victim of war driven to crime. Abusive alcoholic. Charming playboy. Most of these roles do not sound nuanced in a sentence which does little justice to a talent so often overlooked. Who am I talking about, ladies and gentlemen? None other than Peter Lorre himself. As if the video above and the title of the post didn't make that painfully obvious.

Leaving us at only 59 years old from an unfortunate stroke after years of alcoholism and morphine addiction due to chronic pain, Peter Lorre had more depth than any actor I can think of today - - and yet hardly any of his roles made this man the star. Even in his break-out role, where Lorre shined so brightly and darkly at the same time, 'M', most of the film was focused on the events surrounding his character. Only at the very end do we really get some wonderful scenes with Peter Lorre that drove home so beautifully how much of a talent he was. The film 'The Face Behind the Mask' (1941) is absolutely incredible.

Getting his start in experimental and improvisational theatre in Berlin. Hungarian-born under the name László Loewenstein, it wasn't long after 'M' that Peter got his next great role in 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. It is unfortunate that he was so type-cast, despite how well he played the roles. I would like to take a moment to thank Peter for giving the world so much with his performances, and to end this tribute with a lovely quote from Vincent Price upon hearing of his friend's, passing:

"Peter was the most inventive actor I've ever known. He was a great scholar, an accomplished dramatic actor and a masterful comedian. "Peter liked to make pictures which entertained people, not critics. He didn't have any pretensions about conveying messages to the world."