Trivia

His second wife (of 29 years) died during the three-day filming of the third-season finale of The Twilight Zone (1959), The Trade-Ins (1962). Coming from a theatrical family, he insisted on finishing the production before he'd begin mourning. In the episode he plays an elderly man who must choose between a new body for himself or living the rest of his life with his wife in a pain-wracked body; Schildkraut's personal torments add even more poignancy to what many consider to be one of the series' best episodes.

The Jewish Schildkraut played a victim of the Holocaust three times, in the original stage and film (The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)) versions of "The Diary of Anne Frank," as Otto Frank, and Deaths-Head Revisited (1961) as Becker. Although by then a US citizen, living and working in America during the time of the Holocaust, he had many relatives murdered by the Nazis, the full extent of which he didn't learn until after World War II.

He died from a heart attack after a song-and-dance rehearsal for a musical comedy "Cafe Crown," which was due for a New York opening in the spring of 1964. His cremated ashes were laid to rest next to the remains of his parents in Hollywood's Beth Olum Cemetary.

Although he had been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for The Life of Emile Zola (1937), he did not plan to attend the Oscar ceremony at first because his agent mistakenly informed him that he was not a favorite and was not going to win. He had gone to bed but was awakened by someone who received information that Schildkraut was indeed going to win. He arrived at the Warner Bros. table just in time to pick up his Oscar from director Frank Capra. The Zola film also won "Best Picture" and "Best Screenplay".

His final film, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), was released almost 15 months after his death.

Despite preferring women, Eva Le Gallienne entered into an on-and-off long-term romance with Joseph for many years following their joint appearances in the play "Liliom" in 1921.

In an in-depth article by Ken Dennis from the Fall 2008 issue of "Classic Images", it is said that Rudolph Schildkraut strongly disapproved of his son Joseph Schildkraut's interest in the theatre and insisted he follow a career in music. Joseph was determined, however, and his father eventually relented.

His favorite actress was Eva Le Gallienne.

When material on his life was being researched for an article that would eventually appear in the February 1973 issue of "Films in Review," the actor claimed to have been in a 1908 silent version on "The Wandering Jew" co-starring his father and produced in Berlin. He also recalled appearing in two other German silents, Für den Ruhm des Geliebten (1916) ("For the Glory of Her Lover") with Maria Carmi and a German-language version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray.".

First non-American born actor to win an Oscar as "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (The Life of Emile Zola (1937)).

The actor Joseph Schildkraut had a big burden when he had chosen the profession of an actor. His father Rudolf Schildkraut was one of the most famous theater actors of his time and the shadow he threw was immense. But in contrast to many other actor sons this was pressure was no problem for the young Joseph Schildkraut.

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Schildkraut has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard.

After first great successes at the theater he made his film debut in the German movie "Schlemihl" (1915), in which also his father played a role. It followed the movies "Das Wiegenlied" (1915) and "Schweigepflicht" (1916). In 1920 he appeared in the Austrian movie "Der Roman der Komtesse Orth" (20), after that the family Schildkraut emigrated to the USA. There he soon rose to a leading actor for the Broadway and when D.W. Griffith engaged for his movie "Orphans of the Storm" (22), the way to a film career was paved for Joseph Schildkraut.

He already appeared on stages as a child and in 1910 he went together with his father to the USA where he studied acting.

Schildkraut also hosted and starred in Joseph Schildkraut Presents, a short-lived series on the DuMont Television Network from October 1953 to January 1954.

Appears in four Oscar Best Picture nominees: Viva Villa! (1934), Cleopatra (1934), The Life of Emile Zola (1937) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). The Life of Emile Zola is the only winner. All four films are biographies of historical characters whose names are in the title of the films.

He appeared in two films about the life of Jesus Christ: The King of Kings (1927) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). He played Judas Iscariot in the former and Nicodemus in the latter.

His father Rudolph Schildkraut nicknamed "Pepi," a name that stuck for life. The younger Schildkraut is on record as saying he did not know why he was given that name but denied it was a contraction of Giuseppe, the Italian version of Joseph.

For the movie " The Life of Emile Zola", he achieved for 1936's Best Support Actor Academy Award for his part as Captain Alfred Dreyfus.

Made his stage debut on October 23, 1913, in Berlin.

In 1963, he was nominated for a Best Actor Emmy Award for his performance in a guest starring role on NBC's Sam Benedict legal drama which starred Edmond O'Brien and Richard Rust.

From 1913 he was a successful actor on Max Reinhardt's stage.

He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Son of actor Rudolph Schildkraut.

His biography "My Father and I" was published in 1959.

Cousin of actor/mime Robert Shields.

Second cousin of the late Blanche Schildkraut Klein, maternal grandmother of Vicki Roberts.

Alumnus of the AADA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts), Class of 1913.