Joseph was born on March 22, 1896 in Vienna, Austria, the son of Rudolf Schildkraut, an internationally famous actor, and of Erna Weinstein. From an early age, Schildkraut traveled widely with his father, meeting actors in all parts of Europe and elsewhere. He made his stage debut at the age of six in Buenos Aires, playing his father's grandson for one performance.
Joseph Schildkraut was educated by tutors. Schildkraut studied the violin and piano at the Imperial Academy of Music in Berlin, but his early love for the theater led him to Albert Basserman, a great character actor of the day, who agreed to coach him.
He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni, and William Powell were among his classmates. He was graduated in 1913.
Schildkraut accompanied his father on his first visit to the United States in 1910 to perform in New York. After graduation he accepted his first professional English-speaking role, the juvenile lead in Russell Janney's production of Edmond Rostand's play, The Romancers. Everywhere The Romancers played on tour, Schildkraut was singled out for praise by critics.
In 1913, when his father returned to Germany to join Max Reinhardt's company in Berlin, Schildkraut read for Reinhardt, who was impressed by his style and offered him a contract. In October 1913, he opened at the Kammerspielhaus as Jether in The Prodigal Son.
Still an Austrian citizen (he did not become an American citizen until 1938), Schildkraut served in the Austrian army (1914 - 1916) in World War I.
In 1918 Schildkraut came into his own as an actor in Vienna, appearing in three successive hits: Stephan Zweig's Jeremiah, George Kaiser's The Coral, and in Shadow Dance.
In 1920 Schildkraut returned to New York, where drama critic Kenneth Macgowan arranged a reading for him with the Theatre Guild. Schildkraut was promptly chosen to play the title role in Ferenc Molnar's Liliom. This production, costarring Eva Le Gallienne, opened in April 1921 to critical acclaim.
Schildkraut's first important movie role was in the D. W. Griffith production Orphans of the Storm (1921), with Lillian and Dorothy Gish. After starring in the title role of Peer Gynt (1923), he left the Theatre Guild to play Benvenuto Cellini in Edwin Justus Mayer's The Firebrand (1924).
In 1927 Cecil B. DeMille invited Schildkraut to Hollywood to team with his father in The King of Kings. He remained on the West Coast until 1931, managing the Hollywood Playhouse, producing plays, and appearing in such films as The Forbidden Woman (1927), Tenth Avenue (1928), and Show Boat (1929).
Following his father's death in 1930, Schildkraut returned to New York, where he played the title role in a stage revival of The Affairs of Anatol (1931). He then went to England and made two films, Carnival and Blue Danube.
He joined Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Company in 1932 and appeared in revivals of Liliom and Camille and in Alice in Wonderland. Following the company's collapse in 1933, he starred in Elmer Rice's Between Two Worlds (1934).
Movie offers took him back to Hollywood, where he appeared in numerous films including Cleopatra (1934), Viva Villa! (1934), and The Crusades (1935). Schildkraut eagerly accepted a part as a Staten Islander in Clifford Odets' Clash by Night. Schildkraut worked with his favorite actress, Eva Le Gallienne, in Uncle Harry (1942) and a revival of The Cherry Orchard (1944). While under contract with Republic Pictures, he appeared in a series of undistinguished films from 1945 to 1948. In 1951 Broadway beckoned again. Schildkraut played Mr. Dulcimer in The Green Bay Tree (1951) and appeared in the New York City Center's production of Love's Labour's Lost (1953).
He was host of his own television series, "Joseph Schildkraut Presents" (1953 - 1954), and occasionally starred in the half-hour dramas. In October 1955, Schildkraut returned to Broadway, giving one of his most memorable performances in The Diary of Anne Frank. Winner of several awards, the play ran on Broadway and toured for more than thirty months.
Schildkraut completed his scenes as Nicodemus in George Stevens' movie The Greatest Story Ever Told, three months before his death in New York City.
During his long career Joseph Schildkraut appeared in several dozen plays, over sixty films, and more than eighty television productions. Schildkraut is perhaps best remembered today for playing the role of Otto Frank in both the original stage production and film version of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). For his portrayal of Captain Dreyfus in The Life of Emile Zola (1937) he won an Academy Award as best supporting actor. His other famous roles are in films - Marie Antoinette, Orphans of the Storm (1938), Shipwrecked (1926). He also appeared in guest roles on several famous television shows, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame, Joseph Schildkraut Presents and others. For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Schildkraut has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard.
Quotes from others about the person
As commentator Critt Davis has noted: "These are the hallmarks of a good character actor and Joseph Schildkraut was one of the best. "
On April 7, 1922, during the long run of Liliom, Schildkraut married Elise Bartlett, a young actress. They were divorced in 1931. He married Mary McKay in 1932, until her death on February 17, 1962. In 1963 he married Leonora Rogers, a young actress.
