Villain of the Month: Paul Panzer
If he had done nothing else but make Perils of Pauline (1914), Paul Panzer would still be an important fixture in movie history. A German immigrant, Panzer first came to Hollywood as a set builder in 1903. He made his film debut in Escape From Sing Sing (1905). Though he would play a variety of roles in the early days of Hollywood, It was as the villainous Kroener in Pauliine that would cement his reputation as a premier movie villain. He would rack up an impressive 75 bad guy roles in both features and serials over a short fifteen year period.
Other serials included Jimmy Dale Alias the Grey Seal (1917), The Masked Rider (1919), The Mystery Mind (1920), Hawk of the Hills (1927), The Chinatown Mystery (1928), The Black Book (1928) and Tarzan the Tiger (1929). Unfortunately, with the coming of sound his accent instantly sank his career. Though he would continue to work in film through the 1940’s, accruing over two hundred films appearances, they were for the most part uncredited bit roles, ironically one of them would be in the Pearl White biopic, The Perils of Pauline (1947).
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