Sig Ruman
Acting1884Hamburg, Germany
Biography
Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypical Teutonic officials or villains. Ruman made his film debut in Lucky Boy (1929).
He became a favorite of the Marx Brothers, appearing in A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, and A Night in Casablanca. His German accent and large stature kept him busy during World War II, playing sinister Nazi characters in a series of wartime thrillers.
During this period, he also appeared in several films by director Ernst Lubitsch including Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be. Ruman continued playing over-the-top German characters later in his career for Billy Wilder in The Emperor Waltz, Stalag 17, and The Fortune Cookie.
Known For
Acting History
1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
1966
Way... Way Out
as Russian Delegate
The Fortune Cookie
as Professor Winterhalter
Doom of Dracula
as The Burgomaster (archive footage)
The Last of the Secret Agents?
as Prof. Werner von Koenig
1965
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
TVas Conductor Schultz• 1 eps
Petticoat Junction
TVas Professor Lieberschmit• 1 eps
The Addams Family
TVas Eric Von Bissell• 1 eps
1964
Robin and the 7 Hoods
as Hammacher (uncredited)
36 Hours
as German Guard
Daniel Boone
TVas Van Coot• 1 eps
1963
The Danny Kaye Show
TVas Self• 1 eps
1962
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TVas Himelmayer• 1 eps
1961
One, Two, Three
as Count von Droste Schattenburg (voice) (uncredited)
The Errand Boy
as Baron Elston Carteblanche
1960
Around the World with Nellie Bly
as Tug Captain
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TVas Self• 1 eps
One Step Beyond
TVas Franz Schuldorf• 1 eps
1958
Maverick
TVas Capt. Steeger• 1 eps
1957
The Wings of Eagles
as Manager
1955
1954
Living It Up
as Dr. Emile Egelhofer
The Glenn Miller Story
as W. Kranz
3 Ring Circus
as Fritz Schlitz
White Christmas
as Landlord (uncredited)
1953
Stalag 17
as Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Houdini
as Schultz
General Electric Theater
TVas Dr. Haegendorff
1952
Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
as Cyrus Kraft
O. Henry's Full House
as Menkie (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
The World in His Arms
as General Ivan Vorashilov
1951
On the Riviera
as Gapeaux
1950
Father Is a Bachelor
as Jericho Schlosser
1949
Border Incident
as Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich
1948
If You Knew Susie
as Count Alexis
Give My Regards to Broadway
as Arthur Dinkel
The Emperor Waltz
as Dr. Zwieback
1947
Mother Wore Tights
as Papa
1946
Faithful in My Fashion
as Professor Boris Riminoffsky
A Night in Casablanca
as Count Pfefferman / Heinrich Stubel
Night and Day
as Wilowski
1945
The Dolly Sisters
as Ignatz Tsimmis
A Royal Scandal
as General Ronsky
She Went to the Races
as Dr. Gurke
Men in Her Diary
as Mme. Irene
1944
House of Frankenstein
as Burgomeister Hussman
Summer Storm
as Kuzma
It Happened Tomorrow
as Mr. Beckstein
The Hitler Gang
as General von Hindenburg
1943
Tarzan Triumphs
as Sergeant
The Song of Bernadette
as Louis Bouriette
They Came to Blow Up America
as Dr. Herman Holger
Government Girl
as Ambassador
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Joe Flugelman
1942
To Be or Not to Be
as Col. Ehrhardt
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
as Heinrich, Spy Leader
China Girl
as Jarubi
Berlin Correspondent
as Dr. Dietrich
Desperate Journey
as Preuss
Crossroads
as Dr. Alex Dubroc
Remember Pearl Harbor
as Dirk Van Hoorten
1941
That Uncertain Feeling
as Kafka (as Sig Rumann)
World Premiere
as Franz von Bushmaster
Love Crazy
as Dr. Wuthering
So Ends Our Night
as Ammers
The Wagons Roll at Night
as Hoffman the Great
This Woman Is Mine
as John Jacob Astor
Breakdowns of 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Shining Victory
as Professor Herman Von Reiter
The Man Who Lost Himself
as Dr. Simms (as Sig Rumann)
1940
Four Sons
as Newmann
Bitter Sweet
as Herr Schlick
Victory
as Mr. Schomberg
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
as Dr. Hans Wolfert
Comrade X
as Emil Von Hofer
I Was an Adventuress
as Herr Protz
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
as Van Cleve
1939
Honolulu
as Psychiatrist
Only Angels Have Wings
as Dutchy
Remember?
as Dr. Schmidt
Ninotchka
as Comrade Iranoff
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
as Krogman
Never Say Die
as Poppa Ingleborg
1938
The Saint in New York
as Hutch Rellin
Girls on Probation
as Roger Heath
I'll Give a Million
as Anatole Primerose
Suez
as Sergeant Pellerin
The Great Waltz
as Wertheimer
Paradise for Three
as Mr. Bold
1937
Heidi
as Police Captain
A Day at the Races
as Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
Thin Ice
as Prime Minister
Lancer Spy
as Lt. Col. Gottfried Hollen
Seventh Heaven
as Durand (as Sig Rumann)
Maytime
as Fanchon (as Sig Rumann)
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
as Nicolas Marloff
Thank You, Mr. Moto
as Colonel Tchernov
Nothing Sacred
as Dr. Emil Eggelhoffer
On the Avenue
as Herr Hanfstangel
Love Under Fire
as General Montero
This Is My Affair
as Gus
Midnight Taxi
as John B. Rudd
The Great Hospital Mystery
as Dr. Taggert
1936
The Bold Caballero
as Commandante Sebastian Golle
The Princess Comes Across
as Steindorf
1935
A Night at the Opera
as Gottlieb
The Wedding Night
as Mr. Jan Novak
The Farmer Takes a Wife
as Blacksmith
Spring Tonic
as Matt Conklin
Under Pressure
as Doctor
East of Java
as Hans Muller
1934
Marie Galante
as Brogard
The World Moves On
as Baron von Gerhardt (as Siegfried Rumann)
Servants' Entrance
as Hans Hansen (as Siegfried Rumann)
1929
Lucky Boy
as Bridge player (Unbilled)
Die Königsloge
as Bailiff