Fritz Feld

Fritz Feld
Fritz Feld, pictured in 1979 with his wife, Virginia Christine.
Born	Fritz Feilchenfeld October 15, 1900(1900-10-15) Berlin, Germany
Died	November 18, 1993(1993-11-18) (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1917–1989
Spouse	Virginia Christine (m. 1940–1993) «start: (1940)–end+1: (1994)»"Marriage: Virginia Christine to Fritz Feld" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Feld)

Fritz Feld (October 15, 1900 – November 18, 1993) was a film character actor actor who appeared in over 140 films, both silent and sound.^[1] His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound.^[2][3]

Biography

Born Fritz Feilchenfeld in Berlin, Germany, Feld began his acting career in Germany in 1917, and developed a characterization that came to define him. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a "pop!" sound that indicated both his superiority and his annoyance. The first use of the "pop" sound was in If You Knew Susie (1947).^[2]

Feld often played the part of a maître d', but also a variety of artistocrats and eccentrics; his characters were indeterminately European, sometimes French and sometimes Belgian but always with his particular mannerisms. In his later years he appeared in several Walt Disney films and also played an uncharacteristically touching dramatic role in Barfly. In addition to films, he acted in numerous television series in guest roles, including the recurring role of "Zumdish" the manager of the intergalactic Celestial Department Store on Lost In Space.

Feld made his final film appearance in 1989. He died on November 18, 1993 in Los Angeles, California at age 93.^[4]

Personal

Feld was married to Virginia Christine who was 20 years younger than him from 1940 until his 1993 passing; Christine died in 1996.^[1][4]

Selected filmography

• Black Magic (1929)
• One Hysterical Night (1929)
• Bringing Up Baby (1938)
• The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
• Swingtime in the Movies (1938)
• At the Circus (1939)
• Idiot's Delight (1939)
• Phantom of the Opera (1943)
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
• Mexican Hayride (1948)
• Paris Playboys (1953)
• Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
• Who's Minding the Store? (1963)
• The Patsy (1964)
• Hello, Dolly! (1969)
• The Sunshine Boys (1975)
• Herbie Rides Again (1974)
• Silent Movie (1976)
• Freaky Friday (1976)
• Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)
• History of the World, Part I (1981)
• Homer and Eddie (1989)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Fritz Feld, Actor, 93". New York Times. November 23, 1993. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5D6143BF930A15752C1A965958260. Retrieved 2009-02-11. "Fritz Feld, a character actor who appeared in hundreds of films, radio programs, television shows and commercials, died on Thursday at a convalescent home after a lengthy illness. He was 93. Mr. Feld performed with numerous stars in a career that began in silent films." 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Fritz Feld". AllMovie. http://www.allmovie.com/artist/fritz-feld-22985. Retrieved 2009-07-21. "It was in 1947's If You Knew Susie that Feld developed his signature "schtick": the sharp "Pop!" sound effect created by smacking his open mouth with the flattened palm of his hand." 
3. ^ "Fritz Feld. Character Actor's Career Spanned Many Eras". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1993. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60257126.xml?dids=60257126:60257126&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+21%2C+1993&author=MYRNA+OLIVER&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Fritz+Feld%3B+Character+Actor%27s+Career+Spanned+Many+Eras&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-07-29. "[Fritz Feld], veteran character actor who played movie directors, spies, conductors, psychiatrists, waiters, heavies and comedians for seven decades in 425 films, 500 television shows, 1,000 radio programs and 80 commercials, has died. He was 93. Feld's career endured from the silent era through the development of radio and television and to modern comedy films such as "The Sunshine Boys" in 1975 and Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part I" in 1981. When 20th Century Fox staged "A Tribute to Fritz Feld-60 Years in the Movies" at Hollywood's Tiffany Theater in 1977, Feld preferred to talk about the people he had worked with." 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Virginia Christine, TV's Mrs. Olson, 76". Associated Press in New York Times. July 26, 1996. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/23/obituaries/fritz-feld-actor-93.html. Retrieved 2009-02-11. "Virginia Christine, a character actress who portrayed the motherly Mrs. Olson in Folger's coffee television commercials for 21 years, died on Wednesday at her home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. She was 76. The cause was heart complications, her family said." 

External links

• Fritz Feld at the Internet Movie Database
• Fritz Feld at the Internet Broadway Database
• Fritz Feld at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Feld, Fritz
Alternative names	Feilchenfeld, Fritz
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	15 October 1900
Place of birth	Berlin, Germany
Date of death	18 November 1993
Place of death	Los Angeles, California U.S.