John Banner American actor Date of Birth: 29.01.1910 Country: USA

1. Biography of John Banner
2. Early Life and World War II
3. Move to America
4. Acting Career
5. Later Years and Death

Biography of John Banner

John Banner, an American actor of Jewish descent, was once extremely famous during the first half of the 20th century. He played numerous interesting roles and gained a large following of fans.

Early Life and World War II

John Banner was born on January 29, 1910, in Vienna, Austria. His early childhood was happy, but his family faced persecution by the Nazis during World War II. Banner ended up in a concentration camp, which he was fortunate enough to survive. At that time, the fascist policy of mass extermination of Jews had not yet come into full force.

Move to America

In 1938, John Banner was actively working with a theater troupe in Switzerland. However, when he planned to return to his homeland in Austria, he was unable to do so due to the escalating persecution of Jews. Despite not knowing a word of English, Banner decided to go to America. He quickly mastered the language, thanks to his natural talent for languages and sciences. His legal education also played a significant role in his later career.

Acting Career

After completing his legal studies, Banner realized that his true dream was to pursue an acting career. He had a natural talent for it and appeared in over forty films. Ironically, many of his characters were extremely contradictory and evoked a range of emotions within Banner himself. For example, when he had to portray Nazis, he executed the role brilliantly, but in his heart, he suffered (understandably, as it was the fascists who had killed his entire family and deprived him of many joys in life). Nevertheless, Banner played the roles as required, showcasing his strength, talent, and true mastery.

Later Years and Death

In the 1950s, John Banner continued to act in films, portraying spies, representatives of the fascist army, and Hitler's henchmen, among other characters. His creative career came to an end with his life in 1973 when he passed away in Vienna due to a cerebral hemorrhage. He was laid to rest in one of the Viennese cemeteries, with many devoted fans and admirers attending his funeral to honor his strong personality and acting talent.