Peter Lorre was an American actor of Jewish Austro-Hungarian descent.
Lorre caused an international sensation with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M. In enforced exile in Hollywood, he later became a featured player in many Hollywood crime and mystery films. The Maltese Falcon, his first film with Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, was followed by Casablanca. Lorre and Greenstreet appeared in a further seven films together.
Frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner, his later career was erratic. Lorre was the first actor to play a James Bond villain as Le Chiffre in a TV version of Casino Royale. Some of his last roles were in several horror films directed by Roger Corman.
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