History Creator / PeterLorre

* BeamMeUpScotty; Never played {{Igor}}, but for some reason modern depictions of the character often make him distinctly Lorre-esque.

* FakeNationality[=/=]NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent : He played "creepy foreigners" from all different countries: German (''Film/{{M}}'' and ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace''), Greek (''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''), Italian (''Film/{{Casablanca}}''), French (''Film/PassageToMarseille''), and Dutch (''Film/TheMaskOfDimitrios''). He never bothered changing his accent for any of these roles.

Lorre did however occasionally play heroic roles, notably in the ''Mr. Moto'' films and ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea'', comedic characters in ''ArsenicAndOldLace'' and ''SilkStockings'', even a romantic lead in ''Three Strangers'' (1946). In 1951 he made his only directorial effort, ''Der Verlorene'' or ''The Lost One'', produced in West Germany. Though Lorre's performance (as a guilt-ridden Nazi scientist) received acclaim, the film drew mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.

The speech pattern of Ren C. Hoek from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is a ShoutOut to Lorre, as is Creator/TheFiresignTheatre's Rocky Rococo, likewise Agent X Two Zero in GerryAnderson's ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', and [[Creator/RobinWilliams the Genie]] briefly impersonates him when he transforms into a [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies zombie]] in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}''. The Creator/WoodyAllen GagDub spy movie ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily'' gives a Lorre voice to a villain, who at one point complains that "this Peter Lorre impression is ''keeeeling'' my throat!" Music/SpikeJones's spoof version of the song "My Old Flame" features a vocal parody that Jones wanted to call "Peter Gory" until the record company vetoed the idea. The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series of computer games has Ugarte, Lorre's character in ''Casablanca'', as a minor recurring character alongside Creator/SydneyGreenstreet's Signor Ferrari. Lorre's life and career are the subject of ''Addicted to Bad Ideas'', a musical by Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety. Music/AlStewart mentions him in the first verse of "Year of the Cat." Lastly, Tom Smith has a song dedicated to him named "I Want to Be Peter Lorre".

* ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''
* ''Film/{{M}}''
* ''Film/MadLove''
* ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''
* ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooMuch''
* The ''Mr. Moto'' series.
* ''[[Film/TheRaven1963 The Raven]]'' (1963)
* ''SilkStockings''

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TR-PeterLorre.jpg]]

Born in Austria-Hungary, he began acting at age seventeen. He first found success onstage, working with Creator/BertoltBrecht. His [[StarMakingRole breakout role]] came in 1931 when Creator/FritzLang cast him as the child killer in ''Film/{{M}}''. Against all odds Lorre made the character quite sympathetic (if not admirable), marking the first of many sad monsters he would play throughout his career. Lorre appeared in several more German movies, mostly comedies, before fleeing Germany after AdolfHitler took power in 1933.

* ''Film/MadLove'' ([[MadLove 'Tis the]] TropeNamer)

* ''Mad Love'' ([[MadLove 'Tis the]] TropeNamer)

He was married three times. His first wife, and lifelong best friend, was Celia Lovsky, a classically trained actress who is probably best remembered as T'Pau in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Amok Time".

The speech pattern of Ren C. Hoek from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is a ShoutOut to Lorre, as is Creator/TheFiresignTheatre's Rocky Rococo, likewise Agent X Two Zero in GerryAnderson's ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', and [[Creator/RobinWilliams the Genie]] briefly impersonates him when he transforms into a [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies zombie]] in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}''. The Creator/WoodyAllen GagDub spy movie ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily'' gives a Lorre voice to a villain, who at one point complains that "this Peter Lorre impression is ''keeeeling'' my throat!" Music/SpikeJones's spoof version of the song "My Old Flame" features a vocal parody that Jones wanted to call "Peter Gory" until the record company vetoed the idea. The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series of computer games has Ugarte, Lorre's character in ''Casablanca'', as a minor recurring character alongside Creator/SydneyGreenstreet's Signor Ferrari. Lorre's life and career are the subject of ''Addicted to Bad Ideas'', a musical by Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety. Lastly, Tom Smith has a song dedicated to him named "I Want to Be Peter Lorre".

Lorre did however occasionally play heroic roles, notably in the ''Mr. Moto'' films and ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea'', comedic characters in ''ArsenicAndOldLace'' and ''SilkStockings'', even a romantic lead in ''Three Strangers'' (1943). In 1951 he made his only directorial effort, ''Der Verlorene'' or ''The Lost One'', produced in West Germany. Though Lorre's performance (as a guilt-ridden Nazi scientist) received acclaim, the film drew mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.

Sadly, Lorre spent much of his life battling a morphine addiction, which he never kicked despite repeated attempts to quit. In the late '50s he gained a huge amount of weight and suffered a massive decline in health. Onscreen, Lorre was reduced to television appearances and self-lampooning roles in B movies, though his collaborations with Creator/RogerCorman and Creator/VincentPrice on ''Tales of Terror'' (1962) and ''Film/TheRaven1963'' (1963) became well-regarded. In 1964 he died of a stroke.

Lorre did however occasionally play heroic roles, notably in the ''Mr. Moto'' films and ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea'', comedic roles in ''ArsenicAndOldLace'' and ''SilkStockings'', even a romantic lead in ''Three Strangers'' (1943). In 1951 he made his only directorial effort, ''Der Verlorene'' or ''The Lost One'' (1951), produced in West Germany. Though Lorre's performance (as a guilt-ridden Nazi scientist) received acclaim, the film drew mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.

Born in Austria-Hungary, he began acting at age seventeen. He first found success onstage, working with Creator/BertoltBrecht. His [[StarMakingRole breakout role]] came in 1931 when Creator/FritzLang cast him as the child killer in ''Film/{{M}}''. Against all odds Lorre made the character quite sympathetic (if not admirable), marking the first of many sad monsters he would play throughout his career. Faked his way through an interview with Creator/AlfredHitchcock by watching him closely, and laughing hysterically whenever he thought that Hitch had told the punchline of a joke, as Peter didn't speak English yet. He was then cast in ''The Man Who Knew Too Much'', and learned his part phonetically.

Throughout his career, Lorre battled typecasting. Hollywood predictably wanted him to play villains and other disreputable characters, epitomized not only by Lorre's best-known films like ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' and ''{{Casablanca}}'' but many lesser works. Lorre especially disliked appearing in horror movies, a genre he had little respect for. That said, Lorre did have [[SelfDeprecation a sense of humor]] about his typecasting: he once quipped that "with occasional interruptions, I've been killing my way through life." Filming ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'', Lorre expressed surprise that a mechanical squid played the role usually reserved for him!

Throughout his career, Lorre battled typecasting. Hollywood predictably wanted him to play villains and other disreputable characters, epitomized not only by Lorre's best-known films like ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' and ''{Casablanca}'' but many lesser works. Lorre especially disliked appearing in horror movies, a genre he had little respect for. That said, Lorre did have [[SelfDeprecation a sense of humor]] about his typecasting: he once quipped that "with occasional interruptions, I've been killing my way through life." Filming ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'', Lorre expressed surprise that a mechanical squid played the role usually reserved for him!

Born in Hungary, he began acting at age seventeen. He first found success onstage, working with Creator/BertoltBrecht. His [[StarMakingRole breakout role]] came in 1931 when Creator/FritzLang cast him as the child killer in ''Film/{{M}}''. Against all odds Lorre made the character quite sympathetic (if not admirable), marking the first of many sad monsters he would play throughout his career. Faked his way through an interview with Creator/AlfredHitchcock by watching him closely, and laughing hysterically whenever he thought that Hitch had told the punchline of a joke, as Peter didn't speak English yet. He was then cast in ''The Man Who Knew Too Much'', and learned his part phonetically.

* FakeNationality[=/=]NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent : He played "creepy foreigners" from all different countries: German (''Film/{{M}}'' and ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace''), Greek (''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''), Italian (''Film/{{Casablanca}}''), French (''Film/PassageToMarseille''), and Dutch (''Film/TheMaskOfDimitrios''). He never bothered changing his Hungarian accent for any of these roles.

The speech pattern of Ren C. Hoek from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is a ShoutOut to Lorre, as is Creator/TheFiresignTheatre's Rocky Rococo, likewise Agent X Two Zero in GerryAnderson's ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', and [[Creator/RobinWilliams the Genie]] briefly impersonates him in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}''. The Creator/WoodyAllen GagDub spy movie ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily'' gives a Lorre voice to a villain, who at one point complains that "this Peter Lorre impression is ''keeeeling'' my throat!" Music/SpikeJones's spoof version of the song "My Old Flame" features a vocal parody that Jones wanted to call "Peter Gory" until the record company vetoed the idea. The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series of computer games has Ugarte, Lorre's character in ''Casablanca'', as a minor recurring character alongside Creator/SydneyGreenstreet's Signor Ferrari. Lorre's life and career are the subject of ''Addicted to Bad Ideas'', a musical by Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety. Lastly, Tom Smith has a song dedicated to him named "I Want to Be Peter Lorre".

The speech pattern of Ren C. Hoek from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is a ShoutOut to Lorre, as is Creator/TheFiresignTheatre's Rocky Rococo, likewise Agent X Two Zero in GerryAnderson's ''Series/{{Stingray 1964}}'', and [[Creator/RobinWilliams the Genie]] briefly impersonates him in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}''. The Creator/WoodyAllen GagDub spy movie ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily'' gives a Lorre voice to a villain, who at one point complains that "this Peter Lorre impression is ''keeeeling'' my throat!" Music/SpikeJones's spoof version of the song "My Old Flame" features a vocal parody that Jones wanted to call "Peter Gory" until the record company vetoed the idea. The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series of computer games has Ugarte, Lorre's character in ''Casablanca'', as a minor recurring character alongside SydneyGreenstreet's Signor Ferrari. Lorre's life and career are the subject of ''Addicted to Bad Ideas'', a musical by Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety. Lastly, Tom Smith has a song dedicated to him named "I Want to Be Peter Lorre".

* ''{{Casablanca}}''

* Creator/{{Disney}}'s adaptation of ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea''

* FakeNationality[=/=]NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent : He played "creepy foreigners" from all different countries: German (''Film/{{M}}'' and ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace''), Greek (''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''), Italian (''Film/{{Casablanca}}''), French (''PassageToMarseille''), and Dutch (''Film/TheMaskOfDimitrios''). He never bothered changing his Hungarian accent for any of these roles.

Born in Hungary, he began acting at age seventeen. He first found success onstage, working with Creator/BertoltBrecht. His breakout role came in 1931 when Creator/FritzLang cast him as the child killer in ''Film/{{M}}''. Against all odds Lorre made the character quite sympathetic (if not admirable), marking the first of many sad monsters he would play throughout his career. Faked his way through an interview with Creator/AlfredHitchcock by watching him closely, and laughing hysterically whenever he thought that Hitch had told the punchline of a joke, as Peter didn't speak English yet. He was then cast in ''The Man Who Knew Too Much'', and learned his part phonetically.