Szőke Szakáll (born Jakab Grünwald; February 2, 1883 – February 12, 1955), known professionally as S. Z. Sakall, was a Hungarian-born stage and screen actor known for his supporting roles in many Hollywood films of the 1940s and early '50s. He's probably best known for his role as Carl, the head waiter at Rick's Café Américain, in the wartime classic Casablanca (1942).
He was dubbed "Cuddles" by Warner Bros. president Jack L. Warner due to his cherubic appearance, and was even billed as such in a number of films, although Sakall himself disliked the nickname.
A Jew who fled for the US after Hungary joined the Axis in 1940, Sakall lost a number of his relatives (including all three of his sisters) to The Holocaust. He married twice and had no children. He died of a heart attack in 1955, ten days after his 72nd birthday.
Filmography on TV Tropes:
- My Love Came Back (1940) as Geza Peyer
- The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) as George
- Ball of Fire (1941) as Prof. Magenbruch
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) as Schwab
- Casablanca (1942) as Carl
- Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) as Dr. Schlenna
- Christmas in Connecticut (1945) as Felix Bassenak
- San Antonio (1945) as Sacha Bozic
- In the Good Old Summertime (1949) as Otto Oberkugen
