History Main / JewsPlayingNazis

* WesternAnimation/MarvelAnimation: The Nazi villain ComicBook/RedSkull has been voiced by two Jewish voice actors in Marvel animated series: Creator/SteveBlum in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' and Creator/DavidWarner in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''.

Another reason is more pragmatic: Especially soon after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, many Jewish people spoke native German or its close relative, Yiddish. This allowed for a believable German accent on screen.

* ''Series/AlloAllo'': The Jewish actor Creator/SamKelly plays Nazi captain Hans Geering.

* Though not Jewish but of UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} descent, Creator/CharlieChaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler, in ''Film/TheGreatDictator''. The Roma people were also targeted for extermination by the Nazis and other fascist regimes. Depending on the Romani community, the term employed to refer to the genocide may be ''porajmos'' ("devouring", "destruction"), ''samudaripen'' ("mass killing"), ''Kali Traš'' ("Black Fear"), ''Berša Bibahtale'' ("The Unhappy Years"), as well as ''Holokosto'', ''Holokausto'', etc.

* ''WebAnimation/IfDisneyCartoonsWereHistoricallyAccurate: The princess is anti-Semitic, and is voiced by Jewish actress Creator/RachelBloom.

* In ''Theatre/SpiesAreForever'', Jewish actor Creator/BrianRosenthal plays [[NaziNobleman Baron von Nazi]].

* ''Film/DrStrangelove'': Creator/PeterSellers, who was Jewish on his mother's side, plays the eponymous Dr. Strangelove, an eccentric DoctorVonTurncoat NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Werner von Braun who now works for the United States government.

* ''Film/LordsOfChaos'': Jewish actor Emory Cohen plays Varg Vikernes, who in real life is an outspoken neo-Nazi and white supremacist. Needless to say, the real Varg was [[DisownedAdaptation not amused]], both by the choice of actor and how the film portrays him as the villain.

The reasons for why a Jewish actor would be cast as a Nazi vary. Historically, it was because many of the German-born actors in Hollywood were themselves Jewish, and often went there precisely because the Nazis forced them out of the German film industry. Other motivations include [[AdolfHitlarious satirizing the Nazis]] by casting actors of the race they despised most, or making sure that there's no possible room for their depiction of Nazis to be glorified by present-day anti-Semites. There's also a certain degree of NWordPrivileges to it, with Jews being able to push the envelope further with depictions of Nazism due to their history of being victimized by them.

* Though not Jewish but of UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} descent, Creator/CharlieChaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler, in ''Film/TheGreatDictator''. The Roma people were also targeted for extermination by the Nazis and other fascist regimes. Depending on the Romani community, the term employed to refer to the genocide may be ''porajmos'' ("devouring", "destruction"), ''samudaripen'' ("mass kiling"), ''Kali Traš'' ("Black Fear"), ''Berša Bibahtale'' ("The Unhappy Years"), as well as ''Holokosto'', ''Holokausto'', etc.

* In the 1973 Soviet miniseries ''Series/SeventeenMomentsOfSpring'', about a Soviet mole in UsefulNotes/TheGestapo in 1945, a then-famous Jewish comic actor played Gestapo chief Mueller as [[AffablyEvil a downright likable and witty guy]], when he wasn't threatening to torture people.

A subtrope of IronyAsSheIsCast. Compare CastingGag, FakeNationality, and ThoseWackyNazis; see also Main/WorksSetInWorldWarII and WorksSetInWorldWarII/WorksAboutTheHolocaust. Contrast ActorSharedBackground. Not to be confused with characters who are both Jewish and Nazis or anti-Semites, which would fall under BoomerangBigot.

** Most of the Nazis were played by Jews as they were the German actors available in Hollywood during World War II.

* ''Film/TheDictator'': Sacha Baron Cohen plays Admiral-General Aladeen, who (like many other Muslim dictators) despises Israel and Jews as a whole.

* Though not Jewish but of Romani descent, Creator/CharlieChaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler, in ''Film/TheGreatDictator''. The Roma people were also targeted for extermination by Nazis and Fascists. Depending on the Romani community, the term employed to refer to the genocide may be ''porajmos'' ("devouring", "destruction"), ''samudaripen'' ("mass kiling"), ''Kali Traš'' ("Black Fear"), ''Berša Bibahtale'' ("The Unhappy Years"), as well as ''Holokosto'', ''Holokausto'', etc.

* ''Film/JojoRabbit'': Jojo's imaginary friend Adolf Hitler is played by director Creator/TaikaWaititi, who is half-Maori and half-Jewish.

* ''Film/Stalag17'': Creator/OttoPreminger plays Colonel von Scherbach, the commandant of the eponymous POW camp.

* In the 1973 Soviet miniseries ''Series/SeventeenMomentsOfSpring'', about a Soviet mole in the Gestapo in 1945, a then-famous Jewish comic actor played Gestapo chief Mueller as a downright likable and witty guy, when he wasn't threatening to torture people.

* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': Downplayed. Princess Clara is a Christian fundamentalist who is known for her anti-Semitic views. Her voice actress Creator/TaraStrong is Jewish.

In the 1973 Soviet miniseries Seventeen Moments of Spring, about a Soviet mole in the Gestapo in 1945, a then-famous Jewish comic actor played Gestapo chief Mueller as a downright likable and witty guy, when he wasn't threatening to torture people.

* Though not Jewish but of Romani descent, Creator/CharlieChaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler, in ''Film/TheGreatDictator''. The Roma people were also targeted for extermination by Nazis and Fascists. Depending on the Romani community, the term employed to refer to the genocide may be ''porajmos'' ("devouring", "destruction"), ''samudaripen'' ("mass kiling"), ''Kali Traš'' ("Black Fear"), ''Berša Bibahtale'' ("The Unhappy Years"), as well as ''Holokosto'', ''Holokausto'', etc.

* Creator/EdAsner, who was Jewish, played a Nazi who hid as a Holocaust survivor in an episode of ''Series/{{CSINY}}''.

* Though not Jewish but of Romani descent, Creator/CharlesChaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, a parody of Hitler, in ''Film/TheGreatDictator''. The Roma people were also targeted for extermination by Nazis and Fascists. Depending on the Romani community, the term employed to refer to the genocide may be ''porajmos'' ("devouring", "destruction"), ''samudaripen'' ("mass kiling"), ''Kali Traš'' ("Black Fear"), ''Berša Bibahtale'' ("The Unhappy Years"), as well as ''Holokosto'', ''Holokausto'', etc.

-->--'''[[Literature/TheDiaryOfAYoungGirl Anne Frank]] (Rachel Feinstein) to UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler (Creator/GilbertGottfried)''', ''Historical Roasts''

* ''WesternAnimation/GuillermoDelTorosPinocchio'': Creator/RonPerlman voices the Podestà, a fascist government official who runs a Nazi training camp.

* ''Film/DrStrangelove'': Creator/PeterSellers, who was Jewish on his mother's side, plays the eponymous Dr. Strangelove, an eccentric DoctorVonTurncoat who now works for the United States government.

* ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'': Creator/ConradVeidt, who plays Major Strasser, fled Nazi Germany because his wife was Jewish, and would list himself as Jewish on identification documents in a show of solidarity with her.

* ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'': Werner Klemperer plays Emil Hahn, a Nazi official on trial for war crimes at Nuremburg who remains unrepentant throughout the trial.

* WesternAnimation/MarvelAnimation: The Nazi villain ComicBook/RedSkull has been voiced by two Jewish voice actors in Marvel animated series: Creator/SteveBlum in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', and Creator/DavidWarner in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''.

* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': Princess Clara is a Christian fundamentalist who is known for her anti-Semitic views. Her voice actress Creator/TaraStrong is Jewish.

A subtrope of IronyAsSheIsCast. Compare CastingGag and ThoseWackyNazis; see also Main/WorksSetInWorldWarII and WorksSetInWorldWarII/WorksAboutTheHolocaust. Contrast ActorSharedBackground. Not to be confused with Jewish characters who are also Nazis or anti-Semites, which would fall under BoomerangBigot.

* ''Film/TheGreyZone'': Creator/HarveyKeitel plays Erich Mußfeldt, who oversaw the ''Sonderkommando'' (Jewish slave laborers who manned the crematoria) in Auschwitz.

* ''Film/TheThreeStooges'': The Stooges, all of whom were born and raised Jewish, starred in ''Film/YouNaztySpy'' (the first anti-Nazi comedy in film history) and ''Film/IllNeverHeilAgain'', where they play the fascist leaders of Moronika.

* ''Series/{{The Boys|2019}}'': Creator/AyaCash plays [[spoiler:Stormfront, a SuperSupremacist who's also revealed to be a literal Nazi who never aged thanks to Compound V]].

* ''Historical Roasts'': In the roast of Anne Frank, Creator/GilbertGottfried plays Adolf Hitler. At the end, Anne Frank (played by Rachel Feinstein) brags about how Jews survived his attempts to eradicate them and that his actor is "the loudest, most annoying Jew we could find."

* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': Princess Clara is a fundamentalist who is known for her antisemitic views. Her voice actress, Creator/TaraStrong, is Jewish.

[[folder:Film--Live-Action]]

->'

->"Guess what, Hitler? You're being played by a Jew right now. And it's the loudest, most annoying Jew we could possibly find!"

(Indices, {{Trivia}}, {{Reichstropen}}, CharactersAndCasting, IronicIndex)