Paul Muni

(stage name of Frederich Mayer Weisenfreund). Born Sept. 22, 1895, in Lemberg, Austria, present-day L’vov, Ukrainian SSR; died Aug. 26, 1967, in Santa Barbara, Calif. American actor.

From the age of eight, Muni performed in various theaters in West European cities with his parents, who were actors. In 1926 he made his debut on Broadway in New York City and thereafter periodically performed with many of the city’s companies.

In 1929, Muni made his debut in films. He was one of the best American actors of the 1930’s. His best roles included a prisoner in I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932), a gangster in Scarface (1932), Pasteur in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), Zola in The Life of Emile Zola (1937), and Benito Juárez in Juárez (1939). Most of these films are protests against the forces of reaction and fanaticism. After the mid-1940’s, Muni acted only in supporting roles.