- Kurt Kasznar
Infobox actor
name = Kurt Kasznar
imagesize = 150px
caption = from the trailer for the film "Lili" (1953)
birthdate = birth date|1913|8|13|mf=y
birthplace =Vienna, Austria
deathdate = death date and age|1979|8|6|1913|8|13|mf=y
deathplace =Santa Monica, California ,U.S. Kurt Kasznar (
August 13 ,1913 –August 6 ,1979 ) was a stage, film, and televisionactor .Kasznar was born in
Vienna, Austria as Kurt Servischer. His father left when Kurt was very young, his mother married an Hungarianrestaurateur named Ferdinand Kasznar, and Kurt assumed his surname. He emigrated to theUnited States in the mid-1930s for "The Eternal Road " in which he played 12 roles. In 1941, he was drafted into theUnited States Army . He was trained as acinematographer and later served in the Pacific. He was assigned to an army photographic unit and was part of the team that filmed the signing of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri.Kasznar's first major Broadway appearance was in "
The Happy Time ". (He recreated his role for the film version and earned aGolden Globe nomination for his performance.) He also appeared on Broadway in "Barefoot in the Park ", "Waiting for Godot ", "Six Characters in Search of an Author ", and "The Sound of Music ", for which he was nominated for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical .Kasznar appeared in more than 80 films and television shows, and had a regular role in the television series "
Land of the Giants " as, "Alexander Fitzhugh." Hisfeature films included "Lili ", "Kiss Me, Kate", "The Last Time I Saw Paris ", "My Sister Eileen ", "A Farewell to Arms" and "55 Days at Peking ".Kasznar died of
cancer inSanta Monica, California .Private Life
Kasznar married American
heiress Cornelia Whooley, in 1938; she died in 1948. They had one daughter, journalist Susan Lee Kasznar.In 1950, while working on Broadway, he met his second wife, actress
Leora Dana . They were married from 1950 to 1958.External links
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* [http://www.actordatabase.com/kurtkasznar/bio.htm Kurt Kasznar biography]
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