Otto Kruger

Biography

"Descended from a lineage as formidable as his on-screen presence, Otto Kruger was the grandnephew of South African pioneer and former president Paul Krüger. Though initially groomed for a musical career from childhood, Kruger's path took a decisive turn after enrolling at Columbia University, where he traded sheet music for stage scripts, committing to an acting profession. By 1915, at the age of 30, he made his Broadway debut, swiftly rising to become a matinée idol specializing in sophisticated leading roles. His cinematic journey began the same year with The Runaway Wife (1915), but it was during the 1930s that Kruger's distinctive polished and urbane characterizations truly came into their own. While he occasionally embraced heroic roles, such as in Corregidor (1943), he became particularly celebrated for his portrayals of the impeccably charming yet morally ambiguous villain, often manifesting as a corrupt businessman or a smooth-talking banker – a task at which he consistently excelled. Kruger remained one of the industry's most in-demand character actors, his career flourishing until a series of debilitating strokes in the mid-1960s necessitated his retirement from the screen."