Roland Varno

Biography

Roland Varno's daughter is Jill Taggart. His sister, Anneke, was for many years the Dear Abby of Holland. Roland spent his younger years on the island of Java, moved back to Holland as a teenager, went to Berlin in the late 1920s where he was featured in Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) with Marlene Dietrich and came to the U.S. in 1930 to shoot "All Quiet on the Western Front." His ship was stalled in the Atlantic so the role went instead to Lew Ayers, who became both a major star and Roland's best friend. He joined the OSS and learned Japanese during WWII and, because he was also fluent in German he used his talents at home making propaganda war films. He played everything from a spy to a freedom-fighter.