Actor
· Acting
Sig Ruman
Born 1884-10-10
Died 1967-02-14
📍 Hamburg, Germany
Sig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypical Teutonic officials or villains. Ruman made his film debut in Lucky Boy (1929).
He became a favorite of the Marx Brothers, appearing in A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, and A Night in Casablanca. His German accent and large stature kept him busy during World War II, playing sinister Nazi characters in a series of wartime thrillers.
During this period, he also appeared in several films by director Ernst Lubitsch including Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be. Ruman continued playing over-the-top German characters later in his career for Billy Wilder in The Emperor Waltz, Stalag 17, and The Fortune Cookie.
Filmography 125
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
1972
Way... Way Out
as Russian Delegate
1966
The Fortune Cookie
as Professor Winterhalter
1966
The Last of the Secret Agents?
as Prof. Werner von Koenig
1966
Doom of Dracula
as The Burgomaster (archive footage)
1966
Hank
1965
36 Hours
as German Guard
1964
Daniel Boone
as Van Coot
1964
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
as Conductor Schultz
1964
The Addams Family
as Eric Von Bissell
1964
Robin and the 7 Hoods
as Hammacher (uncredited)
1964
The Danny Kaye Show
as Self
1963
Petticoat Junction
as Professor Lieberschmit
1963
One, Two, Three
as Count von Droste Schattenburg (voice) (uncredited)
1961
The Errand Boy
as Baron Elston Carteblanche
1961
Pete and Gladys
1960
Around the World with Nellie Bly
as Tug Captain
1960
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
as Himelmayer
1959
Johnny Staccato
1959
One Step Beyond
as Franz Schuldorf
1959
Lawman
1958
Maverick
1957
Maverick
as Capt. Steeger
1957
The Wings of Eagles
as Manager
1957
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as Self
1956
Spy Chasers
as King Rinko
1955
Many Rivers to Cross
as Spectacle Man
1955
Carolina Cannonball
as Stefan
1955
3 Ring Circus
as Fritz Schlitz
1954
White Christmas
as Landlord (uncredited)
1954
Living It Up
as Dr. Emile Egelhofer
1954
The Glenn Miller Story
as W. Kranz
1954
The Girl on The Roof
1953
Houdini
as Schultz
1953
Stalag 17
as Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
1953
General Electric Theater
as Dr. Haegendorff
1953
Private Secretary
1953
Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation
as Cyrus Kraft
1952
The World in His Arms
as General Ivan Vorashilov
1952
O. Henry's Full House
as Menkie (segment "The Gift of the Magi") (uncredited)
1952
On the Riviera
as Gapeaux
1951
Father Is a Bachelor
as Jericho Schlosser
1950
Border Incident
as Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich
1949
The Emperor Waltz
as Dr. Zwieback
1948
Give My Regards to Broadway
as Arthur Dinkel
1948
If You Knew Susie
as Count Alexis
1948
Mother Wore Tights
as Papa
1947
Faithful in My Fashion
as Professor Boris Riminoffsky
1946
Night and Day
as Wilowski
1946
A Night in Casablanca
as Count Pfefferman / Heinrich Stubel
1946
The Dolly Sisters
as Ignatz Tsimmis
1945
She Went to the Races
as Dr. Gurke
1945
Men in Her Diary
as Mme. Irene
1945
A Royal Scandal
as General Ronsky
1945
House of Frankenstein
as Burgomeister Hussman
1944
Summer Storm
as Kuzma
1944
The Hitler Gang
as General von Hindenburg
1944
It Happened Tomorrow
as Mr. Beckstein
1944
The Song of Bernadette
as Louis Bouriette
1943
Government Girl
as Ambassador
1943
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Joe Flugelman
1943
They Came to Blow Up America
as Dr. Herman Holger
1943
Tarzan Triumphs
as Sergeant
1943
China Girl
as Jarubi
1942
Desperate Journey
as Preuss
1942
Berlin Correspondent
as Dr. Dietrich
1942
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
as Heinrich, Spy Leader
1942
Crossroads
as Dr. Alex Dubroc
1942
To Be or Not to Be
as Col. Ehrhardt
1942
Remember Pearl Harbor
as Dirk Van Hoorten
1942
Breakdowns of 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1941
This Woman Is Mine
as John Jacob Astor
1941
World Premiere
as Franz von Bushmaster
1941
Shining Victory
as Professor Herman Von Reiter
1941
Love Crazy
as Dr. Wuthering
1941
The Wagons Roll at Night
as Hoffman the Great
1941
That Uncertain Feeling
as Kafka (as Sig Rumann)
1941
The Man Who Lost Himself
as Dr. Simms (as Sig Rumann)
1941
So Ends Our Night
as Ammers
1941
Victory
as Mr. Schomberg
1940
Comrade X
as Emil Von Hofer
1940
Bitter Sweet
as Herr Schlick
1940
Four Sons
as Newmann
1940
I Was an Adventuress
as Herr Protz
1940
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
as Van Cleve
1940
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
as Dr. Hans Wolfert
1940
Remember?
as Dr. Schmidt
1939
Ninotchka
as Comrade Iranoff
1939
Only Angels Have Wings
as Dutchy
1939
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
as Krogman
1939
Never Say Die
as Poppa Ingleborg
1939
Honolulu
as Psychiatrist
1939
The Great Waltz
as Wertheimer
1938
Suez
as Sergeant Pellerin
1938
Girls on Probation
as Roger Heath
1938
I'll Give a Million
as Anatole Primerose
1938
Paradise for Three
as Mr. Bold
1938
The Saint in New York
as Hutch Rellin
1938
Thank You, Mr. Moto
as Colonel Tchernov
1937
Nothing Sacred
as Dr. Emil Eggelhoffer
1937
Heidi
as Police Captain
1937
Lancer Spy
as Lt. Col. Gottfried Hollen
1937
Thin Ice
as Prime Minister
1937
Love Under Fire
as General Montero
1937
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
as Nicolas Marloff
1937
A Day at the Races
as Dr. Leopold X. Steinberg
1937
This Is My Affair
as Gus
1937
The Great Hospital Mystery
as Dr. Taggert
1937
Midnight Taxi
as John B. Rudd
1937
Maytime
as Fanchon (as Sig Rumann)
1937
Seventh Heaven
as Durand (as Sig Rumann)
1937
On the Avenue
as Herr Hanfstangel
1937
The Bold Caballero
as Commandante Sebastian Golle
1936
The Princess Comes Across
as Steindorf
1936
East of Java
as Hans Muller
1935
A Night at the Opera
as Gottlieb
1935
The Farmer Takes a Wife
as Blacksmith
1935
Spring Tonic
as Matt Conklin
1935
The Wedding Night
as Mr. Jan Novak
1935
Under Pressure
as Doctor
1935
Marie Galante
as Brogard
1934
Servants' Entrance
as Hans Hansen (as Siegfried Rumann)
1934
The World Moves On
as Baron von Gerhardt (as Siegfried Rumann)
1934
Die Königsloge
as Bailiff
1929
Lucky Boy
as Bridge player (Unbilled)
1929