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Paul Muni Biography
Birth Name:
Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund
Birth Place:
Lemberg, Austria-Hungary
Profession
Actor
Fast Facts
- Joined the Yiddish Art Theatre in 1918
- Made his Broadway debut in the play We Americans in 1926
- Was nominated for an Academy Award for both his first film, The Valiant (1929) and his last film, The Last Angry Man (1959), making him only the second person to hold this distinction, after James Dean
- Won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in 1937 for his portrayal of the title character in The Life of Emile Zola
- Lost his left eye to a tumor in 1955; he briefly had to bow out of his starring role in Inherit the Wind on Broadway to recover from the surgery
- Came out of retirement to guest star on television's Saints and Sinners in 1962
Awards
- 1959Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1937Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1937New York Film Critics Circle-Best Actor: winner
- 1936Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: winner
- 1936Venice Film Festival-Best Actor: winner
- 1935Oscar-Best Actor: nominated
- 1933Oscar-Best Actor: nominated
- 1929Oscar-Best Actor: nominated
Relationships
- Michael Tilson Thomas -- Cousin
- Phillip Weisenfreund -- Father
- Salli Weisenfreund -- Mother
- Boris Thomashefsky -- Uncle
- Bella Finkel -- Wife