ACTOR

Emil Jannings

1884 - 1950

Photo of Emil Jannings

Icon of person Emil Jannings

Emil Jannings (born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, 23 July 1884 – 2 January 1950) was a Swiss-born German actor who was popular in Hollywood films in the 1920s. He was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for starring roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. As of 2024, Jannings is the only German ever to win in the category. Jannings is best known for his collaborations with F. W. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Emil Jannings has received more than 827,921 page views. His biography is available in 57 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 53 in 2019). Emil Jannings is the 356th most popular actor (up from 392nd in 2019), the 62nd most popular biography from Switzerland (up from 63rd in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Swiss Actor.

Emil Jannings was a German actor, director, and winner of the first ever Academy Award for Best Actor. He was best known for his roles in films such as The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh.

Memorability Metrics

  • 830k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 65.18

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 57

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.64

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.76

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ACTORS

Among actors, Emil Jannings ranks 356 out of 13,578. Before him are Carmen Amaya, Richard Kiel, Richard Chamberlain, Lino Ventura, Gene Wilder, and Hanna Schygulla. After him are Jeff Goldblum, Mithun Chakraborty, Alec Baldwin, Helena Bonham Carter, Marie Laforêt, and Curd Jürgens.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1884, Emil Jannings ranks 28. Before him are Yevgeny Zamyatin, Theodor Svedberg, Auguste Piccard, Vincent Auriol, Walther von Reichenau, and Lion Feuchtwanger. After him are Rajendra Prasad, Edward Sapir, Rudolf Bultmann, Leo Frank, Max Beckmann, and Carl Friedrich Goerdeler. Among people deceased in 1950, Emil Jannings ranks 19. Before him are Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Karl Renner, Léon Blum, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, Kurt Weill, and Sri Aurobindo. After him are Edgar Rice Burroughs, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, George Minot, Ramana Maharshi, Roman Shukhevych, and Nicolai Hartmann.

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Others Deceased in 1950

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In Switzerland

Among people born in Switzerland, Emil Jannings ranks 62 out of 1,015. Before him are Albert I of Germany (1255), Michel Mayor (1942), Aga Khan IV (1936), Paul Hermann Müller (1899), H. R. Giger (1940), and Daniel Bovet (1907). After him are Walter Rudolf Hess (1881), Hans Küng (1928), Siegfried Wagner (1869), Ferdinand Hodler (1853), Richard R. Ernst (1933), and Alexandre Yersin (1863).

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Among ACTORS In Switzerland

Among actors born in Switzerland, Emil Jannings ranks 3. Before him are Bruno Ganz (1941), and Ursula Andress (1936). After him are Mario Adorf (1930), Marthe Keller (1945), Michel Simon (1895), Vincent Perez (1964), Liselotte Pulver (1929), Daniel Bernhardt (1965), David Bennent (1966), Sofia Milos (1969), and Lukas Ammann (1912).

Swiss born Actors

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Television and Movie Roles

The Blue Angel
Immanuel Rath
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.
Apr 1st 19307.3 / 10
The Last Laugh
Hotelportier [Hotel Doorman]
An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.
Dec 23rd 19247.776 / 10
Faust
Mephisto
God and Satan war over earth; to settle things, they wager on the soul of Faust, a learned and prayerful alchemist.
Oct 13th 19267.878 / 10