Helmut Dantine (7 October 1917 – 2 May 1982) was a film actor remembered for playing many Nazis in thriller films of the 1940s. The Vienna-born actor appeared uncredited in Casablanca as the desperate newlywed gambling to obtain visa money. Dantine's father, Alfred Guttman, was the head of the Austrian railway system in Vienna. As a young man, Dantine became involved in an anti-Nazi movement in Vienna. In 1938, when he was 21 years old, the Nazis took over Austria during the Anschluss. Dantine was rounded up, with hundreds of other enemies of the Third Reich, and imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp outside Vienna. Three months later, using their influence, his parents got his release and immediately sent him to California to live with a friend. His father later died in Austria; however, his mother, Ditha Guttman, was safely brought from Austria to California in 1960, with the help of her son. Ditha lived in California until her death in 1983. Dantine began his U.S. acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he was spotted by a talent scout and signed to a Warner Bros. contract. Dantine spent the early 1940s there, appearing in International Squadron (1941) with Ronald Reagan, Casablanca (1942), Edge of Darkness (his first lead role), Mission to Moscow, Northern Pursuit (all 1943), Passage to Marseille(1944), Hotel Berlin, and Escape in the Desert (both 1945).Dantine was loaned out to other film companies for two notable films in 1942. To Be or Not to Be and Mrs. Miniver were both released in 1942. In 1944 exhibitors voting for "Stars of Tomorrow" picked Dantine at number ten.He appeared as Dolokhov in King Vidor's War & Peace in 1956. His last screen appearances were in three films he executive produced including, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), and The Killer Elite (1975), both directed by Sam Peckinpah, and The Wilby Conspiracy.
Son with Wrightsman: Dana Wrightsman Dantine (b. July 17, 1948).
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Making fun of the actor's name in the 1940s, a popular joke was to say that "Helmut Dantine" was a German phrase meaning "You have chewing gum on your hat." Dentyne was, and still is, a popular American brand of chewing gum.
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His interview on Mutual Broadcasting Network was interrupted when Nazi Germany surrendered.
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Before 1938 he was the leader of an anti-Nazi youth movement in Vienna. When the Germans took over, he was put in a concentration camp for 3 months, after which his parents quickly sent him to live with an American friend. They later died in a concentration camp.
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His father was the head of the Austrian railway system.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Fifth Musketeer
1979
Spanish Ambassador
Medical Story
1976
TV Series
The Killer Elite
1975
Vorodny
The Wilby Conspiracy
1975
Prosecuting Counsel
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
1974
Max
Call Holme
1972
TV Movie
Friedrich Von Klug
Night Gallery
1971
TV Series
General von Grunn (segment "The Devil Is Not Mocked")
The File on Devlin
1969
TV Movie
Hans Raedler
Run for Your Life
1967
TV Series
Erich Krieger
Operation Crossbow
1965
Gen. Linz
The Rogues
1965
TV Series
Colonel von Reichert
Playhouse 90
1957-1960
TV Series
Colonel / Luis Obregon
Sugarfoot
1959
TV Series
Maj. Horst von Hoffstadt
The Thin Man
1958
TV Series
Baron Orlonski
Tempest
1958
Svabrin
Fräulein
1958
Lt. Hugo Von Metzler
Schlitz Playhouse
1953-1958
TV Series
Peter
Studio 57
1957-1958
TV Series
German Flyer / Charles Turnwell
The Story of Mankind
1957
Marc Antony
Hell on Devil's Island
1957
Paul Rigaud
The Joseph Cotten Show: On Trial
1957
TV Series
LaCosta
The Millionaire
1957
TV Series
Prof. Josef Marton
Kean - Genio e sregolatezza
1957
Lord Mewill
General Electric Theater
1957
TV Series
Manson
Climax!
1957
TV Series
Daniel
Matinee Theatre
1957
TV Series
War and Peace
1956
Dolokhov
Alexander the Great
1956
Nectenabus
Immediate Disaster
1954
The Stranger
Suspense
1954
TV Series
Call Me Madam
1953
Prince Hugo
The Ford Television Theatre
1953
TV Series
Peter Mikhal
Guerrilla Girl
1953
Demetri Alexander
Shadow of the Cloak
1951-1952
TV Series
Peter House
The Clock
1950
TV Series
Lights Out
1949
TV Series
Studio One in Hollywood
1949
TV Series
Dr. Roland Maradick
Whispering City
1947
Michel Lacoste
Shadow of a Woman
1946
Dr. Eric Ryder
Escape in the Desert
1945
Capt. Becker
Hotel Berlin
1945
Dr. Martin Richter
Hollywood Canteen
1944
Helmut Dantine
Passage to Marseille
1944
Garou
Northern Pursuit
1943
Col. Hugo von Keller
Watch on the Rhine
1943
Young Man
Mission to Moscow
1943
Maj. Kamenev
Edge of Darkness
1943
Captain Koenig
Casablanca
1942
Jan Brandel (uncredited)
The Navy Comes Through
1942
Frightened Young German Seaman (uncredited)
Desperate Journey
1942
German Co-Pilot (uncredited)
The Pied Piper
1942
Aide
Mrs. Miniver
1942
German Flyer
To Be or Not to Be
1942
Co-Pilot (uncredited)
International Squadron
1941
Flyer (uncredited)
Escape
1940
Porter (uncredited)
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Killer Elite
1975
executive producer
The Wilby Conspiracy
1975
executive producer
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
1974
executive producer
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Thundering Jets
1958
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Osterman Weekend
1983
dedicatee
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The First Motion Picture Unit
1943
Documentary short
in 'Emergency Care of Air Casualties' (uncredited)