AllMovie

Beetle-browed, heavily-accented Viennese character actor Oscar Homolka graduated from the Royal Dramatic Academy in Vienna before going on to work on the Austrian and German stage, which led him to appear in many German silent and sound films. After Hitler came to power, he moved first to England, then to the U.S. in 1936. In Hollywood films and on Broadway he played imposing character roles, usually scheming or villainous but sometimes humorous or sympathetic. For his portrayal of gruff Uncle Chris in I Remember Mama (1948) he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Because of his coarse, Slavic features, he was frequently cast as heavies in films about foreign intrigue. He returned to England in the mid-'60s, intending to retire; instead, he continued appearing in films, and in 1975 came back to Hollywood to make two made-for-TV movies, One of Our Own and The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond, co-starring his wife, actress Joan Tetzel.