
Philip Dorn
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1901-09-30
Day of Death
1975-05-09 (73 years old)
Place of Birth
Scheveningen, 's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Philip Dorn
Biography
Frits van Dongen (1901–1975), born Hein van der Niet and sometimes billed as Philip Dorn, was a Dutch actor who had a career in Hollywood. As a teenager he moved out of his parental home to perform in an amateur theatre group; his stage name Frits van Dongen already dates from that period. In the early 1920s, Van Dongen ended up in the professional stage, but it was not until 1934 that he starred in his first film: 'Op Hoop van Zegen'. This film marked his breakthrough as a film star in the Netherlands: in 1935 he played in 'De Big van het Regiment', 'De Kribbebijter' and 'Op Stap' and in 1936 in 'Rubber'. Van Dongen then left for Berlin to work with the likes of Veit Harlan and star in a number of successful German films.
In 1939 Van Dongen and his second wife, Jewish actress Marianne van Dam, left for the United States at the invitation of director Henry Koster, who had directed Van Dongen in 'De Kribbebijter'. When he was given a seven-year contract at MGM, Van Dongen changed his name to Philip Dorn. After making his American debut in 1940 with 'Enemy Agent', he would frequently be cast as continental lover, anti-Nazi German or refugee. In 1952 he returned to Europe for several German films and a Dutch theatre tour with Lily Bouwmeester. In 1953 he quit acting in films, partly due to speech problems due to a concussion. He retired for the rest of his life in California, where he died.
Known For
Acting
(1954)
Salto Mortale
as Cadenos
(1953)
Dreaming Lips
as Michael
(1952)
Behind Monastery Walls
as Thomas Holinka
(1952)
Türme des Schweigens
as Captain de Vries
(1951)
Sealed Cargo
as Konrad
(1950)
Spy Hunt
as Paul Kopel
(1949)
The Fighting Kentuckian
as Col. Georges Geraud
(1948)
I Remember Mama
as Papa
(1946)
I've Always Loved You
as Leopold Goronoff
(1945)
Escape in the Desert
as Philip Artveld
(1944)
Passage to Marseille
as Renault
(1944)
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
(1944)
Blonde Fever
as Peter Donay
(1943)
Chetniks!
as Gen. Draja Mihailovitch
(1943)
Paris After Dark
as Jean Blanchard
(1942)
Random Harvest
as Dr. Jonathan Benet
(1942)
Reunion in France
as Robert Cortot
(1942)
Calling Dr. Gillespie
as Dr. John Hunter Gerniede
(1941)
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
as Vandermeer
(1941)
Ziegfeld Girl
as Franz Kolter
(1941)
Underground
as Eric Franken
(1940)
Escape
as Dr. Ditten
(1940)
Enemy Agent
as Jeffry Arnold
(1940)
Ski Patrol
as Viktor Ryder
(1940)
Diamond Frontier
as Jan Stafford De Winter
(1939)
The Journey to Tilsit
as Endrik Settegast
(1938)
The Tiger of Eschnapur
as Maharadscha von Eschnapur
(1938)
Covered Tracks
as Bezirksarzt Dr. Morot
(1938)
The Indian Tomb
as Chandra, Maharadscha von Eschnapur
(1938)
Waltz Melodies
as Hans v. Waldenau
(1938)
Der Hampelmann
as Peter
(1936)
Rubber
as Johannes 'John' van Laer
(1935)
The Crosspatch
as Willy van Hergershuizen
(1935)
De big van het regiment
as Berkhage
(1935)
On the Move
as George van Reen
(1934)
The Good Hope
as Geert