Karel Stepanek
Karel Stepanek
Though born in Czechoslovakia, actor Karel Stepanek was generally regarded as a German actor due to his extensive film work in Germany (as Karl Stepanek) in the years before World War II. Stepanek fled to England in 1940, where, like many European refugee actors, he specialized in portraying Teutonic villains. He tried to stay away from out-and-out Nazi roles, but his predilection for wearing black uniforms and barking out guttural commands left little doubt as to the political preferences of Stepanek's screen characters. One of his most typical characterizations could be found in the 1946 POW drama, The Captive Heart; Stepanek also registered well as a friendlier foreigner in The Fallen Idol (1949). Commuting between London and Hollywood, Karel Stepanek continued to fight World War II, usually on the wrong side, into such '60s films as Sink the Bismarck! (1960), I Aim at the Stars (1960) and Operation Crossbow (1965). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Filmography of Karel Stepanek:
- Anastasia with Ingrid Bergman , Yul Brynner , Helen Hayes , Akim Tamiroff , Martita Hunt , Felix Aylmer , Ivan Desny , Natalie Schafer
- Operation Crossbow with Sophia Loren , George Peppard , Trevor Howard , John Mills , Tom Courtenay , Richard Todd , Sylvia Syms , Jeremy Kemp , Lilli Palmer , Paul Henreid , Helmut Dantine , Allan Cuthbertson , Maurice Denham , Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne , Anthony Quayle , Richard Wattis , Patrick Wymark
Karel Stepanek Trivia
