J. Edward Bromberg

J. Edward Bromberg

Born: December 25, 1903
Died: December 6, 1951
in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary [now Timisoara, Timis, Romania]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Edward Bromberg (born Josef Bromberger, December 25, 1903 – December 6, 1951) was a Romanian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s. By virtue of his physique, the short, somewhat rotund actor was destined to play secondary roles. Bromberg made his stage debut at the Greenwich Village Playhouse and in 1926 made his first appearance in a Broadway play, Princess Turandot. The following year, Bromberg married Goldie Doberman, with whom he had three children.

Occasionally credited as J.E. Bromberg' and Joseph Bromberg, he performed secondary roles in 35 Broadway productions and 53 motion pictures until 1951. For two decades, Bromberg was highly regarded in the New York theatrical world and was a founding member of the Civic Repertory Theatre (1928–1930) and of the Group Theatre (1931–1940).

Bromberg made his screen debut in 1936 under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox. The versatile actor played a wide variety of roles ranging from a ruthless New York newspaper editor (in Charlie Chan on Broadway) to a despotic Arabian sheik (in Mr. Moto Takes a Chance). Although he spoke with no trace of an accent, he was often called upon to play humble immigrants of various nationalities. When Warner Oland, the actor who played Charlie Chan, died in 1938, Fox considered Bromberg as a suitable replacement, but the role ultimately went to Sidney Toler. Fox began loaning Bromberg to other studios in 1939 and finally dropped him from the roster in 1941. He kept working for various producers, including a stint at Universal Pictures in the mid-1940s.

Bromberg's most outstanding attribute was his facility with sensitive character roles; he could take a standard, undistinguished supporting part and make it unforgettably sympathetic. In Hollywood Cavalcade he portrays Don Ameche's friend who knows he will never get the girl; in Three Sons he is the lowly business associate who longs to be given a partnership; in Easy to Look At he is the once-great couturier now reduced to night watchman.

In September 1950, the anti-communist magazine Red Channels accused Bromberg of being a member of the American Communist Party. Subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in June 1951, Bromberg refused to answer any questions in accordance with his Fifth Amendment rights.

Movies for J. Edward Bromberg...

The Lost City of X
Title: The Lost City of X
Character: Lt. George (archival footage)
Released: July 8, 2022
Type: Movie
A team of academics fly to South America in search of ancient ruins only to find disaster.
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The Many Faces of Dracula
Title: The Many Faces of Dracula
Character: Professor Lazlo (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 2000
Type: Movie
Hosted by Christopher Lee, this documentary examines the different actors who have portrayed Dracula over the years.
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Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Title: Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook
Character: Professor Lazlo (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: Movie
A history of the famous vampire of books and movies, using film clips, previews and other methods.
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Guilty Bystander
Title: Guilty Bystander
Character: Varkas
Released: April 20, 1950
Type: Movie
A drunken ex-cop gets a shot at redemption when his young son is kidnapped after a smuggling deal goes belly up.
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I Shot Jesse James
Title: I Shot Jesse James
Character: Harry Kane
Released: February 26, 1949
Type: Movie
Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend Cynthy. The guilt-stricken Ford soon finds himself greeted with derision and open mockery throughout town. He travels to Colorado to try his hand at prospecting in hopes that marriage with Cynthy is still in the cards.
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A Song Is Born
Title: A Song Is Born
Character: Dr. Elfini
Released: October 19, 1948
Type: Movie
The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.
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Arch of Triumph
Title: Arch of Triumph
Character: Verdun Hotel Manager
Released: February 17, 1948
Type: Movie
In the winter of 1938, Paris is crowded with refugees from the Nazis, who live in the black shadows of night, trying to evade deportation. One such is Dr. Ravic, who practices medicine illegally and stalks his old Nazi enemy Haake with murder in mind. One rainy night, Ravic meets Joan Madou, a kept woman cast adrift by her lover's sudden death. Against Ravic's better judgment, they become involved in a doomed affair.
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Queen of the Amazons
Title: Queen of the Amazons
Character: Gabby
Released: January 15, 1947
Type: Movie
Jean Preston is determined to find her fiancée, Greg Jones, who went on a safari and didn’t come back when expected. She travels to Akbar, India with Greg’s father, Colonel Jones, Wayne Monroe and the Professor. She asks about Jones at the front desk of the hotel where she stays.
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Cloak and Dagger
Title: Cloak and Dagger
Character: Trenk
Released: September 28, 1946
Type: Movie
Italian partisans help a professor sent by the OSS to find an atomic scientist held by Nazis.
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The Walls Came Tumbling Down
Title: The Walls Came Tumbling Down
Character: Ernst Helms
Released: June 7, 1946
Type: Movie
A PI investigates a priest's murder.
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Tangier
Title: Tangier
Character: Alec Rocco
Released: June 6, 1946
Type: Movie
In Tangier, disgraced American war correspondent Paul Kenyon, café dancer Rita and local entrepreneur Pepe join forces to battle a Nazi diamond smuggler.
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Pillow of Death
Title: Pillow of Death
Character: Julian Julian
Released: December 14, 1945
Type: Movie
Attorney Wayne Fletcher and his secretary have an affair. When Wayne's wife is found smothered to death, he becomes the prime suspect. As the police investigate the murder, a psychic with questionable motives tries to contact the deceased woman. Soon, Wayne begins seeing visions of his dead wife, and other people involved with the case begin to be killed, one by one.
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The Missing Corpse
Title: The Missing Corpse
Character: Henry Kruger
Released: June 1, 1945
Type: Movie
A feud between rival newspapermen Kruger (Bromberg) and McDonald (Guilfoyle) goes deadly when blackmailing McDonald ends up murdered and his corpse planted in the trunk of Kruger's car. Good guy Kruger attempts to hide McDonald's body, with the help of chauffeur Hogan (Jenks), to keep from being charged with murder. However, zany scenarios occur as the body just won't stay hidden, and keeps on popping up in multiple places where Kruger is located, leading to him hiding the body again and again while Kruger tries to find the real killer.
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Easy to Look At
Title: Easy to Look At
Character: Gustav
Released: June 1, 1945
Type: Movie
In this musical, a talented aspiring costume designer leaves her small town to seek her fortune in the Big Apple. The girl, who is also a singer, soon begins establishing herself in the fashion industry, but when a rival accuses her of stealing a pattern, her career is nearly destroyed. Fortunately, a handsome, romantic hero is around to help her clear her name. Songs include: "Come Along My Heart", "That does It", "Swing Low Sweet Lariat" and "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?".
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Salome, Where She Danced
Title: Salome, Where She Danced
Character: Professor Max
Released: April 17, 1945
Type: Movie
During the Austrian-Prussian war, Anna Marie is a dancer who is forced to flee her country after she is accused of being a spy. She ends up in a lawless western town in Arizona, where she uses her charms and dancing skills to transform herself into "Salome" during her dance routines.
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Voice in the Wind
Title: Voice in the Wind
Character: Dr. Hoffman
Released: March 3, 1944
Type: Movie
Former concert pianist, victim of Nazi torture, pursues a confused, melancholic existence on the island of Guadalupe.
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Chip Off the Old Block
Title: Chip Off the Old Block
Character: Blaney Wright
Released: February 1, 1944
Type: Movie
The son of a strict Navy officer falls for the daughter of a musical-comedy star.
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Son of Dracula
Title: Son of Dracula
Character: Professor Lazlo
Released: November 5, 1943
Type: Movie
Carpathian Count Alucard is invited to the U.S. by a young heiress. Her boyfriend and local officials are suspicious of the newcomer, who is interested in the "virile" soil of the new world.
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Phantom of the Opera
Title: Phantom of the Opera
Character: Amiot
Released: August 12, 1943
Type: Movie
Following a tragic accident that leaves him disfigured, crazed composer Erique Claudin transformed into a masked phantom who schemes to make beautiful young soprano Christine Dubois the star of the opera and wreak revenge on those who stole his music.
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Lady of Burlesque
Title: Lady of Burlesque
Character: S.B. Foss
Released: May 1, 1943
Type: Movie
After one member of their group is murdered, the performers at a burlesque house must work together to find out who the killer is before they strike again.
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Reunion in France
Title: Reunion in France
Character: Durand
Released: December 25, 1942
Type: Movie
Frenchwoman Michele de la Becque, an opponent of the Nazis in German-occupied Paris, hides a downed American flyer, Pat Talbot, and attempts to get him safely out of the country.
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Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
Title: Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
Character: Sid Gordon
Released: December 9, 1942
Type: Movie
Kathy lives in a cramped New York flat with her father Madden Thomas, a celebrated actor brought down by drink. Lame from an early age and feeling trapped with her father in her small world, Kathy is delighted to meet fellow tenant Robert. When Madden is offered the lead in a new King Lear and Robert lands a composing job in Hollywood, better times seem for a while to beckon.
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Tennessee Johnson
Title: Tennessee Johnson
Character: Coke
Released: December 1, 1942
Type: Movie
The tumultuous presidency of 19th-president Andrew Johnson is chronicled in this biopic. The story begins with Johnson's boyhood and covers his early life. During the Civil War, Johnson stays a staunch Unionist and upon Lincoln's reelection in 1864, becomes his Vice President. After Lincoln's assassination, Johnson becomes the President and became the first U.S. president ever to be impeached.
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Half Way to Shanghai
Title: Half Way to Shanghai
Character: Maj. U. Vinpore
Released: September 18, 1942
Type: Movie
A murder occurs on a train bound for Shanghai during World War II.
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Invisible Agent
Title: Invisible Agent
Character: Karl Heiser
Released: August 7, 1942
Type: Movie
The Invisible Man's grandson uses his secret formula to spy on Nazi Germany in this comedy-thriller.
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Pacific Blackout
Title: Pacific Blackout
Character: Pickpocket
Released: December 31, 1941
Type: Movie
Falsely convicted of murder, young Robert Draper escapes custody during a practice blackout drill. Under cover of darkness, Draper hopes to find the real killer, who turns out to be a member of a Nazi sabotage ring. Completed shortly before America entered WW2.
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Devil Pays Off
Title: Devil Pays Off
Character: Arnold DeBrock
Released: November 10, 1941
Type: Movie
A former Navy man attempts to redeem his honor by exposing a shipping tycoon's dealings with the enemy.
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Hurricane Smith
Title: Hurricane Smith
Character: 'Eggs' Bonelli
Released: July 20, 1941
Type: Movie
Rodeo rider Hurricane Smith is wrongly convicted of murder and robbery, but escapes and creates a new life, but one of the real criminals shows up to claim the loot which he believes Smith has.
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Dance Hall
Title: Dance Hall
Character: Max Brandon
Released: July 18, 1941
Type: Movie
Singer Lili Brown is attracted to dance hall manager Duke till she realizes he does that to all the girls. Nice guy Duke sets her up with composer Joe Brooks.
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The Mark of Zorro
Title: The Mark of Zorro
Character: Don Luis B. Quintero
Released: November 8, 1940
Type: Movie
Around 1820 the son of a California nobleman comes home from Spain to find his native land under a villainous dictatorship. On the one hand he plays the useless fop, while on the other he is the masked avenger Zorro.
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The Return of Frank James
Title: The Return of Frank James
Character: George Runyan
Released: August 10, 1940
Type: Movie
Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.
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Strange Cargo
Title: Strange Cargo
Character: Flaubert
Released: March 1, 1940
Type: Movie
Convicts escaping from Devil's Island come under the influence of a strange Christ-like figure.
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Three Sons
Title: Three Sons
Character: Abe Ullman
Released: October 13, 1939
Type: Movie
A shop owner tries to interest his heirs in the family business.
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Hollywood Cavalcade
Title: Hollywood Cavalcade
Character: Dave Spingold
Released: October 13, 1939
Type: Movie
Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.
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Wife, Husband and Friend
Title: Wife, Husband and Friend
Character: Rossi
Released: March 3, 1939
Type: Movie
Woman hopes to be a great singer and is encouraged by her scheming teacher. After she flops her husband, encouraged by an amorous professional singer tries opera and also flops.
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Jesse James
Title: Jesse James
Character: George Runyan
Released: January 14, 1939
Type: Movie
After railroad agents forcibly evict the James family from their family farm, Jesse and Frank turn to banditry for revenge.
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Suez
Title: Suez
Character: Prince Said
Released: October 28, 1938
Type: Movie
Ferdinand de Lesseps, disappointed in love, is sent as a junior diplomat to the Isthmus of Suez, and realizes it's just the place for a canal.
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I'll Give a Million
Title: I'll Give a Million
Character: Editor
Released: July 27, 1938
Type: Movie
After saving a tramp from suicide, a millionaire takes his clothing and disappears. Word is out that he will give a million dollars to anyone who is kind to a tramp.
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Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
Title: Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
Character: Raja Ali
Released: June 11, 1938
Type: Movie
In the jungle near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Mr. Moto poses as an ineffectual archaeologist and a venerable holy man with mystical powers to help foil two insurgencies against the government.
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One Wild Night
Title: One Wild Night
Character: Norman
Released: June 2, 1938
Type: Movie
Frenzied comedy starring June Lang as a reporter investigating the mysterious disappearances of four men who had all withdrawn large sums of money from the local bank in Stockton, Ohio.
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Four Men and a Prayer
Title: Four Men and a Prayer
Character: General Torres
Released: April 29, 1938
Type: Movie
The sons of a disgraced British officer try to clear his name.
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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Title: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Character: Doctor Hill
Released: March 18, 1938
Type: Movie
Rebecca's Uncle Harry leaves her with Aunt Miranda who forbids her to associate with show people. But neighbor Anthony Kent is a talent scout who secretly set it up for her to broadcast.
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Sally, Irene and Mary
Title: Sally, Irene and Mary
Character: Pawnbroker
Released: March 4, 1938
Type: Movie
Manicurists Sally, Irene and Mary hope to be Broadway entertainers. When Mary inherits an old ferry boat, they turn it into a successful supper club.
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The Baroness and the Butler
Title: The Baroness and the Butler
Character: Zorda
Released: February 18, 1938
Type: Movie
A Butler gets elected to the Hungarian parliament where he opposes his master's government.
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Second Honeymoon
Title: Second Honeymoon
Character: Herbie
Released: November 13, 1937
Type: Movie
Raoul McLish stops over in Miami Beach where he runs into his ex-wife, Vicky Benton, and her new husband Bob, a belt manufacturer. At first Bob enjoys Raoul's presence - in part because Vicky is his not Raoul's and in part because Raoul is a lot of fun. The fun wears thin for Bob as his seriousness and possessiveness take over. When Bob leaves for a few days to settle a labor dispute at his factory, Vicky and Raoul spend time together, Winchell's column implies untoward behavior, Bob barks at Vicky, and that gets her back up. Can things be sorted out? Help comes from Raoul's upright valet, McTavish, and a principled cigarette girl, Joy, whom Raoul picks up.
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Charlie Chan on Broadway
Title: Charlie Chan on Broadway
Character: Murdock, Editor New York Bulletin
Released: September 22, 1937
Type: Movie
Returning from European exile where she avoided testifying against her criminal associates, a former singer with a tell-all diary is murdered to insure her silence.
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That I May Live
Title: That I May Live
Character: Tex Shapiro
Released: September 13, 1937
Type: Movie
Crooks use a man's safe-cracking skills then involve him in more crime after he spends three years in jail. He falls in love with a waitress and they go to work for a traveling salesman.
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Seventh Heaven
Title: Seventh Heaven
Character: Aristide the Astrologer
Released: March 25, 1937
Type: Movie
A Parisian sewer worker longs for a rise in status and a beautiful wife. He rescues a girl from the police, lives with her in a barren flat on the seventh floor, and then marches away to war.
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Fair Warning
Title: Fair Warning
Character: Matthew Jericho
Released: March 5, 1937
Type: Movie
In California's Death Valley a chemistry whiz-kid helps a sheriff track the man who murdered a wealthy mine owner who had been staying at a fancy winter resort.
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Stowaway
Title: Stowaway
Character: Judge Booth
Released: December 25, 1936
Type: Movie
Chin-Ching gets lost in Shanghai and is befriended by American playboy Tommy Randall. She falls asleep in his car which winds up on a ship headed for America. Susan Parker, also on the ship, marries Randall to give Chin-Ching a family.
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Reunion
Title: Reunion
Character: Charles Renard
Released: November 20, 1936
Type: Movie
Newspapers around the world proclaim the birth in Moosetown, Canada of the 3,000th baby brought into the world by the doctor, John Luke, known for delivering the famous Wyatt quintuplets. To honor the doctor on his retirement and to publicize their town, the Moosetown chamber of commerce decides to hold a reunion of all the babies delivered by the doctor, some of whom have become famous.
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Star for a Night
Title: Star for a Night
Character: Doctor Spelimeyer
Released: August 28, 1936
Type: Movie
Blind Mrs. Lind comes to American to visit her three children whom she thinks are successful.
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Girls Dormitory
Title: Girls Dormitory
Character: Dr. Spindler
Released: August 8, 1936
Type: Movie
When a busybody teacher in a girls' finishing school finds a love letter from a student to an unknown man, a minor scandal erupts.
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The Crime of Dr. Forbes
Title: The Crime of Dr. Forbes
Character: Dr. Eric Godfrey
Released: July 5, 1936
Type: Movie
Injured scientist Eric Godfrey asks his protege to give him a fatal dose of opiates to end his misery. When he dies the doctor is accused of murder.
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Sins of Man
Title: Sins of Man
Character: Anton Engel
Released: June 19, 1936
Type: Movie
Austrian church bell ringer Freyman loves music and wants his two sons (both played by Ameche) to love it too. The first goes to America and the second is born deaf-mute but gains hearing during WWI bombing.