Paul Muni

Paul Muni was a very reserved and shy person in real life. In 1921, he married Bella Finkel, an actress. The couple remained married for 45 years until Muni’s death.

He suffered from various ailments during his later years including failing eyesight and rheumatic heart. He died of a heart ailment on August 25, 1967, aged 71.

Paul Muni was born as Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund on September 22, 1895, in Lemberg, Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents, Salli and Phillip Weisenfreund, were actors. He had two brothers.

The family immigrated to America when the children were still young. His parents joined the Yiddish Theater group located in New York where Frederich would soon make his debut.

He made his stage debut as a 12 year old playing the character of an 80-year-old man. His performance caught the attention of Maurice Schwartz, who signed him up with his Yiddish Art Theater.

Over the ensuing years, Paul Muni worked as an actor in travelling shows and gained popularity for his stage performances. As a young man he mastered the art of make-up which allowed him to change his appearance drastically in accordance with the role requirements.

In 1926, he approached the Broadway theatre for the role of an old Jewish man. The producer tried to dismiss him as the actor was a young man of 31. But he persevered, and with the help of his make-up skills made himself look old for the role. Thus he made his Broadway debut in the play ‘We Americans.’

Before long he became a successful stage actor, and when Hollywood was scouting for new talents, he quickly gained attention. He was signed by Fox in 1929. At this point, he adopted the stage name of Paul Muni.

His film career started with an excellent performance in ‘The Valiant’ which earned him an Academy Award nomination. However, the film did poorly at the box office. His second film too was a financial failure.

Disappointed by the failures, he returned to Broadway but came back to Hollywood in 1932 to play the role of Antonio "Tony" Camonte in ‘Scarface’, loosely based on the rise and fall of Al Capone. The film became an overnight sensation and catapulted Muni to stardom.

His portrayal of Antonio "Tony" Camonte in the gangster film ‘Scarface’ earned him a lot of praise. Even though Muni had initially refused to accept the role, the film helped him become one of the top most actors of his era.

He played the 19th century chemist Louis Pasteur in the biographical film ‘The Story of Louis Pasteur’ which was the first biographical role he played. He conducted in-depth research to portray Pasteur accurately and was also appreciated for his make-up skills.