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Herman Bing
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Herman Bing (March 30, 1889 – January 9, 1947) was a German-American character actor. He acted in more than 120 films and many of his parts were uncredited.
Key Information
Biography
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2018) |
Bing was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. [1]: 115
Bing began his career at the circus, at age 16, and vaudeville showing comedic talent.[2]: 25 In 1921 he made his film debut in "Ciska Barna, die Zigeunerin".
He was production chief of several films in Germany before he went to America, in 1923, with director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau as Murnau's interpreter and assistant director. He also worked under John Ford and Frank Borzage, before establishing himself as a successful character actor well known for his wild-eyed facial expressions and thick German accent. He also provided the voice for the Ringmaster in Walt Disney's Dumbo (1941).
Death
[edit]The start of World War II in Europe caused all things German to be unpopular with audiences. His German accent was no longer in demand in the years following World War II. He became increasingly depressed in the mid-1940s. He was unable to secure work in Hollywood, and committed suicide by gunshot in 1947.[3]
Selected filmography
[edit]- Ciska Barna, Die Zigeunerin (1921)
- 4 Devils (1928)
- Married in Hollywood (1929) as German Director
- A Song of Kentucky (1929) as Jake Kleinschmidt
- The Three Sisters (1930) as Von Kosch
- Show Girl in Hollywood (1930) as Mr. Bing – Otis' Assistant
- Men Behind Bars (1931) as Lawyer
- Women Love Once (1931)
- The Great Lover (1931) as Losseck
- The Guardsman (1931) as A Creditor
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) as Franz Odenheimer
- Westward Passage (1932) as Otto Hoopengarner – the Dutchman
- Flesh (1932) as Pepi – Headwaiter
- Hypnotized (1932) as Capt. Otto Von Stormberg
- The Plumber and the Lady (1933 short) as Otto Mauser
- The Nuisance (1933) as Willy
- Dinner at Eight (1933) as Waiter
- My Lips Betray (1933) as Weininger
- Footlight Parade (1933) as Fralick
- The Bowery (1933) as Max Herman
- Fits in a Fiddle (1933 short) as Heinrich Mickelmeier
- College Coach (1933) as Prof. Glantz
- Trimmed in Furs (1934 short) as Engles the Lodge Owner
- Mandalay (1934) as Prof. Kleinschmidt
- Melody in Spring (1934) as Wirt
- I'll Tell the World (1934) as Adolph
- Manhattan Love Song (1934) as Gustave
- Hide-Out (1934) as Jake
- Embarrassing Moments (1934) as Bartender
- When Strangers Meet (1934) as Mr. Oscar Schultz
- The Merry Widow (1934) as Zizipoff
- Crimson Romance (1934) as Himmelbaum
- Love Time (1934) as Istvan
- The Mighty Barnum (1934) as Farmer Schultz
- The Night Is Young (1935) as Nepomuk
- The Great Hotel Murder (1935) as Hans
- The Florentine Dagger (1935) as Baker
- The Misses Stooge (1935 short) as Sazarac the Magician
- In Caliente (1935) as Florist
- Stage Frights (1935 short)
- Calm Yourself (1935) as Mr. Sam Bromberg
- Don't Bet on Blondes (1935) as Prof. Friedrich Wilhelm Gruber
- Every Night at Eight (1935) as Joe Schmidt
- Call of the Wild (1935) as Sam
- Redheads on Parade (1935) as Lionel Kunkel
- His Family Tree (1935) as Mr. 'Stony' Stonehill
- Three Kids and a Queen (1935) as Walter Merkin
- $1,000 a Minute (1935) as Vanderbrocken
- Fighting Youth (1935) as Luigi
- Rose Marie (1936) as Mr. Daniells
- Slide, Nellie, Slide (1936 short) as The Hot Dog King
- Tango (1936) as Mr. Kluckmeyer – Tango Hosiery
- Laughing Irish Eyes (1936) as Weisbecher
- The Great Ziegfeld (1936) as Costumer
- The King Steps Out (1936) as Pretzelberger
- The Three Wise Guys (1936) as Baumgarten
- Human Cargo (1936) as Fritz Schultz
- Blackmailer (1936) as Dr. Rosenkrantz – Coroner
- Adventure in Manhattan (1936) as Otto
- Come Closer, Folks (1936) as Herman
- That Girl from Paris (1936) as 'Hammy' Hammacher
- Champagne Waltz (1937) as Max Snellinek
- Maytime (1937) as August Archipenko
- Oh, What a Knight! (1937 short)
- Beg, Borrow or Steal (1937) as Von Giersdorff – aka Count Herman
- Every Day's a Holiday (1937) as Fritz Krausmeyer
- Paradise for Three (1938) as Mr. Polter
- Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) as Monsieur Pepinard
- Four's a Crowd (1938) as Barber
- Vacation from Love (1938) as Oscar Wittlesbach
- The Great Waltz (1938) as Dommayer
- Sweethearts (1938) as Oscar Engel
- Bitter Sweet (1940) as Market Keeper
- Dumbo (1941) as The Ringmaster (voice, uncredited)
- The Devil with Hitler (1942 short) as Louis
- The Captain from Köpenick (completed in 1941, released in 1945) as City Hall guardian Kilian
- Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) as Hessian Col. / Von Heisel
- Rendezvous 24 (1946) as Herr Schmidt
- Night and Day (1946) as Ladisaus Smedick – 2nd 'Peaches' (uncredited) (final film role)
References
[edit]- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7864-8694-6. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2020-11-28 – via Google Books.
- ^ "COMEDIAN KILLS HIMSELF; Herman Bing, of Films, Leaves Note Ascribing Act to Nerves". The New York Times Archives. January 10, 1947. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Herman Bing at IMDb
- Portrait of the Actor Herman Bing by Thomas Staedeli
- Herman Bing at Behind The Voice Actors
- Columbia Shorts Dept- Herman Bing
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Herman Bing
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Birth and family
Herman Bing was born on March 30, 1889, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.[6] Bing was educated in his native country for a musical career, receiving training from his father, Max Bing (1865–1919), a German operatic baritone.[7] His mother, Frieda Bing (née Seckbach, 1869–1939), outlived her husband, and Bing maintained close family bonds, living with her and his two sisters in Hollywood later in life.[3] Details on his siblings are limited, but he had a brother, Gustav "Gus" Bing, who also pursued acting, along with sisters Erna and Clara.[7] Raised in pre-World War I Frankfurt, a bustling urban center in the German Empire, Bing grew up amid a vibrant cultural environment that included renowned opera houses, theaters, and traveling circuses such as the Circus-Theater Albert Schumann, established in 1905.[8] This setting featured a mix of operatic performances and popular entertainments like variety shows and circus acts.[9]Entry into entertainment
Herman Bing entered the entertainment industry at the age of 16, embarking on a career in the German circus as a clown and in vaudeville theaters.[10][3] These initial forays provided him with opportunities to perform amid the lively circuits of early 20th-century Germany, where he showcased his aptitude for comedy.[11] In the circus, Bing worked as a clown, performing comedic acts.[3] Transitioning to vaudeville stages, he performed comedic routines.[11] Through these performances, Bing developed his comedic style, which later included his trademark wild-eyed mannerisms and frantic expressions.[3] His focus on humor and physical exaggeration suited the demands of circus and vaudeville and laid the foundation for his later comedic persona.[12]Career
Work in German cinema
Herman Bing made his film debut in 1921, appearing as an actor in the silent drama Ciska Barna, die Zigeunerin, directed by Jacob and Luise Fleck.[11] This marked his initial foray into the German cinema of the Weimar Republic, though it remained his sole on-screen acting role during this early period.[11] Beyond acting, Bing took on significant behind-the-scenes responsibilities, serving as production chief for several films in the burgeoning German film industry.[11] His multifaceted involvement reflected the collaborative and experimental spirit of Weimar-era cinema, where talents often wore multiple hats to support the production of innovative silent features. These roles honed his understanding of film logistics and international collaboration, contributing to approximately a handful of early credits before his departure from Germany.[11]Transition to Hollywood
In 1923, amid Germany's post-World War I economic turmoil marked by hyperinflation and instability, Herman Bing emigrated to the United States with his three-year-old daughter, seeking new opportunities in the rapidly expanding Hollywood film industry.[13][14] Upon arrival, Bing drew on his prior experience in German cinema production to secure initial behind-the-scenes positions, serving as an assistant director and interpreter for notable filmmakers.[5] He collaborated closely with F.W. Murnau on the 1927 silent classic Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, contributing to scripting and production coordination, and subsequently worked in similar capacities under directors John Ford and Frank Borzage.[3][15] Transitioning to English-language filmmaking proved challenging for Bing, as he adapted from German silent productions to the demands of American studios, yet his pronounced German accent ultimately suited him for specialized ethnic character parts rather than leading roles.[16] Bing's earliest on-screen appearances in American films emerged in the late 1920s, featuring minor, often uncredited roles in silent features that highlighted his emerging comedic presence.[17]Character acting and voice roles
Herman Bing amassed over 100 film appearances from the 1920s through the 1940s, frequently in uncredited supporting parts that capitalized on his comedic talents. He specialized in character roles as bumbling Germans, hapless immigrants, or comic relief figures, delivering them with a thick, exaggerated Germanic accent and animated facial expressions that amplified the humor.[18] This style, often burlesquing his own Frankfurt origins, made him a reliable presence in lighthearted Hollywood productions.[6] In live-action films, Bing's portrayals added quirky energy to early sound-era works, such as his role as the German Director in the musical Married in Hollywood (1929), where he spoofed the pretensions of a film auteur.[19] He also embodied the folksy Jake Kleinschmidt in the rural drama A Song of Kentucky (1929), bringing comic timing to ensemble scenes. Another example came in the trailer for The Great Ziegfeld (1936), where he appeared as a costumer, injecting brief levity into the promotional material.[20] Bing extended his versatility into voice work, most prominently as the bombastic Ringmaster in Walt Disney's Dumbo (1941), whose tyrannical yet foolish demeanor drove key plot points in the animated feature.[21] Bing's career peaked in the 1930s amid a surge of musicals and comedies, securing consistent roles like the scheming Dommayer in The Great Waltz (1938) and the flustered Oscar Engel in Sweethearts (1938), which showcased his knack for eccentric European archetypes in MGM spectacles.[18]Personal life
Marriage and family
Herman Bing married Carla Lichtenstein in Germany prior to their daughter's birth in 1920.[22] The couple had one child, Ellen Bing (later known as Ellen Young), born in Berlin on April 1, 1920.[23] Carla Bing died on January 31, 1923, leaving Herman a widower who raised their daughter amid his early career transitions.[22] Following his relocation to the United States in the late 1920s, Bing established a family home in Los Angeles, where he resided with his daughter Ellen, his sisters Clara and Erna, and his niece Ruth Swarzchild by the 1940s.[24] This close-knit household at 1907 North Wilton Place in the Los Feliz neighborhood offered stability and mutual support, enabling Bing to navigate the demands of his peripatetic acting career in Hollywood, which frequently featured brief, uncredited appearances in films.[24] Limited public records detail the day-to-day family dynamics, but the shared living arrangement underscored the role of extended family in sustaining Bing's professional pursuits during his American years.[14]Later challenges
Following World War II, Herman Bing faced significant professional setbacks as anti-German sentiment in the United States rendered his thick German accent—a hallmark of his comedic character roles—a liability rather than an asset. Previously popular for portraying bumbling European immigrants and authority figures with exaggerated mannerisms, Bing's typecasting became problematic amid heightened cultural sensitivities toward anything associated with Germany during and after the war. This shift contributed to a marked decline in demand for his services in Hollywood, where his distinctive voice and persona no longer aligned with post-war audience preferences.[11] Bing's career trajectory reflected this slowdown, with his output of film roles dropping sharply after the peak of the 1930s. While he appeared in approximately 85 films during that decade, his credits in the 1940s numbered only eight, including minor parts in Public Deb No. 1 (1940), The Devil with Hitler (1942), and Breakfast in Hollywood (1946). This reduction in opportunities led to financial strain, exacerbating the frustrations of an actor who had once been a prolific presence in over 120 productions overall.[17][11] In his mid-40s, Bing began experiencing depressive episodes, which were closely tied to these career frustrations and the challenges of aging in a youth-oriented industry. At 57 years old by the mid-1940s, he struggled with the diminishing prospects that had defined his earlier success, compounding personal hardships during a period of professional uncertainty. His family provided some support amid these difficulties, though the emotional toll persisted.[11]Death and legacy
Circumstances of suicide
On January 9, 1947, Herman Bing, aged 57, died by suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the heart at the Los Angeles home of his daughter, Mrs. Robert Young, where he had been residing.[5] He left two notes for his daughter, in which he attributed the act to frayed "nerves" and his inability to secure work for a film comeback following his last role in Where Do We Go from Here? (1945).[5] Bing had been grappling with despondency amid prolonged unemployment in postwar Hollywood, exacerbated by anti-German sentiment and fewer opportunities for dialect comedians.[4] His body was discovered by family members, and authorities ruled the death a suicide with no criminal investigation pursued.[5]Posthumous recognition
Following his death, Herman Bing's contributions to film have endured primarily through the preservation of select works, particularly his uncredited voice performance as the Ringmaster in Disney's Dumbo (1941), which remains a staple of animated cinema. The film, featuring Bing's distinctive comic delivery amid its circus-themed narrative, was selected for inclusion in the United States National Film Registry in 2017 by the Library of Congress, recognizing its cultural, historic, and aesthetic significance.[25] This preservation ensures Bing's vocal portrayal continues to reach new audiences via restorations, home media releases, and classic compilations, highlighting his role in one of Disney's enduring classics.[26] Bing's cultural legacy is evident in scholarly discussions of 1930s Hollywood, where he is noted as a quintessential character actor embodying the era's immigrant comedy tropes through his exaggerated German accent and mannerisms. As a German-Jewish immigrant who arrived in the United States in the 1920s, Bing appears in analyses of exile cinema, such as Noah Isenberg's Edgar G. Ulmer: A Filmmaker at the Margins (2014), which references his presence among Hollywood's German contingent and his participation in community events like F.W. Murnau's funeral, underscoring his integration into the expatriate film community.[27] Despite this niche recognition in film historiography, Bing's posthumous honors remain sparse, reflecting the challenges faced by many bit players and immigrant performers of his era. He received no major awards after his death, and efforts to revive his work have been infrequent, with occasional nods in biographies of character actors for his contributions to comedy reliant on ethnic caricature. Bing is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in the Garden of Legends section in Los Angeles, a site shared with other entertainment figures but without dedicated memorials or plaques specific to him.[3] His absence from the Hollywood Walk of Fame further illustrates the limited institutional tributes afforded to his career.[28]Selected filmography
Live-action films
Herman Bing appeared in over 100 live-action films during his career, often in supporting roles as comic relief characters.[29] His early American credits included the silent film Married in Hollywood (1929), in which he played the German director, and A Song of Kentucky (1929), where he portrayed Jake Kleinschmidt.[19][30] In the 1930s, Bing featured in several notable productions, such as The Guardsman (1931) as a creditor, Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) as Franz Odenheimer, Dinner at Eight (1933) as a waiter, Twentieth Century (1934) as the first beard, The Merry Widow (1934) as Zizipoff, The Great Ziegfeld (1936) as costumer (also appearing in the trailer), Maytime (1937) as Archipenco, The Great Waltz (1938) as Dommayer, and Sweethearts (1938) as Oscar Engel.[31][20][32] Bing's 1940s roles encompassed The Devil with Hitler (1942) as Louis, Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) as Hessian colonel, Night and Day (1946) as second "Peaches," and Rendezvous 24 (1946) as Herr Schmidt.[33]| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Married in Hollywood | German Director[19] |
| 1929 | A Song of Kentucky | Jake Kleinschmidt[30] |
| 1931 | The Guardsman | A Creditor |
| 1932 | Murders in the Rue Morgue | Franz Odenheimer |
| 1933 | Dinner at Eight | Waiter |
| 1934 | Twentieth Century | First Beard[31] |
| 1934 | The Merry Widow | Zizipoff |
| 1935 | The Call of the Wild | Sam[34] |
| 1936 | The Great Ziegfeld | Costumer[20] |
| 1937 | Maytime | Archipenco |
| 1938 | The Great Waltz | Dommayer |
| 1938 | Sweethearts | Oscar Engel |
| 1938 | Bluebeard's Eighth Wife | Monsieur Pepinard[35] |
| 1940 | Bitter Sweet | Market Keeper[36] |
| 1942 | The Devil with Hitler | Louis |
| 1945 | Where Do We Go from Here? | Hessian Colonel |
| 1946 | Night and Day | 2nd "Peaches" |
| 1946 | Rendezvous 24 | Herr Schmidt[33] |