Zita Johann

Zita Johann (born Elisabeth Johann; 14 July 1904 – 24 September 1993) was an Austrian-American actress. She is known for her role in Karl Freund's film The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff.

Zita Johann
Johann in 1927
Born
Elisabeth Johann

(1904-07-14)14 July 1904
Deutschbentschek (near Temesvar), Austria-Hungary
Died24 September 1993(1993-09-24) (aged 89)
Nyack, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active
  • 1924–1942
  • 1962
  • 1986
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1929; div. 1933)​
  • John McCormick
  • Bernard E. Shedd[1]
PartnerJohn Huston

Life and career

A German-speaking Banat Swabian, Zita Johann was born Elisabeth Johann in the village of Deutschbentschek (near Timișoara), Austria-Hungary. The village is now part of Romania. Her father, a hussar officer named Stefan Johann, emigrated with his family to the United States in 1911.[2]

She debuted on Broadway in 1924 and made her first film appearance in D.W. Griffith's 1931 film The Struggle. After seven films, she quit to work in theater, collaborating with John Houseman, to whom she was married from 1929 to 1933, and with Orson Welles. She also taught acting to people with learning disorders.[1]

She made her last film appearance in the 1986 horror film Raiders of the Living Dead.

Johann married three times. In 1962, she was a guest artist at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, New York, where she directed Don Juan In Hell.

Johann died from pneumonia at a hospital in Nyack, New York, on 24 September 1993, aged 89.[1] She was cremated and her ashes were scattered on a family farm in upstate New York.

Theatre credits
Zita Johann and Clark Gable in Machinal (1928)
Date Title Role Notes
14 April – June 1924 Man and the Masses First Woman Prisoner Garrick Theatre, New York[3]
24 November 1924 – January 1925 Dawn Judith Sam H. Harris Theatre, New York[3]
18 June – 29 November 1925 Grand Street Follies Performer Neighborhood Playhouse, New York[3]
25 January – March 1926 The Goat Song Kruna Guild Theatre, New York[3]
7 September – 24 November 1928 Machinal A Young Woman Plymouth Theatre, New York[3]
1–1 April, 930 Troyka Natascha Hudson Theatre, New York[3]
22 September – October 1930 Uncle Vanya Sofya Alexandrovna Booth Theatre, New York[3]
13 January – July 1931 Tomorrow and Tomorrow Eve Redman Henry Miller's Theatre, New York[3]
14–16 March 1935 Panic Ione Imperial Theatre, New York[3][4]: 159 
27 May – June 1935 Seven Keys to Baldpate Mary Norton National Theatre, New York[3]
1–2 March 1940 The Burning Deck Nina Brandt Maxine Elliott Theatre, New York[3]
23 June – July 1942 Broken Journey Rachel Thatcher Arlen Henry Miller's Theatre, New York[3]

Filmography
Poster for The Mummy (1932)
Year Title Role Notes
1931 The Struggle Florrie Wilson [5]
1932 Tiger Shark Quita Silva [5]
The Mummy Helen Grosvenor [6]
1933 Luxury Liner Miss Morgan [6]
The Man Who Dared Teena Pavelic [6]
The Sin of Nora Moran Nora Moran [6]
1934 Grand Canary Suzan Tranter [6]
1986 Raiders of the Living Dead Librarian [5]
1993 D. W. Griffith: Father of Film On-screen participant (documentary) [5]

References
  1. Grimes, William (30 September 1993). "Zita Johann Dead; Actress, 89, Played The Mummy's Love". The New York Times. p. B11. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  2. "Deutschbentschek in Banat". DVHH. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  3. "Zita Johann". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  4. Houseman, John (1972). Run-Through: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-21034-3.
  5. "Zita Johann". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. "Zita Johann". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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