- Founded the American National Academy of Performing Arts and continued to give acting seminars up until the time of his death at age 100. His more famous students include Helen Hunt, Michael Nader and Paul Gleason.
- He served as an Honorary Mayor of Canoga Park, California for 25 years. He also was a civic leader, helping to develop the arts, education, museums and art galleries in his community.
- Became a naturalized United States citizen in 1939.
- Did not speak English when he first entered films in 1928, until the advent of sound forced him to do so.
- Began teaching acting (without pay) in 1954.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
- It was Irving Thalberg's plan to make Lederer "the biggest star in Hollywood" but the death of Thalberg ended that, and Lederer never really caught on as a star in the American mode.
- In his later life, Lederer, who had become very wealthy, invested in real estate, especially in the Canoga Park community (renamed West Hills in 1987). He was active in local and Los Angeles civic affairs, philanthropy and politics. He served as Recreation and Parks Commissioner for the city of Los Angeles, received awards for his efforts to beautify the city and was the honorary mayor of Canoga Park for quite a time. He became involved with peace movements, taught acting, and was one of the founders of the American National Academy of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and the International Academy of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
- Served on the board of the American National Theatre and Academy and was director of the American National Academy of Performing Arts.
- In 1934 he got involved for a turning away from the war and set up the World Peace Federation.
- During his stay in the USA the political situation came to a head and Lederer decided to stay in exile. This decision wasn't detrimental to his career. He received leading role in the USA too and acted together with authorities like Joan Bennet, Ginger Rogers and Claudette Colbert.
- In the 50s Lederer appeared in movies only occasionally, his last cinema movie came into being in 1959.
- Because of his good looks, it took some time for the critics to take him seriously, but his association with directors such as G. W. Pabst, for whom he did Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks,and Atlantic (both 1929), helped him overcome that problem. He was also notable in The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna in the same year. Lederer, who was billed as "Franz" at this time, easily made the transition from silent films to talkies, and was on his way to becoming one of Europe's top male film stars.
- Till 1971 he appeared time and again in guest roles of different TV serials like "Mission Impossible" and others.
- Francis Lederer worked until one week before his death at his self-founded American National Academy of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.
- In 1931, Lederer was in London to perform on stage in Volpone and the next year in Autumn Crocus by Dodie Smith, which he then performed on Broadway - using the name "Francis" - where it played for 210 performances in 1932 and 1933. He also performed the play in Los Angeles. His performances attracted attention and film offers from Hollywood. With the deteriorating political situation in Europe, Lederer decided to stay in the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in 1939.
- Following his death, he was interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.
- In 2000, he was honored by the Austrian government with the Cross of Honor for Science and Arts, First Class.
- In 1928 Lederer made his debut in the film business with "Zuflucht". In the next few years he appeared in thirteen further film productions and added two highlights to his career with "Die Büchse der Pandora" (1929) and "Die wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna" (1929). Afterwards he came to England and the USA for a theater engagement.
- He toured Moravia and central Europe, making a name for himself as a matinee idol in theaters in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and Germany. Notable among his performances was a turn as Romeo in Max Reinhardt's staging of Romeo and Juliet.
- Lived in three centuries: the close of the 19th century--1899, the entire 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st century--May 2000.
- The late 1920s, Lederer was lured into films by the German actress Henny Porten and her producer husband.
- Lederer fell in love with acting when he was young, and was trained at the Academy of Music and Academy of Dramatic Art in Prague.
- He received leading role in the USA and acted together with authorities like Joan Bennet, Ginger Rogers and Claudette Colbert.
- In 1918 he tackled a study at the academy of music and performing arts and received a fixed contract at the "Neues Deutsches Theater" in Prague. In the following years he acted frequently in Germany and could start there his true theater career.
- After service in the Austrian-Hungarian Imperial Army in World War I, he made his stage debut as an apprentice with the New German Theater, a walk-on in the play Burning Heart.
- Already as a teenager he worked partially as an extra for the theater and took play lessons by Roman Reinhardt.
- He was one of the last surviving World War I veterans of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
- He worked in a store that sold dry goods, and his first theatrical experience came when he was tasked with cleaning shelves in the background in a play while the main actors performed their roles. He lost that role when he drew attention away from the stars and to himself.
- In 1940 he had to ward off against reproaches to had been taken part in communistic meetings, with effect.
- Lederer, who became very wealthy, invested in real estate, especially in the Canoga Park community (which included West Hills, as defined in 1987).
- Irving Thalberg planned to make Lederer "the biggest star in Hollywood" but Thalberg's death ended this possibility.
- He became involved with peace movements, taught acting, and was one of the founders of the American National Academy of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, and the International Academy of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
- Lederer's 3de and final marriage was to Marion Eleanor Irvine, a native of Canada who lived most of her life in California. They wed there in 1941, and over the years he and Marion remained active in supporting various community projects and international humanitarian services, including the promotion of UNICEF. They remained together for nearly six decades, until his death in 2000.
- In the late 1920s, Lederer was lured into films by the German actress Henny Porten and her husband.
- He was active in local and Los Angeles civic affairs, philanthropy and politics. He served as Recreation and Parks Commissioner for the city of Los Angeles and received awards for his efforts to beautify the city.
- Notable among his performances was a turn as Romeo in Max Reinhardt's staging of Romeo and Juliet.
- His parents separated when he was nine years old, and his brother died in a war.
- In 1931, Lederer was in London to perform on stage in Volpone and the next year in Autumn Crocus by Dodie Smith, which he then performed on Broadway - using the name "Francis" - where it played for 210 performances in 1932 and 1933.
- During the 1950s, he served as honorary mayor of Canoga Park.
- He worked with G.W. Pabst in Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, and Atlantic (both 1929).
- Lederer started acting when he was young and was trained at the Academy of Music and Academy of Dramatic Art in Prague.
- As the rise of the Nazi movement and the institutionalization of anti-Semitism spread throughout Europe and the political situation there deteriorated, Lederer, who was Jewish, chose to remain in America rather than return home.
- Lederer grew up in a poor section of Prague, where his only recreation was wrestling.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content