Known For
Acting
Born
Sep 30, 1901
Died
May 09, 1975
Place of Birth
Scheveningen, 's-Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Credits
36 titles
Philip Dorn
Biography
Frits van Dongen (1901–1975), born Hein van der Niet and sometimes billed as Philip Dorn, was a Dutch actor who had a career in Hollywood. As a teenager he moved out of his parental home to perform in an amateur theatre group; his stage name Frits van Dongen already dates from that period. In the early 1920s, Van Dongen ended up in the professional stage, but it was not until 1934 that he starred in his first film: 'Op Hoop van Zegen'. This film marked his breakthrough as a film star in the Netherlands: in 1935 he played in 'De Big van het Regiment', 'De Kribbebijter' and 'Op Stap' and in 1936 in 'Rubber'. Van Dongen then left for Berlin to work with the likes of Veit Harlan and star in a number of successful German films. In 1939 Van Dongen and his second wife, Jewish actress Marianne van Dam, left for the United States at the invitation of director Henry Koster, who had directed Van Dongen in 'De Kribbebijter'. When he was given a seven-year contract at MGM, Van Dongen changed his name to Philip Dorn. After making his American debut in 1940 with 'Enemy Agent', he would frequently be cast as continental lover, anti-Nazi German or refugee. In 1952 he returned to Europe for several German films and a Dutch theatre tour with Lily Bouwmeester. In 1953 he quit acting in films, partly due to speech problems due to a concussion. He retired for the rest of his life in California, where he died.
Known For
Filmography
Salto Mortale
Cadenos
Dreaming Lips
Michael
Türme des Schweigens
Captain de Vries
Behind Monastery Walls
Thomas Holinka
Sealed Cargo
Konrad
Spy Hunt
Paul Kopel
The Fighting Kentuckian
Col. Georges Geraud
I Remember Mama
Papa
I've Always Loved You
Leopold Goronoff
Escape in the Desert
Philip Artveld
Blonde Fever
Peter Donay
Passage to Marseille
Renault
Twenty Years After
(archive footage)
Paris After Dark
Jean Blanchard
Chetniks!
Gen. Draja Mihailovitch
Reunion in France
Robert Cortot
Random Harvest
Dr. Jonathan Benet
Calling Dr. Gillespie
Dr. John Hunter Gerniede
Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Vandermeer
Underground
Eric Franken
Ziegfeld Girl
Franz Kolter
Escape
Dr. Ditten
Diamond Frontier
Jan Stafford De Winter
Ski Patrol
Viktor Ryder
Enemy Agent
Jeffry Arnold
The Journey to Tilsit
Endrik Settegast
Der Hampelmann
Peter
Covered Tracks
Bezirksarzt Dr. Morot
The Indian Tomb
Chandra, Maharadscha von Eschnapur
Waltz Melodies
Hans v. Waldenau
The Tiger of Eschnapur
Maharadscha von Eschnapur
Rubber
Johannes 'John' van Laer
The Crosspatch
Willy van Hergershuizen
De big van het regiment
Berkhage
On the Move
George van Reen
The Good Hope
Geert