Louis V. Arco (24 July 1899 – 3 April 1975) was an Austrian-born actor who was born Lutz Altschul in Baden, Austria-Hungary (now Austria), about 5 miles south of Vienna.His first film was the German silent movie Liebesfeuer in 1925. Two years later, Altschul starred as Nicola Sacco in the Austrian silent film Sacco und Vanzetti. In 1929, he appeared in his last silent movie Napoleon auf St. Helena about Napoleon's last days. This movie was directed by Lupu Pick, who loved making silent movies so much that he couldn't handle the switch to talkies and ended up poisoning himself in Berlin in 1931.His first talkie was the film Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) in 1930. The following year, he appeared in Yorck (about the life of the Prussian general Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg who fought against Napoleon). In 1932, Altschul appeared in his last German movie, Der Schwarze Husar (The Black Husar) starring Conrad Veidt. After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Altschul went home to Austria.After Hitler's forces took over Austria in the Anschluss of 1938, Altschul came to America and changed his name to Louis V. Arco. His first movie in America was the 1939 war drama Nurse Edith Cavell. In 1941, he received a small role in Warner Bros. war drama Underground directed by Vincent Sherman. Like many other German and Austrian actors who fled the Nazis, he ended up portraying them in films.In 1941, Arco received a fairly good role in the Hal B. Wallis film Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet starring Edward G. Robinson. In 1942, Arco plays a Nazi radio censor who is ultimately sent to the Russian Front in Warner Bros.' anti-Nazi movie Berlin Correspondent, with Dana Andrews. Later that year, Arco received one scene as a refugee in Casablanca. He is seen in the introduction to Rick's Cafe looking very depressed. He has one line, "waiting, waiting, waiting....I'll never get out of here....I'll die in Casablanca."In 1943, Arco appeared in 14 films, mostly playing Nazis and mostly uncredited. In Edge of Darkness, starring Errol Flynn, he played a German lieutenant confiscating materials such as food and clothing from a Norwegian town in an extremely arrogant way. Jack Warner wanted to leave no doubt as to his opinion of the morals of the Nazis. He played a German alpine officer in Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas, a wartime movie on German-occupied Yugoslavia by Twentieth Century-Fox. In Hitler's Madman, he portrayed a sergeant.Later, Arco appeared in Warner Bros.'s controversial film Mission to Moscow, starring Walter Huston. Arco played another Nazi in Hostages. In The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler, Arco portrayed a Gestapo officer. Arco again played a Nazi in The Cross of Lorraine. In The Song of Bernadette, Arco got to get away from the Nazi image by portraying a Franciscan monk. He also had a small role as a German submarine commander in another Humphrey Bogart movie, Action in the North Atlantic.Arco's roles started to diminish as the war came to a clos
He left Germany in 1933 when the National Socialists assumed the power and after a inter station in Czecholovakia where he appeared at the Deutsches Theater, he emigrated via Switzerland and France.
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In the USA he was able to gain a foothold again both at the theater and in the film business although he only impersonated very small roles especially in the movies, often as a soldier or officer of the German army from which he had to flee in reality.
3
After the end or World War 2 he returned to Europa and acted on stage mostly.
4
Lutz Altschul was able to take part in some very popular American movies, but beside it he also had to work as a taxi driver to earn additional money.
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The actor Lutz Altschul - who later chose the pseudonym Louis V. Arco in the USA - began his career as an actor after the end of World War I. But before he started his acting career he tried to launch a military career but didn't see a future in it.
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In 1944 he became the US citizenship.
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Brother of actress "Maria Ray' (Greta Maria Altschul).
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Kung Fu
1973
TV Series
Diaz
The Doctor Says
1966
Verteidiger (as Lutz Altschul)
Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald
1964
TV Movie
Der Mister (as Lutz Altschul)
Das Kriminalmuseum
1963
TV Series
Question 7
1961
Herr Dörfl - Kirchenältester (as Lutz Altschul)
Die schöne Tölzerin
1952
as Lutz Altschul
Straße zur Heimat
1952
Jonny Pospidil (as Louis Arco)
Duell mit dem Tod
1949
Gerichtsvorsitzender (as Lutz Altschul)
Counter-Attack
1945
German Colonel (uncredited)
Son of Lassie
1945
Sentry (uncredited)
The Big Noise
1944
German Officer (uncredited)
Secrets of Scotland Yard
1944
General Carl Eberling (uncredited)
Wilson
1944
German Delegate (uncredited)
The Black Parachute
1944
Orderly (uncredited)
The Story of Dr. Wassell
1944
Mate of the 'Janssen' (uncredited)
The Hitler Gang
1944
Rudy (uncredited)
Address Unknown
1944
German (uncredited)
The Song of Bernadette
1943
Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
The Cross of Lorraine
1943
Nazi Guard (uncredited)
Gangway for Tomorrow
1943
Squad Officer (uncredited)
The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler
1943
Gestapo Officer (uncredited)
Adventures of the Flying Cadets
1943
Ernst, Nazi Radioman [Chs. 5-9]
Hostages
1943
Nazi Officer
Bomber's Moon
1943
Mess Sergeant (uncredited)
Appointment in Berlin
1943
Army Captain (uncredited)
Hitler's Madman
1943
German Sergeant (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
1943
Submarine Commander (uncredited)
This Land Is Mine
1943
German Sergeant (uncredited)
Mission to Moscow
1943
Train Announcer (uncredited)
Edge of Darkness
1943
German Lieutenant (uncredited)
Hangmen Also Die!
1943
Nazi Official (uncredited)
The Moon Is Down
1943
Schumann (uncredited)
The Fighting Guerrillas
1943
Alpine Officer (uncredited)
Casablanca
1942
Refugee at Rick's (uncredited)
Desperate Journey
1942
Feldwebel (Sgt.) Gertz (uncredited)
Berlin Correspondent
1942
Censor (uncredited)
Pacific Rendezvous
1942
Assistant (uncredited)
All Through the Night
1942
Shortwave Radio Man (uncredited)
Underground
1941
Otto (as Louis Arco)
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
1940
Dr. Bertheim (uncredited)
Nick Carter, Master Detective
1939
Yacht Captain (uncredited)
Nurse Edith Cavell
1939
Private Rammler (as Louis Arco)
Der schwarze Husar
1932
as Lutz Altschul
Yorck
1931
as Lutz Altschul
Die Försterchristl
1931
Österreichischer Offizier (as Lutz Altschul)
Rosenmontag
1930
Peter von Remberg - Oberleutnant (as Lutz Altschul)