Celebrity Info
Even though he was forced to escape his homeland of Austria following the Anschluss, Helmut Dantine managed to carve out a unique place for himself in Hollywood—often cast as a German during World War II, ironically enough. Back then known as 19-year-old Helmut Guttman, he was released from the Rosserlaende concentration camp thanks to a sympathetic doctor who quietly helped him. After finding refuge with a friend in Los Angeles, Helmut Dantine began pursuing acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, where his talent quickly caught attention. Not long after, Warner Bros. signed him, and Helmut Dantine started appearing in small, uncredited roles in now-classic films such as “To Be or Not to Be” and the legendary “Casablanca.”
One of his more notable early appearances came when Helmut Dantine played the wounded Luftwaffe pilot in the British wartime drama “Mrs Miniver.” As the war raged on, so did his career—he took on increasingly complex roles, like the cruel commandant in “Edge of Darkness,” who orders executions of villagers supporting the Norwegian resistance. Yet Helmut Dantine wasn’t just typecast as a villain; he also portrayed resistance fighters, including a Maquis patriot escaping Devil’s Island alongside Humphrey Bogart in “Passage to Marseille” and an underground anti-Nazi leader dodging the Gestapo in “Hotel Berlin.”
After the war, however, things slowed down for Helmut Dantine. While he still landed some respected supporting roles—such as Prince Hugo in Ethel Merman’s musical “Call Me Madam” and the sleazy Dolokhov in King Vidor’s “War and Peace”—his momentum faded. Helmut Dantine found himself shifting toward television gigs and B-movie leads, like playing a Greek partisan defending Athens from Axis forces in “Guerilla Girl” or a mysterious alien warning Patricia Neal of impending doom in “Stranger From Venus.”
Off-screen, Helmut Dantine married the daughter of former MGM executive Nicholas Schenck, which perhaps opened new doors. He eventually stepped behind the camera, trying his hand at directing with “Thundering Jets,” and later served as executive producer on gritty films like Sam Peckinpah’s “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” and “The Killer Elite.” Through it all, Helmut Dantine remained a fascinating figure—a man displaced by war who nonetheless shaped his own story in Hollywood, one role at a time.
When it comes to Helmut Dantine’s career highlights, one film really stands out—his highest rated performance came in To Be or Not to Be (1942), a classic that continues to earn praise over the decades. Helmut Dantine brought a unique presence to that role, and fans and critics alike have consistently ranked it at the top. On the other hand, while Helmut Dantine appeared in several notable projects, his lowest rated work is generally considered to be War and Peace (1956). Though the film had its merits, it didn’t resonate as strongly with audiences or reviewers, especially when compared to Helmut Dantine’s earlier success. Still, Helmut Dantine’s contribution to cinema remains noteworthy across both highs and lows.
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