Zita Johann

About

Birth Place

Hungary

Born

July 14, 1904

Died

September 24, 1993

Cause of Death

Pneumonia

Biography

Dark, intriguing leading lady who appeared in seven films of the early 1930s after enjoying success on the New York stage. Johann made her screen debut in a leading role in D.W. Griffith's last film, the extremely low-budgeted, uneven but striking Depression-era document, "The Struggle" (1931). The following year she played the role for which she is best remembered: the woman that revive...

Filmography

The Sin of Nora Moran (1933)

Nora Moran

The Man Who Dared: An Imaginative Biography (1933)

Teena Pavelic

The Man Who Dared (1933)

The Mummy (1932)

Helen Grosvenor

Photos & Videos

View All

Sin Of Nora Moran, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) The Opiate Quieted Her Body

Sin Of Nora Moran, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) Confident Of Immediate Success

Family & Companions

John Houseman

Husband

Producer, actor. First husband; married in 1929; divorced on September 12, 1933.

John Huston

Companion

Director, screenwriter, actor. Involved in the 1930s.

Notes

"I hated Hollywood. It was no more than a personality and sex factory. They weren't interested in acting." --Johann, quoted in NEW YORK POST obituary, October 8, 1993

Biography

Dark, intriguing leading lady who appeared in seven films of the early 1930s after enjoying success on the New York stage. Johann made her screen debut in a leading role in D.W. Griffith's last film, the extremely low-budgeted, uneven but striking Depression-era document, "The Struggle" (1931). The following year she played the role for which she is best remembered: the woman that revived Egyptian high priest Im-Ho-Tep (Boris Karloff) is convinced is the reincarnation of his love from thousands of years ago in the poetic horror classic, "The Mummy" (1932). Johann brought an appropriately haunted, vague quality to the role, but despite leads in several others films, including the lively actioner "Tiger Shark" (1932), did not catch on as a popular star. Late in 1933 she was reduced to playing the title role in a poverty row drama, "The Sin of Nora Moran" (1933), and after one more film Johann, who disliked Hollywood, returned to the stage to continue her career.

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

The Sin of Nora Moran (1933)

Nora Moran

The Man Who Dared: An Imaginative Biography (1933)

Teena Pavelic

The Man Who Dared (1933)

Life Events

1911

Immigrated to the United States with her parents at age 7 (date approximate)

1924

Made her Broadway debut

1931

Made her screen debut in a leading role in D.W. Griffith's "The Struggle"

1934

Left Hollywood to return to the stage

Videos

Sin Of Nora Moran, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) The Opiate Quieted Her Body Complex narrative as Claire DuBrey, wife of the governor, has come to her brother the D-A (Alan Dinehart) with letters from a lover who, he admits, was the troubled title character (Zita Johann), who is, as time leaps, comforted by Sarah Padden, then as a child (Cora Sue Collins) by Father Ryan (Henry B. Walthall), in The Sin Of Nora Moran, 1933.

Sin Of Nora Moran, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) Confident Of Immediate Success More narration from prosecutor Alan Dinehart relating the backstory of the condemned title character (Zita Johann) upon the death of her adoptive parents, embarking on a dance career, winding up with a lion tamer (John Miljan) of dubious character, in the ambitious melodrama from poverty-row Majestic Pictures, The Sin Of Nora Moran, 1933.

Sin Of Nora Moran, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) That Gentleman's Here Again An array of stock footage and spicy pre-Code original material, with more flashback about the title character (Zita Johann) who awaits execution, and her time in New York, where she met the future governor (Paul Cavanagh), in the low-budget high-brow The Sin Of Nora Moran, 1933.

Mummy, The (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Closed For The Night Mysterious Egyptian "Ardeth Bay" (Boris Karloff) has his hands now on his prized scroll, incanting over it the name of the long dead princess of the character he's pretending not to be, somehow reaching Anglo-Egyptian Helen (Zita Johann) at the museum party, in Universal's The Mummy, 1932.

Tiger Shark (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Fishing News Opening titles and framing from Howard Hawks' Tiger Shark, 1932, starring Edward G. Robinson as a Portugese immigrant fisherman, with Zita Johann and Richard Arlen.

Tiger Shark (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Every Girl in Town! Immigrant Californian fisherman Mike (Edward G. Robinson) uses his hook to rescue mild-mannered Quita (Zita Johann) from creepy Tony (J. Carroll Naish) in Howard Hawks' Tiger Shark, 1932.

Tiger Shark (1932) -- (Movie Clip) Tuna Portugese captain Mike (Edward G. Robinson) and buddy Pipes (Richard Arlen) bring in the catch (on location at Monterey, California) in this industrial sequence from Howard Hawks' Tiger Shark, 1932.

Mummy, The (1932) - (Re-issue Trailer) An Egyptian mummy returns to life to stalk the reincarnation of his lost love in The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff.

Companions

John Houseman

Husband

Producer, actor. First husband; married in 1929; divorced on September 12, 1933.

John Huston

Companion

Director, screenwriter, actor. Involved in the 1930s.

Bibliography

Notes

"I hated Hollywood. It was no more than a personality and sex factory. They weren't interested in acting." --Johann, quoted in NEW YORK POST obituary, October 8, 1993

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Life Events

1911

1924

1931

1934

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

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