Francis Lederer (November 6, 1899 – May 25, 2000) was an Austro-Hungarian Empire-born American actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States. His original name was František (Franz) Lederer.
Early years
František (Franz) Lederer was born in Karlín, a working-class suburb of Prague, to a Jewish family. His mother was Rosa (Růžena) née Ornstein from Třebíč, his father Josef Lederer was a leather merchant. Until František was thirteen, his only recreation was wrestling.[1] His parents separated when he was nine years old, and his brother Pavel died in World War I. His mother and younger brother Rudolf later moved to Los Angeles. Franz 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. He lost that role when he drew attention away from the stars to himself.[1]
Acting career
Europe
Lederer started acting when he was young and was trained at the Academy of Music and Academy of Dramatic Art in Prague.[2] 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.[3] 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.[3]
Lederer worked with G.W. Pabst in Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, and Atlantic (both 1929).[2] He was also in The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna in the same year. Lederer, billed as "Franz" at this time, made the transition from silent films to sound films.
America
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[4] – using the name "Francis" – where it played for 210 performances in 1932 and 1933.[5] He also performed the play in Los Angeles.[3] 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.[3] He became a U.S. citizen in 1939.[6]
Lederer, who became very wealthy, invested in real estate, especially in the Canoga Park community (which included West Hills, as defined 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 and received awards for his efforts to beautify the city. He was the honorary mayor of Canoga Park for some 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. In 2000, the Austrian government honored him with the Cross of Honor for Science and Arts, First Class.[3]
Lederer was married three times. His first marriage was to Ada Nejedly, an opera singer. The year they wed remains undetermined, but records show that the couple divorced in 1928.[7] In 1937, he married the actress Margo; they divorced three years later. Lederer's final marriage was to Marion Eleanor Irvine, a native of Canada who lived most of her life in California.[3][8] 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.[8] They remained together for nearly six decades, until his death in 2000.[9]
The residence and stables are both protected Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments.[10] After the house was damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the property was completely renovated. The estate is next to the very large 1845 Mexican land grantRancho El Escorpión, which was Lederer's southern rural viewshed and remained undeveloped open space until 1959. The home and grounds are still in the hands of the family.[11]
↑Frantisek Lederer, Petition for Naturalization, U.S. District Court of Los Angeles, Jan. 21, 1939. Ancestry.com. Selected U.S. Naturalization Records: Original Documents, 1790–1974 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009.
↑Hunter, Allan (June 13, 2000). "Francis Lederer: [1 Edition]". The Scotsman. p.18. ProQuest326873555. In 1937, he married the actress known as Margo. They were divorced in 1940 and the following year he married a Canadian, Marion Irvine, who is his sole survivor.
