Francis Lederer; Suave Character Actor Taught Others

Francis Lederer, known for his natural Continental charm, which won him leading man roles in silent film classics such as the 1929 German-made psychological drama “Pandora’s Box,” and who became wealthy through his substantial real estate holdings in the San Fernando Valley, has died. He was 100.

Lederer, a debonair international star of stage and screen in the 1920s and ‘30s who later created a gallery of offbeat character roles in American films from 1933 to 1959, died Thursday at his Palm Springs home.

“I would look on him as an essential Continental leading man, as opposed to a Hollywood star,” said film historian Anthony Slide of Studio City, who has written about 60 books on film history. “His natural charm comes across on film. He is like the German Maurice Chevalier--without the songs.”

Born Frantisek Lederer in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on Nov. 6, 1899, he served as a corporal with the Czechoslovakian artillery during World War I before launching his stage career as a walk-on in “Burning Heart” while an apprentice with the New German Theater.

Lederer’s earliest films included the French movie “Maman Colibri” and the German films “The Wonderful Lie of Nina Perovna” and “Pandora’s Box,” considered a classic of German cinema and one of the greatest films of the silent era.

“ ‘Pandora’s Box’ cemented his position as a leading man in German films,” Slide said. “It was one of a number of films that caught the attention of producers in Hollywood.”

On this side of the Atlantic, Lederer achieved success as an actor on the Broadway stage, on Hollywood studio back lots and later on television screens, where he made guest appearances on “Mission: Impossible,” “Ben Casey,” “The Untouchables” and “It Takes a Thief,” among other programs.

With his film career winding down, Lederer became active in civic affairs, having served on the boards of the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department and the Greek Theater and as honorary mayor of Canoga Park.

Lederer and his wife, Marion, eventually settled in the west Valley in the 1940s. The couple purchased 300 acres surrounding and including Canoga Hill, near Sherman Way and Woodlake Avenue in what is now known as West Hills. The Lederers built a reproduction of an 18th century Spanish mission-style home from local stone.

“What is so amazing is that he lived so long and was able to acquire wealth through his real estate holdings,” Slide said. “He was obviously an excellent businessman.”

In 1957, Lederer, one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild, founded the American National Academy of Performing Arts in Studio City, where he continued to teach a weekly actors’ workshop. The school’s walls are covered with photos of former students, including Helen Hunt, who won the 1997 Academy Award for best actress.

At times, Lederer’s political activism and outspokenness put him at odds with colleagues and government officials.

In the 1940s, he was cleared by a U.S. House subcommittee of accusations that he was a Communist sympathizer. In 1982, after a bitter dispute with board members of the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Lederer withdrew a $17-million bequest because he felt the board was not receptive to his wishes on how the money should be used.

To mark Lederer’s 100th birthday, the Los Angeles City Council last November presented the actor with a resolution citing his acting credits and civic activism.

Showing his legendary wit and wisdom, Lederer said the secret of longevity “is to live a long time.”

Lederer is survived by his wife of 59 years and several relatives. A private funeral was planned.