Paul Müller (actor)


Paul Konrad Müller was a Swiss actor, who spent the majority of his career in Italy. His motion picture acting career spanned a period of 51 years, with over 230 film roles between 1948 and 2004.

Acting career

Theatre

In 1941/1942 he studied acting at the "Conservatoire National Supérieur d`Art Dramatique" in Paris. Until 1944 he had different engagements at theatres in Paris, e. g. "Theatre Pigalle", "Salle Pleyel", "Theatre des Ambassadeurs".
From 1944 to 1946 he was called up for military service in the French Army in Indochina shortly before the First Indochina War took place there. He caught malaria during that time and, in consequence of the disease, was left hard of hearing.
From 1947 to 1948 he had different engagements at theatres and touring companies not only in France, but also in the French part of Allied-occupied Germany and in Florence, e. g. "Tournée Spectacles Moyses", Teatro della Pergola. He acted, inter alia, under the direction of Georges Douking. His first film role came at age 25 in Ruy Blas.

Film

Paul Müller appeared in over 230 films after his first role in 1948. He spent most of his life working in Italy, his main country of residence. In more than 60 years he worked with most of the well-known European actresses and actors of classic cinema and with some famous names of the Cinema of Italy, like Roberto Rossellini, Carlo Ponti, Federico Fellini, Mario Bava, Sergio Corbucci, Michelangelo Antonioni. He also appeared in films under the direction of Veit Harlan, Artur Brauner, Jesús "Jess" Franco, René Clément, Michael Curtiz, Richard Fleischer, Jean-Pierre Mocky and many others. Jesús Franco co-starred with him in 15 films.

Personal life and death

Müller died in Tivoli, Lazio on 2 September 2016, at the age of 93.

Selected filmography

Ruy Blas Une grande fille toute simple Buried Alive, as Count Federico De RossiFabiola William Tell, as GesslerIl bacio di una morta, as HansSicilian Uprising, as Duke de Saint-Rémy, Governor of PalermoIl falco rosso, as Baron GoffredoRomanticismo, as CeskyToto Looks for a Wife, as CarloThe Transporter The Black Captain, as GiulianoFour Ways Out, as Guido MarchiRevenge of the Pirates, as EspinosaStasera sciopero, as The mad manRepentance, as Berardo Morelli Viva il cinema! La voce del sangue, as Count Franco SampieriAbracadabra, as AlfredoLieutenant Giorgio, as Count Stefano di MonserratoBrothers of Italy, as Luigi StaffiI sette dell'Orsa maggiore, as Enemy agentThe Blind Woman of Sorrento, as Carlo BasileoAnna's Sin, as AlbertoI misteri della giungla nera, as SuyodhanaLa prigioniera di Amalfi, as Baron CangemiTwo Nights with Cleopatra, as TortulPublic Opinion, as Carlo LeoneLa vendetta dei Tughs, as SuyodhanaSchiava del peccato, as VoyagerJourney to Italy, as Paul Dupont', as Richard SorgeSuonno d'ammore, as CarmeloTom Toms of Mayumba, as Dr. AssarAgguato sul mare, as Baron StarattaLacrime di sposa, as Toni IcardiIncatenata dal destino, as PieroCheckpoint, as PetersenThe Adventures of Arsène Lupin, as Rudolf von KraftI Vampiri, as Joseph SignoretPirate of the Half Moon, as Charles VIl Conte di Matera, as Filiberto

Awards and honours

In 2009 the German film production company Anolis published a Collector's Edition of Mario Bava's and Ricardo Freda's masterpiece I Vampiri on a 2-DVD-Set. That item includes, inter alia, three different versions of the first Italian horror movie of the sound era and an exclusive interview with actor Paul Müller about his career. It is the only on-screen interview appearance of him in existence. The DVD is especially dedicated to Müller and his remarkable work within the European film industry.