Biography
Frank Reicher (December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American stage and film actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film King Kong. Reicher made his Broadway debut the year he came to America playing Lord Tarquin in Harrison Fiske's production of Becky Sharp, a comedy by Langdon Mitchell based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. His early career was spent in legitimate theater on and off Broadway. He was head of the Brooklyn Stock Company when Jacob P. Adler performed The Merchant of Venice in Yiddish while the rest of the cast remained in English. Reicher was for a number of years affiliated with the Little Theatre on West Forty-Fourth Street as an actor and manager and would remain active on Broadway as actor, director or producer well into the 1920s. On stage, Reicher starred in such plays as the first Broadway production of Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight (as the cashier), and the original production of Percy MacKaye's The Scarecrow (in the title role). Frank Reicher is probably more familiar to modern audiences as a supporting character actor in films. He began his cinema career with an uncredited role in the 1915 film The Case for Becky and would go on to work in over two hundred motion pictures. He is probably best remembered for playing the character of Captain Englehorn in King Kong and The Son of Kong, and for his work in such films as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). His last Hollywood role was in the very first theatrical Superman movie, Superman and the Mole Men, in 1951. Frank Reicher died at a hospital in Inglewood, California, aged 89. He was survived by his sister and a brother. His interment was at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Acted in 188
1950s
- 1952
- 1951
Superman and the Mole Men
Hospital Superintendent
The Lady and the Bandit
Count Eckhardt
- 1950
1940s
- 1949
Barbary Pirate
Cathcart
- 1948
The Gallant Blade
Major
I, Jane Doe
Doctor
Carson City Raiders
Razor the Barber
Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad
Dr. MacKenzie
- 1947
Escape Me Never
The Minister
Violence
Pop, apartment concierge
Yankee Fakir
H.W. Randall
- 1946
Home in Oklahoma
Jason Cragmyle
Sister Kenny
Dr. Chuter (uncredited)
The Shadow Returns
Michael Hasdon
A Guy Could Change
Doctor
- 1945
The Tiger Woman
Coroner
Voice of the Whistler
Dr. Rose (uncredited)
A Medal for Benny
Father Bly (uncredited)
The Jade Mask
Harper
The Strange Mr. Gregory
William Riker, the Butler
- 1944
The Big Bonanza
Dr. Ballou
House of Frankenstein
Frederick Ullman
The Conspirators
Casino Attendant (uncredited)
The Mummy's Ghost
Prof. Matthew Norman
Gildersleeve's Ghost
Dr. Wells
Address Unknown
Professor Schmidt
Captain America
Lyman
- 1943
Tornado
Linden, Sr.
Bomber's Moon
Dr. Hartman
Background to Danger
Rudick (uncredited)
Yanks Ahoy
German Soldier (uncredited)
Above Suspicion
Colonel Gerold (Uncredited)
Mission to Moscow
General von Koestrich - German ambassador (uncredited)
Plan for Destruction
Karl Ernst Haushofer
- 1942
Night Monster
Dr. Timmons
The Mummy's Tomb
Professor Matthew Norman
Scattergood Survives a Murder
Thaddeus Quentin
Secret Enemies
Henry Bremmer
The Gay Sisters
Dr. Thomas Bigelow
Beyond the Blue Horizon
Sneath
The Mystery of Marie Roget
Magistrate
Nazi Agent
Fritz
- 1941
Dangerously They Live
Jarvis, Goodwin's Butler
One Foot in Heaven
Board Member (uncredited)
Underground
Professor Baumer
Shining Victory
Dr. Esterhazy
The Nurse's Secret
Wiley Henderson
They Dare Not Love
Captain
Flight from Destiny
Edvaard Kreindling
The Face Behind the Mask
Dr. Ronald Cheever (uncredited)
Four Mothers
Festival Committee Member (uncredited)
- 1940
Sky Murder
Dr. Crattan
The Man I Married
Friehof
The Lady in Question
President
South to Karanga
Dr. Greenleaf
Typhoon
Doctor
Dr. Cyclops
Prof. Kendall
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
Old Man
1930s
- 1939
Everything Happens at Night
Pharmacist
Our Neighbors - The Carters
Dr. Proser
Sabotage
(uncredited)
The Escape
Dr. Shumaker
Nurse Edith Cavell
Baron von Bissing
The Magnificent Fraud
Mendietta Garcia
Sons of Liberty
Lyons the Storekeeper (uncredited)
Mystery of the White Room
Dr. Amos Thornton
Never Say Die
Man in Charge of Duel
Society Smugglers
Jones
Woman Doctor
Dr. Mathews
Devil's Island
President of Assize Court
- 1938
The Girl Downstairs
Police Official (uncredited)
Torchy Gets Her Man
The Professor - Henchman
Suez
General Changarnier
I'll Give a Million
Prefect of Police
City Streets
Dr. Ferenc Waller
Rascals
Dr. C.M. Garvey
Prison Nurse
Doctor Hartman
- 1937
Prescription for Romance
Jozsef
Beg, Borrow or Steal
Monsieur Debillon (uncredited)
Stage Door
Stage Director
Fit for a King
Kurtz
On Such a Night
Horace Darwin
West Bound Limited
Pop Martin
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Pavloff
Midnight Madonna
Vincent Long II
The Road Back
Ernst's Father
Night Key
Carl - gang engineer
Espionage
Von Cram
The Great O'Malley
Dr. Larson
Stolen Holiday
Rainer
Man Of The People
Robinson
The Mighty Treve
Eben McClelland
Under Cover of Night
Rudolph Brehmer
- 1936
Sinner Take All
Theo Drukker (uncredited)
Laughing at Trouble
Dr. Larson
Along Came Love
Planetarium Lecturer
The Gorgeous Hussy
Commander of U.S.S. Constitution (uncredited)
Star for a Night
Doctor Heimkin
Second Wife
Headmaster
Girls' Dormitory
Dr. Hoffenreich
Under Two Flags
French General
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
Henry Strand (uncredited)
Murder on a Bridle Path
Dr. Peters
Till We Meet Again
Colonel Von Diegel
The Country Doctor
Dr. Paul Luke
Sutter's Gold
Governor Felipe Vega
The Invisible Ray
Professor Meiklejohn
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
Dr. Coate
- 1935
Magnificent Obsession
Dr. Rochard
The Great Impersonation
Dr. Trenk
Kind Lady
Gustave Roubet (as Frank Reigher)
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
2nd Assistant Director
Rendezvous
Dr. R.A. Jackson
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Dr. Jaipur
Star of Midnight
Abe Ohlman (uncredited)
The Florentine Dagger
Von Stein
A Dog of Flanders
Herr Vanderkloot
Straight from the Heart
Coroner
The Casino Murder Case
Assistant Coroner (uncredited)
Life Returns
Dr. James
- 1934
Mills of the Gods
Barrett
Secret of the Chateau
Auctioneer
I Am a Thief
Max Bolen
The Case of the Howling Dog
Dr. Carl Cooper
The Fountain
Doctor
Return of the Terror
Franz Reinhardt
Let's Talk It Over
Richards
The Line-Up
Abraham Schultz (uncredited)
Men in White
Doctor (uncredited)
No Greater Glory
Doctor
The Countess of Monte Cristo
Police Commissioner
Journal of a Crime
Herr Winterstein
Hi, Nellie!
Danny
- 1933
The Son of Kong
Captain Englehorn
Captured!
Herr Hauptman
Before Dawn
Joe Valerie
Jennie Gerhardt
Old Weaver (uncredited)
A Bedtime Story
Aristide
Topaze
Dr. Stegg
Employees' Entrance
Garfinkle
- 1932
Flesh
Warden in Germany (uncredited)
Scarlet Dawn
Plotsky (Uncredited)
The Crooked Circle
Rankin
A Woman Commands
The General
- 1931
Suicide Fleet
Holtzmann
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
Arresting Detective (uncredited)
Beyond Victory
German Hospital Chief
Gentleman's Fate
Francesco Tomasulo
- 1930
Billy the Kid
General Lew Wallace (uncredited)
Every Woman's Longing
Movie
Strictly Unconventional
Duke of Brocklehurst
The Grand Parade
Movie
Girl of the Port
Movie
1920s
- 1929
Mister Antonio
Milton Jorny
Her Private Affair
State's Attorney
Paris Bound
Movie
Black Waters
Randall
Strange Cargo
Dr. Stecker
His Captive Woman
District Attorney
- 1928
Sins of the Fathers
The Eye Specialist
Someone to Love
Simmons
Napoleon's Barber
Napoleon's Barber
The Masks of the Devil
Count Zellner
The Blue Danube
Baron
Beau Sabreur
Gen. de Beaujolais
- 1926
Her Man o' War
Professor Krantz
Directed 31
1930s
- 1931
We’re Switching to Hollywood
Director
1920s
- 1929
Mister Antonio
Director
- 1921
Behind Masks
Director
1910s
- 1919
The Black Circle
Director
The Battler
Director
The Trap
Director
The American Way
Director
Suspense
Director
- 1918
The Only Road
Director
- 1917
An American Widow
Director
The Eternal Mother
Director
The Trouble Buster
Director
The Inner Shrine
Director
Unconquered
Director
Castles for Two
Director
The Sacrifice
Director
The Black Wolf
Director
Lost and Won
Director
Betty to the Rescue
Director
- 1916
Witchcraft
Director
The Storm
Director
Alien Souls
Director
The Love Mask
Director
For the Defense
Director
- 1915
The Secret Sin
Director
The Chorus Lady
Director
The Case of Becky
Director
The Secret Orchard
Director
The Clue
Director
Wrote 3
1930s
- 1930
Anna Christie
Screenplay
Girl of the Port
Dialogue
1920s
- 1929
Paris Bound
Writer
Produced 3
1920s
- 1921
1910s
- 1919
Suspense
Producer
- 1917
Betty to the Rescue
Producer
Other crew 1
1910s
- 1916
Witchcraft
Presenter
Appearances2
2020s
- 2021
Titans of Destruction: The Evolution of Giant Monster Movies
Self (archive footage)
1910s
- 1914
The Lambs' All-Star Gambol
Self