Fritz Feld profile
Actor profile

Fritz Feld

14th October 1900 Berlin, Germany Acting

Fritz Feld was born on October 15, 1900 in Berlin, Germany as Fritz Feilchenfeld. He is known for his work on Bringing Up Baby (1938), Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was married to Virginia Christine. He died on November 18, 1993 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Born in Berlin, Germany, Feld began his acting career in Germany in 1917, making his screen debut in Der Golem und die Tänzerin (The Golem and the Dancing Girl). Feld filmed the sound sequences of the Cecil B. DeMille film The Godless Girl, released by Pathé, without DeMille's supervision since DeMille had already broken his contract with Pathé, and signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He developed a characterization that came to define him. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a "pop!" sound that indicated both his superiority and his annoyance. The first use of the "pop" sound was in If You Knew Susie. Feld often played the part of a maître d', but also a variety of aristocrats and eccentrics; his characters were indeterminately European, sometimes French and sometimes Belgian but always with his particular mannerisms. In the 1938 screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby he played the role of Dr. Lehman. In 1939 he appeared with the Marx Brothers in At The Circus in the small but memorable role of French orchestra conductor Jardinet. In one 1967 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Napoleon's Tomb Affair", Feld played a banker, a beatnik, a diplomat and a waiter. The episode also featured Ted Cassidy from The Addams Family. In his later years, Feld appeared in several Walt Disney films and also played an uncharacteristically dramatic role in Barfly. In addition to films, he acted in numerous television series in guest roles, including the recurring role of "Zumdish", the manager of the intergalactic Celestial Department Store on Lost In Space, in two Season 2 episodes, The Android Machine and The Toymaker. Zumdish returned in the Season 3 episode Two Weeks In Space, where he has been brainwashed by bank robbers into believing he is a tour director taking the robbers on holiday. He also portrayed one of the Harmonia Gardens waiters in the movie Hello Dolly! Feld made his final film appearance in 1989.

131 Movies 35 TV Shows 169 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Penelope poster
Penelope 10th November 1966 as Penelope's Dance Partner (uncredited)
Harlow poster
Harlow 23rd June 1965 as Fritz (uncredited)
The Ladies Man poster
The Ladies Man 21st June 1961 as Mrs. Wellenmellon's Hairdresser (uncredited)
Riding High poster
Riding High 12th April 1950 as French Dressmaker (uncredited)
Trouble Makers poster
Trouble Makers 10th December 1948 as Mr. Andre Schmidtlap - Hotel Manager
Hollywood Wonderland poster
Hollywood Wonderland 9th August 1947 as Director (clip from "Swingtime in the Movies", 1938) (uncredited)
Iceland poster
Iceland 21st September 1942 as Herr Tegnar
Victory poster
Victory 21st December 1940 as Signor Makanoff
Batman poster
Batman 12th January 1966 as Prof. Greenleaf
Batman poster
Batman 12th January 1966 as Oliver Muzzy