From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Joseph Edward Bromberg born Josef Bromberger December 25 1903 December 6 1951 was a Romanianborn American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s By virtue of his physique the short somewhat rotund actor was destined to play secondary roles Bromberg made his stage debut at the Greenwich Village Playhouse and in 1926 made his first appearance in a Broadway play Princess Turandot The following year Bromberg married Goldie Doberman with whom he had three children Occasionally credited as JE Bromberg and Joseph Bromberg he performed secondary roles in 35 Broadway productions and 53 motion pictures until 1951 For two decades Bromberg was highly regarded in the New York theatrical world and was a founding member of the Civic Repertory Theatre 19281930 and of the Group Theatre 19311940 Bromberg made his screen debut in 1936 under contract to Twentieth CenturyFox The versatile actor played a wide variety of roles ranging from a ruthless New York newspaper editor in Charlie Chan on Broadway to a despotic Arabian sheik in Mr Moto Takes a Chance Although he spoke with no trace of an accent he was often called upon to play humble immigrants of various nationalities When Warner Oland the actor who played Charlie Chan died in 1938 Fox considered Bromberg as a suitable replacement but the role ultimately went to Sidney Toler Fox began loaning Bromberg to other studios in 1939 and finally dropped him from the roster in 1941 He kept working for various producers including a stint at Universal Pictures in the mid1940s Brombergs most outstanding attribute was his facility with sensitive character roles he could take a standard undistinguished supporting part and make it unforgettably sympathetic In Hollywood Cavalcade he portrays Don Ameches friend who knows he will never get the girl in Three Sons he is the lowly business associate who longs to be given a partnership in Easy to Look At he is the oncegreat couturier now reduced to night watchman In September 1950 the anticommunist magazine Red Channels accused Bromberg of being a member of the American Communist Party Subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities in June 1951 Bromberg refused to answer any questions in accordance with his Fifth Amendment rights
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