Fritz Reuter Leiber Sr was an American actor A Shakespearean actor on stage he also had a successful career in film He was the father of science fiction and fantasy writer Fritz Leiber Jr who was also an actor for a time Leiber and his wife spent much of their time touring in a Shakespearean acting company known by the 1930s as Fritz Leiber Co Leiber made his film bow in 1916 playing Mercutio in the Francis X Bushman version of Romeo and Juliet With his piercing eyes and shock of white hair Leiber seemed every inch the priests professors musical professors and religious fanatics that he was frequently called upon to play in films His many silentera portrayals included Caesar in Theda Baras 1917 Cleopatra and Solomon in the mammoth 1921 Betty Blythe vehicle The Queen of Sheba He thrived as a character actor in sound films usually in historical roles In the film Champagne Waltz he portrayed an orchestra maestro the role required him to play classical music on a violin and jazz on a clarinet One of Leibers larger assignments of the 1940s and his most notable musical role was as Franz Liszt in the Claude Rains remake of Phantom of the Opera 1943 Leiber appears together with his son Fritz Leiber Jr in the weddingfeast scene of Greta Garbos film Camille 1936 and in Warner Bros The Great Garrick 1937 Leiber also appeared with his son Fritz Leiber Jr in The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939 but Fritz Leiber Jr was not credited for his small speaking part Late in his career Leiber performed briefly opposite Charles Chaplin as the priest who visits Monsieur Verdoux in his prison cell
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