Zita Johann

Zita Johann (born Elisabeth Johann; 14 July 1904 – 24 September 1993) was an Austrian-American actress, best known for her performance in Karl Freund's 1932 film, The Mummy, with Boris Karloff.

Zita Johann
Johann in 1933
Born
Elisabeth Johann

(1904-07-14)14 July 1904
Deutschbentschek (near Temesvar), Austria-Hungary
Died24 September 1993(1993-09-24) (aged 89)
Nyack, New York, U.S.
Years active1924–1934
Spouse(s)
Partner(s)John Huston

Life and career

A German-speaking Banat Swabian, Zita Johann was born Elisabeth Johann in the village of Deutschbentschek (near Timișoara), Austria-Hungary. The village is now part of Romania. Her father, a hussar officer named Stefan Johann, emigrated with his family to the United States in 1911.[2]

She debuted on Broadway in 1924 and made her first film appearance in D. W. Griffith's 1931 film The Struggle. After seven films, she quit to work in theater, working with John Houseman, to whom she was married from 1929 to 1933, and with Orson Welles. She also taught acting to people with learning disorders.

Johann married three times. She made her last film appearance in the 1986 horror film Raiders of the Living Dead.

In 1962, she was a guest artist at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack, NY, where she directed 'Don Juan In Hell'.

She died in 1993 at age 89 in Nyack, New York. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered on a family farm in upstate New York.

Theatre credits
Zita Johann and Clark Gable in Machinal (1928)
Date Title Role Notes
April 14 – June 1924 Man and the Masses First Woman Prisoner Garrick Theatre, New York[3]
November 24, 1924 – January 1925 Dawn Judith Sam H. Harris Theatre, New York[3]
June 18 – November 29, 1925 Grand Street Follies Performer Neighborhood Playhouse, New York[3]
January 25 – March 1926 The Goat Song Kruna Guild Theatre, New York[3]
September 7 – November 24, 1928 Machinal A Young Woman Plymouth Theatre, New York[3]
April 1 – April 1930 Troyka Natascha Hudson Theatre, New York[3]
September 22 – October 1930 Uncle Vanya Sofya Alexandrovna Booth Theatre, New York[3]
January 13 – July 1931 Tomorrow and Tomorrow Eve Redman Henry Miller's Theatre, New York[3]
March 14–16, 1935 Panic Ione Imperial Theatre, New York[3][4]:159
May 27 – June 1935 Seven Keys to Baldpate Mary Norton National Theatre, New York[3]
March 1–2, 1940 The Burning Deck Nina Brandt Maxine Elliott Theatre, New York[3]
June 23 – July 1942 Broken Journey Rachel Thatcher Arlen Henry Miller's Theatre, New York[3]

Filmography
Poster for The Mummy (1932)
Year Title Role Notes
1931 The Struggle Florrie Wilson [5]
1932 Tiger Shark Quita Silva [5]
The Mummy Helen Grosvenor [6]
1933 Luxury Liner Miss Morgan [6]
The Man Who Dared Teena Pavelic [6]
The Sin of Nora Moran Nora Moran [6]
1934 Grand Canary Suzan Tranter [6]
1986 Raiders of the Living Dead [5]
1993 D. W. Griffith: Father of Film On-screen participant [5]
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References
  1. Grimes, William (September 30, 1993). "Zita Johann Dead; Actress, 89, Played The Mummy's Love". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  2. "Deutschbentschek in Banat". DVHH. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  3. "Zita Johann". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  4. Houseman, John (1972). Run-Through: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-21034-3.
  5. "Zita Johann". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  6. "Zita Johann". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
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