Paul Leni

Directing

Paul Leni

Born July 8, 1885 · Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Died September 2, 1929 · aged 44

German filmmaker and set designer. He died of sepsis from an untreated tooth infection in 1929 at the age of 44.

Known For

Der BlusenkönigDer Blusenkönig · 1917
Der Blusenkönig
1917
MovieComedy
Sally Katz begins a new job as a supervisor in the workshop of a garment maker where the boss's nasty daughter makes him advances. But the girl's father forbids him to flirt back.
The Man Who LaughsThe Man Who Laughs · 1928
The Man Who Laughs
7.31928
MovieDramaRomance
When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
Die GeierwallyDie Geierwally · 1921
Die Geierwally
6.21921
MovieDrama
"The Bear Joseph", so named because of a fight with a bear, is rescued by Wally, a farmer's daughter, from a dangerous situation in a vulture's nest. He then calls her "Geierwally". They fall in love. Wally's father disapproves of this romance. He has other plans for Wally.
Lady HamiltonLady Hamilton · 1921
Lady Hamilton
5.91921
MovieDramaHistory
The married Lady Emma Hamilton has an ill fated romance with Admiral Horatio Nelson.
The Cat and the CanaryThe Cat and the Canary · 1927
The Cat and the Canary
6.91927
MovieComedyHorror
Relatives gather at a haunted mansion for a will reading where the sole heir is threatened by a clause that could disinherit her if she goes mad, all while a homicidal maniac escapes nearby.
Manon LescautManon Lescaut · 1926
Manon Lescaut
5.91926
MovieDrama
A French adventurer fights to save a woman in the life of prostitution.
WaxworksWaxworks · 1924
Waxworks
6.41924
MovieFantasyHorror
A poet is hired by the owner of a wax museum in a circus to write tales about Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. While writing, the poet and the daughter of the owner, Eva, fantasize the fantastic stories and fall in love for each other.
The Golden ButterflyThe Golden Butterfly · 1926
The Golden Butterfly
10.01926
MovieDrama
A restaurant cashier, who has a mutual attraction to the restauranteur, has a secret passion for dance. As soon as she finishes work she is off down to the dance studio for a practice. She has a chance meeting with a handsome impresario, who promises to make her into the greatest dancer the world has ever known.

Filmography

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Cab No. 13Cab No. 13 · 1926
Cab No. 13
7.31926
MovieDrama
The film starts with a woman on the run from her millionaire husband giving birth to a daughter in the home of a washerwoman. The woman dies in childbirth, but the baby survives. The washerwoman leaves the baby in a horsedrawn Parisian taxicab (No. 13). The paperwork of the birth is lost in a huge tome. Sixteen years pass. The tome is bought by a poor student. One day his bookshelf collapses, and the tome opens at the page where the paperwork has been hidden. The student realises that the paperwork relates to a millionaire who has spent the last sixteen years looking for his pregnant wife. The student traces the washerwoman, and he tricks her into confessing what she has done with the baby. Meanwhile, the baby has been adopted by the cab driver and his wife, and has grown into Lili Damita.

Art Direction