Zita Johann | |
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Johann in 1933
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Born |
Elisabeth Johann 14 July 1904 Deutschbentschek (near Temesvar), Austria-Hungary |
Died | 17 September 1993 Nyack, New York, U.S. |
(aged 89)
Years active | 1924–1934 |
Spouse(s) |
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Partner(s) | John Huston |
Zita Johann (born Elisabeth Johann, 14 July 1904 – 17 September 1993) was an Austrian-American actress, best known for her performance in Karl Freund's 1932 film, The Mummy, with Boris Karloff.
A Banat German, Zita Johann was born Elisabeth Johann in the village of Deutschbentschek (near Temesvar), Austria-Hungary. Her father, a hussar officer named Stefan Johann, emigrated with his family to the United States in 1911.
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 1929-1933, 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.
She died in 1993 at age 89 in Nyack, New York. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in a stream in upstate New York.