Emil Boreo

Emil Boreo was an American actor of Polish birth, born in 1885, who worked across theater, vaudeville, and film until his death on July 27, 1951, in New York City. His Broadway career spanned from 1922 to 1940, and he became recognized in the 1930s for his work in British cinema.

Boreo built his early reputation on the American stage, where he was known as the Limehouse Actor during the 1920s. He appeared in the revue Chauve-Souris in 1929, performing the role of Pagliacci alongside productions such as Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, which also featured Nelson Keys. He additionally appeared in the revue The Merry World. Beyond the stage, he worked as a comedian and singer in vaudeville and performed artistic song evenings for club audiences.

In the spring of 1940, Boreo appeared at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City in Ernest Hemingway's play The Fifth Column, performing alongside Lee J. Cobb, Lenore Ulric, Katherine Locke, and Arnold Moss.

His film work took place primarily in England during the late 1930s. In 1937, he starred as Luigi in the musical The Street Singer, directed by Jean de Marguenat, with a cast that included Arthur Tracy, Arthur Riscoe, Margaret Lockwood, and Hugh Wakefield. The following year, Alfred Hitchcock cast him in The Lady Vanishes, a crime comedy in which he again appeared alongside Lockwood. In that film he played Boris, a hotel manager contending with an overcrowded establishment after an avalanche strands international travelers from a train. His final screen appearance came in 1947 in Edgar G. Ulmer's musical drama Carnegie Hall.