Philip Dorn

Philip Dorn, born Hein van der Niet on 30 September 1901 in Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands, was a Dutch American actor who built careers on both stage and screen across multiple countries. He died on 9 May 1975 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, at the age of 73. Before establishing himself under the name Philip Dorn, he performed in German films under the screen name Frits van Dongen. He is perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of the father in RKO's I Remember Mama (1948).

Dorn made his stage debut at the age of 14 in Dutch productions and later graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Scheveningen. He also served in Queen Wilhelmina's Royal Guards. His screen debut came in 1934 under the name Frits van Dongen in Op Hoop van Zegen, directed by Alex Benno. He followed that with lead roles in De Big van het Regiment (1935), The Crosspatch (1935), Op Stap (1936), and Rubber (1936), and appeared on stage in productions of Camille, Ghosts, and Journey's End. He also toured Java with a theatrical company during this period.

Dorn subsequently moved to Germany, where he appeared in The Tiger of Eschnapur (1938) and its sequel The Indian Tomb (1938), as well as Covered Tracks (1938) and The Journey to Tilsit (1939). In August 1939, just two weeks before the outbreak of World War II, he relocated to the United States at the urging of director Henry Koster, who had previously worked with him in the Netherlands and was by then based at Universal. Dorn made three films for Universal: Enemy Agent (1940), Ski Patrol (1940), and Diamond Frontier (1940).

He then moved to MGM, where he appeared in support roles in Escape (1940) and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). Warner Bros. borrowed him to play the lead in Underground (1941). Back at MGM, he had a supporting part in Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) and was cast in a Dr. Kildare production that required reshooting after star Lew Ayres was dismissed for being a conscientious objector; Dorn replaced him as a new doctor, and the film was released as Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942). That same year he appeared in a supporting capacity in Random Harvest (1942) and received third billing in Reunion in France (1942).

20th Century Fox cast him in the lead role of Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas (1943), in which he portrayed Draža Mihailović, and retained him to star in Paris After Dark (1943). He received fourth billing at Warner Bros. in Passage to Marseille (1944) and took the lead in MGM's Blonde Fever (1944). At Warners he starred in Escape in the Desert (1945), a remake of The Petrified Forest in which he replaced Zachary Scott.

In 1946, Dorn appeared onstage alongside Claire Trevor in The Big Two, the production that would also constitute his Broadway credit when it played in 1947. He was set to appear in Singapore but withdrew after falling ill with pneumonia. Following I Remember Mama (1948), he appeared with John Wayne in The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) at Republic, and took supporting roles in Spy Hunt (1950) at Universal and Sealed Cargo (1951) at RKO. He later returned to Germany, where he starred in Behind Monastery Walls (1952), Towers of Silence (1952), Dreaming Lips (1953), and Salto Mortale (1953).

Dorn suffered from phlebitis, which required surgery and led to a series of strokes. Following an accident on stage, he retired in 1965 and spent the remaining decade of his life at his home in California. He was married twice: first to Cornelia Maria Twilt from 1921 to 1930, and then to Dutch actress Marianne van Dam from 1933 until his death. He was survived by his wife and a daughter. He died of a heart attack on 9 May 1975.