SZ Sakall was a Hungarian actor who came to America in middle age to act in many Warner Brothers films from the 40s thru the 50s. His most famous role was the chief waiter Carl in Casablanca, a role he originally did not want to do. He asked for 4 weeks of work but finally agreed to 3 with a total pay of $5,200 for the movie. He actually had more screen time than either Peter Lorre or Sydney Greenstreet in the film. SZ Sakall was adored by his fellow actors. He always played the gentle, rotund fellow. He was best known for his way of shaking his big cheeks. Audiences also adored him. Many strangers often shook his cheeks at restaurants. SZ never protested but often told his dinner partners afterwards, I wish people wouldnt do that , it hurts. SZ was called Cuddles in one film. The nickname stuck and Jack Warner insisted that his screen credits always be SZ Cuddles Sakall in his last films. SZ never liked that but agreed to it. As an aside, SZ Sakall was not his real name. SZ Sakall means Blonde beard in Hungarian. As with all great character actors, SZ Sakall made all films better he was in.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 15:22:01 +0000
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