Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim, originally uploaded by Truus, Bob & Jan too!.

British postcard by Real Photograph, London, in the Picturegoer series, no. 20a. Photo: Fox.

Was Austrian-born Erich von Stroheim (1885 – 1957) a Hollywood movie star or a European film star? (Who cares!) As the sadistic, monocled Prussian officer in both American and French films, he became ‘The Man You Love to Hate’. But maybe he is best known as one of the greatest and influential directors of the silent era, known for his extravaganza and the uncompromising accuracy of detail in his monumental films.