Q)   Your cover photo is stunning. Where did you find it?

I found it many years ago at Freddy Zetner's movie shop in London. I knew it was The One. When I showed it to a couple of people at the University of California Press, before I withdrew the manuscript, they just stared at it, seemingly mesmerized. I think one of them even asked for a copy.

It just seems to be a crystallization of the Lorre image, menacing, mysterious, maybe even a little melancholy. I think it supports the idea in the book about hinting at things better left unknown. Some women found -- still do -- the Lorre mystique sexually appealing. I had a hard time dating this photo. It was taken by a British photographer, so I supposed it was shot during the making of Double Confession in 1949-50. But he looks heavier in that film. There again, his drug addiction tended to cause rapid weight gains and losses. It may have been taken for his Stoll Theater tour in mid-1949.

Q)   How has the family reacted to your work?

The family has been enormously helpful at every turn. The first time I met Andrew, I was stunned. He not only sounded exactly like Peter, but looked like him, although he was in far better physical condition than Peter was at the same age. For just a brief moment, you could almost imagine that you were shaking hands with Peter Lorre -- and looking into those same eyes. It was an unforgettable moment.

Andrew was a very serious man, very intelligent, and I think he wanted that same kind of seriousness in a biography. Both Andrew and Francis, Peter's other brother, were very forthcoming and placed no restrictions on my work. The family seemed to think everyone knew about his drug addiction, so wanted the record set straight.

Cathy Lorre, Peter's daughter, read large portions of the manuscript. Her comments were useful, but most of all, she wanted me to paint a human picture of her father. That was her only suggestion, to bring the man, her father, into focus. No whitewash, no pulled punches. I think she better understood her father and his problems and afflictions because she suffered from some of the same things. She was her father's daughter in many ways, not only in physical appearance. Neither were strong people. Perhaps his own drug use predisposed hers. Doctors have told me this is possible.

Q)   What do you think Lorre's fans will be most surprised to learn about him?

I think there are many things that will surprise readers. First, that he made few "horror" films. Depending on the given day and quote, he claimed he made either one -- The Beast with Five Fingers -- or none at all. Once you peel off the public persona, there's a whole new and interesting Peter Lorre, the real Peter Lorre, if you will.

Shedding the typecast was not easy. And as the years rolled by, he threw up his hands and said, well, if that is what you want, I'll give it to you. But behind all of that was a man who wanted to break out, to tell people there was much more to him than what they saw on screen.

Second, I think people will be surprised to find how varied and extensive his time on the stage was. Then there are all of his attempts behind the scenes to break out. There's the Napoleon play, which he pushed hard, to no avail. Then there were the film stories written for him by Brecht. He was also involved with other émigrés in planning film projects that better suited his talents.

And of course there's the story behind Der Verlorene (The Lost One). Some people have translated this as The Lost Man, but Lorre himself provided the translation, which was reflected in his personal situation during the filming. The Lost Man reads far more into the title than is there. Some of the projects were not based on what he knew best, but for what he was best known. Others steered him in new directions.