Director Robert Florey, actress Andrea King and Peter Lorre on the set of The Beast With Five Fingers (1946). Co-worker John Alvin remembered Lorre as a “practical joker of the first water.” Clearly frustrated with the assignment, the actor was not on his best behavior during filming. At the time, Florey thought him “talented, but always sarcastic, with a good sense of humor.” Some thirty-odd years later, the director described Lorre as a charming conversationalist and an intelligent man.

Director Robert Florey, Andrea King and Peter Lorre between scenes of The Beast with Five Fingers (1946). Seeing M for the first time, good friend Andrea King was struck by Lorre’s performance: “It was such a mysterious performance. He never gave everything totally away. You were in another world. You wanted to meet this beautiful actor and hoped he would come to America one day and do other things.”

Peter Lorre, Carol Thurston, and Paul Henreid during filming of The Conspirators (Warners, 1944). In his autobiography Ladies Man, Henreid credited Lorre with instigating one of the most famous stories in Hollywood, that of stealing John Barrymore’s body from the mortuary. In fact, of the many versions of this bit of Hollywood apocrypha, this is the only one in which Lorre figures. When questioned about it later, Henreid declined to confirm or deny it, only that he thought it made a good story.

Peter Lorre and director Elliott Nugent clown around on the "Sam McCloud office" set for My Favorite Brunette (Paramount, 1947). In the film, Lorre played a foreigner studying to become a U.S. citizen. In a case of art imitating life, Lorre had become a naturalized American only 6 years earlier, on Aug. 8, 1941.

Just because your name appears on the same cast sheet doesn't mean you were friends. Yvonne DeCarlo and Joan Fontaine both admitted they never got to know Lorre, although they shared a scene or two with him. Likewise, Dorothy Lamour appeared in My Favorite Brunette (1947) and even ran across Lorre in Germany several years later.  Still, she referred to him as “just an acquaintance.” Nonetheless, like many others who worked with the actor only briefly, she expressed her great admiration for Peter Lorre. 

Lorre and Bob Hope not only shared the screen but the radio microphone. Peter performed on The Pepsodent Show, hosted by Hope, on May 31, 1947. However much fun they had behind-the-scenes, Hope and Lorre never became good friends. Here, according to a press release, the “Hero” and the “Menace” get together for a few friendly words between shots on My Favorite Brunette (Paramount, 1947).

Fans often sent Lorre caricature sketches. One devotee even made him a Joel Cairo (The Maltese Falcon) doll, which he passed on to his daughter, Catharine.

Another one of the numerous caricature sketches sent to Lorre by fans.

Peter Lorre in the screening room of Jungen Film Union, in Bendesdorf, Germany, after watching the completed work print of Der Verlorene (1951), the only film he directed, co-wrote, and co-produced.

Peter Lorre being interviewed by the Hessicher Rundfunk’s Martin Jente von Lossow after the premiere of Der Verlorene, Frankfurt, Germany, September 18, 1951.

A restful shot of Peter, Annemarie, and a friend identified only as Teddy, possibly taken at Wiggers Kurheim in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1949.

Peter Lorre moved his new family to a house on Rodeo Drive in 1957. This photo was taken in the backyard, with little Cathy (aged about four), Peter, and his third wife Annemarie.

Peter, Annemarie and daughter Cathy, in front of the family car, a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500. It is rare to see the three of them pictured together. It is even rarer to see Lorre smiling about it.

Catharine Lorre sitting on her father’s lap at his apartment on 7655 Hollywood Blvd., circa 1962. Peter’s rather disgruntled look belies the depth of his feelings for Cathy. He always said, “She looks like me, but on her it looks good.” Indeed, she bore a striking resemblance to her father.