Made his US stage debut circa 1907 in New York's Yiddish theater, but did not appear in an English-language role until 1926. He would later alternate between 'Broadway' and 'Hollywood' for his roles, becoming one of the more distinguished actors in either venue. Failing eyesight and otherwise poor health forced him into retirement after his appearance in The Last Angry Man.


Juarez (1939): $11,500/week
The Good Earth (1937): $3,000/week

One of only six actors to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his first screen appearance. The other five actors are: Orson Welles, Lawrence Tibbett, Alan Arkin, James Dean and Montgomery Clift. Interred at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now called Hollywood Forever), Hollywood, California, USA. Received Oscar nominations for both his first and last screen performances (The Valiant (1929) and The Last Angry Man (1959)). During his live TV appearance in the "Playhouse 90" (1956) episode "The Last Chance", he appeared to be wearing a hearing aid. He wasn't. At his advanced age, and given the state of his health, it was no longer possible for him to memorize long stretches of dialogue on short notice. What he was wearing was a small radio transmitter, through which he was fed his lines just prior to speaking them. A medium-sized man, he wore small lifts (adding three or four inches) and padding to appear more hulking and ape-like as Tony in Scarface (1932). Perhaps the most famous portrayer of Louis Pasteur, Muni was born only six days before Pasteur's death. Of the six actors to receive Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their first screen appearance, he's the only one to eventually win a Best Actor Oscar during his career. Of the other five, Orson Welles won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, Alan Arkin eventually won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and Montgomery Clift, Lawrence Tibbett and James Dean never won.