Christian Rub (pronounced Rhoob; April 13, 1886 – April 14, 1956) was an Austrian-born American character actor. He was known for his work in films of the late 1910s to the early 1950s, and was featured in more than 100 films.

Biography

Rub's parents, Otto and Paula, were an actor and a "stage beauty", respectively. His sister, Marianne, performed on radio. Rub was born in Graz, in Austria-Hungary. Rub became a comedian as a boy in Germany. When he was 15, he performed in a French drama in Vienna at the Imperial theater. Two years later, he was in the Tyrolean Alps with a company, "playing everything from very ancient grandpas to very young lovers." He starred in two-reel comedies in Hollywood in the early 1920s. His first appearance was in the 1919 movie The Belle of New York. He ventured into drama on stage with a role in a production of Grand Hotel in Los Angeles in the early 1930s. Rub provided the voice of Geppetto in the 1940 animated Disney film Pinocchio, as well as voices of kindly old men for MGM, Fox and Warner Bros. cartoons. Rub was not the original voice for Geppetto. He replaced the first actor, whose voice Walt Disney considered to be too harsh. During the creation of Pinocchio, Rub was notorious amongst the film's animators for his open and frequent expression of admiration for Adolf Hitler. Rub's last movie role was in 1952's Something for the Birds. He died in Santa Barbara, California one day after his 70th birthday.

Partial filmography