Peter Lorre Collection

Peter Lorre
(1904 – 1964)

Peter Lorre, born László Löwenstein in Rosenburg, Hungary, actually ran off from home and joined a traveling Vienna acting troupe when he was only 17 years of age. During his 7-year stint with the troupe, young Peter became a student of the very famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. He also was cast in Fritz Lang's "M" as the psychopathic child killer (Peter Kürten). His work in the film was so incredible, that the then rising Nazi party used his image in "M," unwittingly, on their famous Anti-Semitic poster for their infamous propaganda film, "The Eternal Jew."

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Some might remember Peter Lorre from his role in "the Maltese Falcon" where he played Joel Cairo. Others remember him from the very famous "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode, co-starring Steve McQueen, where a deranged killer goes around the country with his collection of pinky-fingers from his victims. But, did you know that Peter Lorre was the very first James Bond Villain? Did you also know that his famous accent was the inspiration for the cartoon character Ren from "Ren and Stimpy?" But it was his befriending of the famous Spooky Trio, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Vincent Price, that earned him eternal praise from society. Their friendship lasted their whole lives as they usually co-starred in each others movies, old time radio shows, and television shows. According to Vincent Price, during Bela Lugosi's funeral, where Lugosi was clad in his famous Dracula costume, when Peter Lorre gazed upon 'Dracula'/Bela, he leaned over to Price and said "Do you think we should drive a stake through his heart just in case?" Indeed, Lorre was just saying it in jest, probably to better cope with his grief due to the loss of his very dear friend. It was Vincent Price that read the eulogy at Peter Lorre's funeral in 1964.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2025 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

The collection that follows represents Lorre's great appearances on various old time radio shows. This disks also including his famed 1947 summer series, Mystery in the Air and Nightmare. Also included on the disk are some interesting publicity photos of Lorre. See also: Mystery Playhouse

For more radio horror personalities, see also: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Boogeymen in Comedy: Screamstars Playing for Laughs Collection