Hollywood Hist-o-Rama
Paul Muni
S2 • E23
Paul Muni is an actor most known for being able to embody his characters physically as he is almost unrecognizable from role to role. His characters also spanned the ages from young men to old men. Warner Bros. signed him to a contract after the success of his first big role in Scarface (1932). To capitalize on that success, most of Muni's early roles were as tough guys. His portrayals of characters who aged from young to old men are most widely known in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) and The Life of Emile Zola (1937), the former which would earn him a Best Actor Oscar.