German-American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer of German and American films. Dieterle was the youngest of nine children raised in a poverty-stricken family. He learned to hustle money at an early age, wheeling and dealing in scrap and whatever juvenile enterprise that he could find. Beginning his acting career in his teens, he appeared in various theatrical groups throughout Germany and Switzerland before joining Max Reinhardt in 1918 in Berlin. Appearing in many silents from 1913-1926, he started directing in 1923, appearing in many of his own films. He emigrated to Hollywood in 1930 beginning with such films as “The Last Flight” and “Her Majesty Love.” In 1939 he moved over to RKO and directed one of his best films, “All that Money Can Buy.”
In 1941, Dieterle, along with Fritz Lang, financed the immigration of two German stars into the U.S. and came under attack by McCarthyists in 1947. Although he was never formally charged, his passport was confiscated in 1951 and 1953. After that, worthy directing assignments became elusive. Returning to Europe he made three films, returning to the U.S. for a disastrous last production before he retired in 1965.
Dieterle was married to stage actress Charlotte Hagenbruch from 1921 until her death in 1968. Dieterle died at age 79 on 9 December 1972 in Ottobrunn, Germany.
Link to Wikipedia biography