After the 1938 Austrian Anschluss, he became a member of the Nazi Party.
Was engaged in a long-standing feud with his brother Paul, finally reconciled near the end of his life.
Grew up in Budapest and studied acting in Berlin. Made his stage debut in 1919 and appeared in films from 1922. Possessed of a powerful physique, he was often cast in dominant or villainous roles, or as soldiers, mountaineers or adventurers.