View source for Curt Siodmak



{{Infobox writer
| name        = Curt Siodmak
| birth_name  = Kurt Siodmak
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1902|08|10}}
| birth_place = [[Dresden]], Germany
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2000|09|02|1902|08|10}}
| death_place = [[Three Rivers, California]], US
| relatives   = [[Robert Siodmak]] (brother)
| nationality = German-American
| occupation  = Novelist and filmmaker
| period      = 1929&ndash;2000
| genre       = Short stories, novels and screenplays
}}
'''Curt Siodmak''' (August 10, 1902 – September 2, 2000)<ref>{{Cite web|title=LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)|url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50057275.html|access-date=2021-01-19|website=The Library of Congress}}</ref> was a German-American [[novelist]], [[screenwriter]] and [[film director|director]]. He is known for his work in the [[Horror film|horror]] and [[science fiction film]] genres, with such films as ''[[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]'' and ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'' (the latter adapted from [[Donovan's Brain|his novel of the same name]]). He was the younger brother of noir director [[Robert Siodmak]].<ref name="mov">{{cite journal | title = Wettbewerb/In Competition | journal = Moving Pictures, Berlinale Extra | pages = 85 | location = Berlin | date = 11–22 February 1998 }}</ref>

==Life and career==
Siodmak was born '''Kurt Siodmak''' in [[Dresden]], [[Germany]], the son of Rosa Philippine (née Blum) and Ignatz Siodmak.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20YcAQAAIAAJ&q=philippine+Siodmak+leipzig|title=Siodmak Bros: Berlin-Paris-London-Hollywood|first=Wolfgang|last=Jacobsen|date=September 26, 1998|publisher=Argon|isbn=9783870244750|via=Google Books}}</ref> His parents were both from Jewish families in [[Leipzig]]. Siodmak acquired a degree in [[mathematics]] before beginning to write novels.{{r|LAT 1997-09-14}} He invested early royalties earned by his first books in the 1929 movie ''[[People on Sunday|Menschen am Sonntag]]'', a [[Documentary film|documentary]]-style chronicle of the lives of four Berliners on one Sunday, based on their own lives. The movie was co-directed by Curt Siodmak's brother Robert and [[Edgar G. Ulmer]], with a script by [[Billy Wilder]] in collaboration with [[Fred Zinnemann]] and [[Camera operator|cameraman]] [[Eugen Schüfftan]].<ref name=mov/> Siodmak was the nephew of film producer [[Seymour Nebenzal]], who funded ''Menschen am Sonntag'' with funds borrowed from his father, [[Heinrich Nebenzahl]].

In the following years Siodmak wrote many novels, screenplays, and short stories, including the novel ''[[F.P.1|F.P.1 antwortet nicht]]'' (''F.P.1 Doesn't Answer'') (1932) which was adapted into a film featuring [[Hans Albers]] and [[Peter Lorre]].{{r|LAT 1997-09-14}}

Siodmak decided to emigrate after hearing an [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] tirade by the [[Nazism|Nazi]] propaganda minister [[Joseph Goebbels]], and departed for England where he made a living as a screenwriter before moving to the United States in 1937.{{r|LAT 1997-09-14}} His big break in Hollywood came with the screenplay for ''[[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]'' (1941), starring [[Lon Chaney Jr.]], which established the [[Larry Talbot|titular fictional creature]] as the most popular movie monster after [[Dracula]] and [[Frankenstein's monster]].<ref name=mov/> In the film, Siodmak created several [[werewolf]] "legends"&nbsp;— being marked by a [[pentagram]]; being practically immortal apart from being struck/shot by silver implements/bullets; and the famous verse:
<poem>
::Even a man who is pure of heart,
::And says his prayers by night
::May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms
::And the autumn moon is bright
</poem>
(The last line was changed in the sequels to "And the moon is full and bright".)

Siodmak's science-fiction novel ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'' (1942) was a bestseller that was translated into many languages and was adapted for the cinema several times, beginning in 1943 with ''[[The Lady and the Monster]],'' then 1953's ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'' and 1962's ''[[The Brain (1962 film)|The Brain]].''{{r|LAT 1997-09-14}} Other films he wrote the screenplays for include ''[[Earth vs. the Flying Saucers]]'', ''[[I Walked with a Zombie]]'' and ''[[The Beast with Five Fingers]].'' An extensive interview with Siodmak about his career in both Germany and Hollywood is found in Eric Leif Davin's ''[[Pioneers of Wonder]].'' In the plots of his work, Siodmak utilised the latest scientific findings, combining those with [[Pseudoscience|pseudo-scientific]] motifs like the [[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde|Jekyll and Hyde]] complex, the [[Consequences of Nazism|Nazi trauma]] and the [[East–West dichotomy]].

In 1998, he won the Berlinale Camera at the [[48th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1998/03_preistr_ger_1998/03_Preistraeger_1998.html |title=Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners |access-date=2012-01-21 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=2013-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012072825/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1998/03_preistr_ger_1998/03_Preistraeger_1998.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Siodmak died in his sleep on September 2, 2000, at his home in [[Three Rivers, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2000-09-09|title=Curt Siodmak; Writer Created the 'Wolf Man'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-09-me-18200-story.html|access-date=2021-01-19|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Works==

===Novels===
* ''F.P.1 Doesn't Answer'' (1933)
* ''Black Friday'' (1939)
* ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'' (1942)
* ''The Beast with Five Fingers'' (1945)
* ''Whomsoever I Shall Kiss'' (1952)
* ''Riders to the Stars'' (1954) ([[novelisation]] of the film ''[[Riders to the Stars]]'')
* ''Skyport'' (1959)
* ''For Kings Only'' (1964)
* ''Hauser's Memory'' (1968)
* ''The Third Ear'' (1971)
* ''City in the Sky'' (1974)
* ''Frankenstein Meets Wolfman'' (1981) ([[novelization]] of the film ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'')
* ''Gabriel's Body'' (1991)

===Short stories===
* '''' (1926)
* ''Variation of a Theme'' (1972)
* ''The P Factor'' (1976)
* ''Experiment with Evil'' (1985)

===Non-fiction===
* ''Even a Man Who Is Pure in Heart: The Life of a Writer, Not Always to His Liking'' (1997)
* ''Wolf Man's Maker'' (2001) (Posthumous autobiography)

===Filmography===

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" width="80%"
! width="12%" rowspan="2" scope="col" | Title !! width="4%" rowspan="2" scope="col" | Year!! colspan="4" scope="col" | Credited as !! width="5%" rowspan="3" scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes !! width="1%" rowspan="2" scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
! width=6% |Director!! width=6%|Screenwriter!! width=6% | Screen story writer!! width=6% |Other 
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Mascots (1929 film)|Mascots]]'' 
|1929
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/person/kurt-siodmak_f311886a50898b6de03053d50b3726fe|publisher=[[Filmportal.de]]|title=Mascottchen|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Escape to the Foreign Legion]]'' 
|1929
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/flucht-in-die-fremdenlegion_ea43d4a6b8335006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Flucht in die Fremdenlegion|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[People on Sunday]]'' 
|1930
| 
| 
| 
|{{yes}}
|Based on reportage by Siodmak
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/menschen-am-sonntag_ea43d4a75bf75006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Menschen am Sonntag|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Schub im Tonfilmatelier|''Der Schuß im Tonfilmatelier''}} 
|1930
| 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-schuss-im-tonfilmatelier_ea43d4a78d225006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Der Schuß im Tonfilmatelier|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Kampf mit dem Drachen oder: Die Tragödie des Untermieters|''Der Kampf mit dem Drachen oder: Die Tragödie des Untermieters''}} 
|1930
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-kampf-mit-dem-drachen-oder-die-tragodie-des-untermieters_ea43d4a6b32b5006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Der Kampf mit dem Drachen oder: Die Tragödie des Untermieters|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Man in Search of His Murderer|''[[The Man in Search of His Murderer]]''}} 
|1931
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-mann-der-seinen-morder-sucht_ea43d4a6a5655006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Ball|''Der Ball''}} 
|1931
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-ball_ea43d4a781755006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Der Bal|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Bal|''[[Le Bal (1931 film)|Le Bal]]''}} 
|1931
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/le-bal_11e758bcb6dd414faea9ef2404994ccc|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Le Bal|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Invisible Front|''[[The Invisible Front]]''}} 
|1932
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/die-unsichtbare-front_ea43d4a75b8a5006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Die unsichtbare Front|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|F.P.1|''[[F.P.1|F.P. 1 antwortet nicht]]''}} 
|1932
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Die unsichtbare Front">{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/fp-1-antwortet-nicht_ea43d4a70b235006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Die unsichtbare Front|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|F.P.1|''[[F.P.1|I.F. 1 ne répond plus]]''}} 
|1932
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Die unsichtbare Front"/>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Marion, That's Not Nice]]''
|1933
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/marion-das-gehort-sich-nicht_ea43d4a748375006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Marion, das gehört sich nicht|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|F.P.1|''[[F.P.1]]''}} 
|1933
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/fp-1_ea43d4a76a145006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=F.P. 1|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Girls Will Be Boys]]''
|1934
| 
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/girls-will-be-boys_852ac349f86ae033e040007f01003e34|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Girls Will Be Boys|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Crisis is Over|''[[The Crisis is Over]]''}}
|1934
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/la-crise-est-finie_118dcf4a7a1040ecb75b5d8be874d0ef|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=La crise est finie|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[It's a Bet]]''
|1935
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="It's a Bet">{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/its-a-bet_7023cba9e65c45688808c283e4ce8073|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=It's a Bet|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Abdul the Damned]]''
|1935
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="It's a Bet"/>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Crouching Beast|''[[The Crouching Beast]]''}}
|1935
| 
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| Treatment
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/the-crouching-beast_2f46261010704e59bf26eb1e6afd05e1|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=The Crouching Beast|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|I Give My Heartt|''[[The Loves of Madame Dubarry|I Give My Heart]]''}}
|1935
| 
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| Treatment
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/i-give-my-heart_e20d60464bb34b659d5f7cf801936f75|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=I Give My Heart|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Tunnel|''[[The Tunnel (1935 film)|The Tunnel]]''}}
|1935
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/the-tunnel_ae6cf533eb514519a0728d11a0edebb4|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=The Tunnel|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Non-Stop New York]]''
|1937
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/non-stop-new-york_126302fbae3f471e848d3e819ace7244|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Non-Stop New York|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Her Jungle Love]]''
|1938
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5371-HER-JUNGLE-LOVE?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Her Jungle Love|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Invisible Man Returns|''[[The Invisible Man Returns]]''}}
|1940
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/4677-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-RETURNS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Invisible Man Returns|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Black Friday (1940 film)|Black Friday]]''
|1940
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/8194-BLACK-FRIDAY?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Black Friday|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Ape|''[[The Ape (1940 film)|The Ape]]''}}
|1940
| 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/4335-THE-APE?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Ape|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Invisible Woman|''[[The Invisible Woman (1940 film)|The Invisible Woman]]''}}
|1940
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/8128-THE-INVISIBLE-WOMAN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Invisible Woman|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Aloma of the South Seas (1941 film)|Aloma of the South Seas]]''
|1941
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/26591-ALOMA-OF-THE-SOUTH-SEAS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Aloma of the South Seas|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Pacific Blackout]]''
|1941
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/26854-PACIFIC-BLACKOUT?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Pacific Blackout|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Wolf Man|''[[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]''}}
|1941
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/27080-THE-WOLF-MAN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Wolf Man|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Invisible Agent]]''
|1942
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/27280-THE-INVISIBLE-AGENT?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Invisible Agent|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[London Blackout Murders]]''
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/545-LONDON-BLACKOUT-MURDERS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=London Blackout Murders|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]''
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/438-FRANKENSTEIN-MEETS-THE-WOLF-MAN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Mantrap|''[[The Mantrap]]''}}
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/562-THE-MANTRAP?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Mantrap|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[False Faces (1943 film)|False Faces]]''
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/417-FALSE-FACES?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=False Faces|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[I Walked with a Zombie]]''
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/510-I-WALKED-WITH-A-ZOMBIE?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=I Walked with a Zombie|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Purple V|''[[The Purple V]]''}}
|1943
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/623-THE-PURPLE-V?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Purple V|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Son of Dracula (1943 film)|Son of Dracula]]''
|1943
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/681-SON-OF-DRACULA?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Son of Dracula|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sort|Climax|''[[The Climax (1944 film)|The Climax]]''}}
|1944
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/2460-THE-CLIMAX?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Climax|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|''[[House of Frankenstein (film)|House of Frankenstein]]''
|1945
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24453-HOUSE-OF-FRANKENSTEIN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The House of Frankenstein|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Frisco Sal]]''
|1945
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24414-FRISCO-SAL?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Frisco Sal|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Shady Lady (1945 film)|Shady Lady]]''
|1945
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24575-SHADY-LADY?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Shady Lady|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Return of Monte Cristo|''[[The Return of Monte Cristo (1946 film)|The Return of Monte Cristo]]''}}
|1945
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24930-THE-RETURN-OF-MONTE-CRISTO?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Return of Monte Cristo|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Beast with Five Fingers|''[[The Beast with Five Fingers]]''}}
|1946
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24686-THE-BEAST-WITH-FIVE-FINGERS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Beast with Five Fingers|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Berlin Express]]''
|1946
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/25460-BERLIN-EXPRESS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Berlin Express|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Tarzan's Magic Fountain]]''
|1949
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/26139-TARZANS-MAGIC-FOUNTAIN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Tarzan's Magic Fountain|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Bride of the Gorilla]]''
|1951
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50040-BRIDE-OF-THE-GORILLA?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Bride of the Gorilla|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Magnetic Monster|''[[The Magnetic Monster]]''}}
|1953
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50923-THE-MAGNETIC-MONSTER?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Magnetic Monster|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Riders to the Stars]]''
|1954
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51325-RIDERS-TO-THE-STARS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Riders to the Stars|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Creature with the Atom Brain (film)|Creature with the Atom Brain]]''
|1955
| 
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51470-CREATURE-WITH-THE-ATOM-BRAIN?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Creature with the Atom Brain|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Curucu, Beast of the Amazon]]''
|1956
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51799-CURUCU-BEAST-OF-THE-AMAZON?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Curucu, Beast of the Amazon|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Earth vs. the Flying Saucers]]''
|1956
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/51816-EARTH-VS-THE-FLYING-SAUCERS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Earth vs. the Flying Saucers|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Love Slaves of the Amazons]]''
|1957
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| {{yes}}
| Producer
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/52270-LOVE-SLAVES-OF-THE-AMAZONS?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=Love Slaves of the Amazons|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Devil's Messenger|''[[The Devil's Messenger]]''}}
|1962
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/19851-THE-DEVILS-MESSENGER?cxt=filmography|publisher=American Film Institute|title=The Devil's Messenger|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[The Brain (1962 film)|The Brain]]''
|1962
| 
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| Based on "Donovan's Brain"
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/ein-toter-sucht-seinen-morder_ea43d4a6bcdc5006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Ein Toter sucht seinen Mörder|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace]]''
|1962
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/sherlock-holmes-und-das-halsband-des-todes_ea43d4a77ce85006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|{{sort|Lightship|''[[The Lightship (1963 film)|The Lightship]]''}}
|1963
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/das-feuerschiff_ea43d4a6addb5006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Das Feuerschiff|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Ski Fever]]''
|1966
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| 
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/liebesspiele-im-schnee-ski-fever_ea43d4a714635006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Liebesspiele im Schnee / Ski Fever|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Ritual (2002 film)|Ritual]]''
|2002
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| Based on ''I Walked With a Zombie''
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/ritual_54c4e9e7c847465f8ac15e7a2f71c0b6|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Ritual|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[The Wolfman (film)|The Wolfman]]''
|2010
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
| 
| Based on ''The Wolf Man'' (1941)
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/the-wolfman_f953f9d7cda54889a464fdc81998525e|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=The Wolfman|accessdate=May 9, 2021}}</ref>
|-

!scope="row"|''[[Model Wanted]]''
|{{n/a}}
| 
| {{yes}}
| 
|
|
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/cercasi-modella_ea43d4a765e95006e03053d50b37753d|publisher=Filmportal.de|title=Cercasi modella|accessdate=May 8, 2021}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Film adaptations==
* ''{{ill|The Shot in the Talker Studio|de|Der Schuß im Tonfilmatelier}}'', directed by [[Alfred Zeisler]] (1930, based on the novel ''Schuß im Tonfilmatelier'')
* ''[[F.P.1 antwortet nicht]]'', directed by [[Karl Hartl]] (1932, based on the novel ''F.P.1 antwortet nicht'')
** ''[[F.P.1|I.F.1 ne répond plus]]'', directed by [[Karl Hartl]] (1933, based on the novel ''F.P.1 antwortet nicht'')<!--French-language version of "F.P.1 antwortet nicht"-->
** ''[[F.P.1]]'', directed by [[Karl Hartl]] (1933, based on the novel ''F.P.1 antwortet nicht'')<!--English-language version of "F.P.1 antwortet nicht"-->
* ''[[Girls Will Be Boys]]'', directed by [[Marcel Varnel]] (1934, based on the play ''The Last Lord'')
* ''[[The Lady and the Monster]]'', directed by [[George Sherman]] (1944, based on the novel ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'')
* ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'', directed by [[Felix E. Feist]] (1953, based on the novel ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'')
* ''[[Studio One (American TV series)|Studio One]]: Donovan's Brain'' (1955, TV series episode, based on the novel ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'')
* ''[[The Brain (1962 film)|The Brain]]'', directed by [[Freddie Francis]] (1962, based on the novel ''[[Donovan's Brain]]'')
* ''[[Hauser's Memory]]'', directed by [[Boris Sagal]] (1970, TV film, based on the novel ''Hauser's Memory'')
* ''Der Heiligenschein'', directed by [[Heinz Schirk]] (1977, TV film, based on the story ''Variation of a Theme'')

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="LAT 1997-09-14">{{Cite news|last=Freyermuth|first=Gundolf S. |date=1997-09-14|title=Despite His Fate, He Found His Fortune|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-14-ca-32000-story.html|access-date=2020-07-12|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref>
}}

==External links==

*{{ISFDB name |id=Curt_Siodmak | name=Curt Siodmak}}
*{{IMDb name|802561|Curt Siodmak}}
*[https://notesoncinematograph.blogspot.com/2010/08/im-poor-writer-curt-siodmak-on-siodmaks.html Siodmak on Siodmak]

{{Curt Siodmak|state=expanded}}
{{The Wolf Man}}
{{Donovan's Brain}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Siodmak, Curt}}
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Dresden]]
[[Category:20th-century German novelists]]
[[Category:German male screenwriters]]
[[Category:German male short story writers]]
[[Category:Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States]]
[[Category:Jewish American novelists]]
[[Category:Jewish American screenwriters]]
[[Category:Jewish American short story writers]]
[[Category:Exilliteratur writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:American science fiction writers]]
[[Category:American male short story writers]]
[[Category:American male novelists]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:German male novelists]]
[[Category:Hugo Award–winning writers]]
[[Category:20th-century German short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century German male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:Film people from Dresden]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:American horror film directors]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Curt Siodmak|access_date=2026-03-01}}