Oskar Sima

Who was Oskar Sima?

Oskar Sima was an Austrian actor who is best remembered for appearing in supporting roles in countless comedy films from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Born in Hohenau an der March, Lower Austria, Sima attended high school in Vienna. After a brief tour in the army during World War I, he began acting in various theatrical productions in Berlin, Vienna, and other cities in Central Europe. He began his film career in 1921, and appeared in a number of German silent films early on. Sima was frequently cast as the comic villain whose machinations get everyone into trouble, although many a times his villainous stature was used to more chilling effect.

In 1929, Sima married actress Lina Woiwode. The couple remained married until Sima's death. After World War II, Sima was a frequent character actor, causing one biographer to write, "... there was hardly a movie in which Oskar Sima didn't act."

Sima suffered an aneurysm in 1968 and languished for nearly a year before succumbing to his illness on 24 June 1969. He was 72.