Born in Stuttgart in 1885 and died in 1929 in Hollywood, Paul Leni began as a painter and set designer for Max Reinhardt, and designed sets for German films before directing. His Waxworks (1924) is an Expressionist anthology of horror tales in a fairground waxworks. Brought to Hollywood by Universal, he made The Cat and the Canary (1927), the model of the old-dark-house comedy-thriller, and The Man Who Laughs (1928), with Conrad Veidt, which influenced the design of the Joker. He died at 44 of blood poisoning.
Filmography
- Waxworks (1924)
- The Cat and the Canary (1927)
- The Man Who Laughs (1928)
- The Last Warning (1929)