Howard Vernon, stage name of Mario Lippert (Baden-Baden, July 15, 1914 – Issy-les-Moulineaux, July 25, 1996), was a Swiss actor. After beginning his career in French cinema, he gained his first prominent role as the German officer Werner von Ebrennac in Jean-Pierre Melville's *Le Silence de la Mer* (1949). His career took a decisive turn thanks to his long and prolific artistic collaboration with Spanish director Jesús Franco, becoming an iconic face of European horror and genre cinema. Starting with *Gritos en la noche* (1962), where he played the memorable Doctor Orlof, he acted in dozens of the filmmaker's films, often in the role of the villain or the mad scientist. He also worked with other important directors, such as Jean-Luc Godard in *Alphaville* (1965). His extensive filmography, which includes hundreds of titles, has established him as a cult figure for B-movie enthusiasts. In 1990, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Sitges Film Festival in recognition of his contribution to fantastic cinema.