**Wilhelm Dieterle** (1893-1972) was a German-American actor and director whose film career had a significant impact on silent Expressionist cinema.

He began his career in Germany, emerging as an actor portraying complex, intense, and sometimes tormented characters, with a distinctive and introspective screen presence. His most notable acting roles include the assistant Famulus in Paul Wegener's *The Golem: How He Came into the World* (Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam, 1920), and his appearances in F.W. Murnau's *Waxworks* (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett, 1924) and *Faust* (1926).

Emigrating to Hollywood in the 1930s, he continued to act, although his renown subsequently grew primarily as a successful director. His acting legacy, however, remains firmly tied to his early German works, where he helped define the aesthetic of silent Expressionist cinema.