Topic: Cornel Wilde

Cornelius Louis Wilde (October 13, 1915 – October 16, 1989) was an American actor and film director.

Wilde was born in 1915 in Manhattan. His parents were the Hungarian Jews Béla Weisz and Renée Vojtech. A talented linguist, and an astute mimic, he had an ear for languages which became apparent later in his acting career. He qualified for the United States fencing team prior to the 1936 Summer Olympic Games, but quit the team just prior to the games saying that it was in order to take a role in the theater.

Hired as a fencing teacher by Laurence Olivier for his 1940 Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, Wilde was given the role of Tybalt in the production. Because of this role, he was noticed by Hollywood.