Johann, Zita, 1904-1993

Zita Johann was an American stage and film actress. Born Elisabeth Johann on July 14, 1904 near Temesvar, Hungary (now Timisoara, Romania), Johann immigrated to the United States with her family in 1911. Johann made her acting debut on Broadway in 1924 and her first film appearance in D.W. Griffith's last film, The Struggle (1931). In 1932, Johann starred in her best known role as Helen Grosvenor, the reincarnated Princess Ankh-es-en-amon, in The Mummy, opposite Boris Karloff.

Johann went on to make seven films including Tiger Shark (1932), Luxury Liner (1933), and Grand Canary (1934) before returning to stage acting in New York. Johann also wrote scripts using the pen names Joan Wolfe and Elizabeth Yorke. During World War II, Johann raised money for war-related charities and organized shows for troops departing overseas. Johann was married three times; her marriages to director John Houseman, agent John McCormick, and economist and publisher Bernard E. Shedd all ended in divorce.

Later in life, Johann taught acting lessons to children with special needs. Johann's last film appearance was in 1986 in Raiders of the Living Dead. Johann died of pneumonia on September 17, 1993 in Nyack, New York.

From the guide to the Zita Johann papers, 1924-1954, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)