Paul Panzer
German-American silent film actor (1872-1958)
Paul Wolfgang Panzerbeiter (November 3, 1872 – August 16, 1958), known professionally as Paul Panzer, was a German-American silent film actor. He appeared in more than 330 films between 1905 and 1952.
Biography
Panzer was born in Würzburg, Bavaria. His education included studying pharmacy at the University of Würzburg and studying vocal music at the Conservatory of Würzburg. He was a lieutenant in Germany's artillery reserves when he left there.
Panzer's early work building sets and painting scenes for a New York City film studio developed his interest in the film industry. He also was involved with live theater, working for Augustin Daly both on stage and as stage manager.
Panzer was best known for playing Koerner / Raymond Owen in The Perils of Pauline. From 1934 through the 1950s he was under contract to Warner Brothers as an extra.
Personal life
Panzer and his wife, Josephine, had a son and a daughter.
“Paul Panzer” enters the record as german-American silent film actor (1872-1958). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Paul, Panzer and German-American can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Paul Panzer” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Paul, Panzer and German-American provides the most credible route into that argument.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q70692. VIAF identifies the subject as 22480891. The Library of Congress control number is no97051169. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1872, 1958, 1905 and 1952.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Paul Panzer”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Paul Panzer primary sources, Paul Panzer archive and Paul research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Paul Panzer”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Paul Panzer” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.