Joseph Calleia.

Joseph Calleia was born in Notabile, Malta in 1897 with the full name Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja. He joined a harmonica band in 1914 that toured Europe during World War I, performing in music halls and cafes. The band took him to Paris and then London, where he sang concert engagements. By 1926, he had crossed the Atlantic to New York.

Calleia made his Broadway debut in Broadway in 1926, running through 1928. He performed in seven plays through early 1935, including a dual role as actor and stage manager for Grand Hotel 1930-31. He signed with MGM in 1931 and appeared in his first two films that year. In the 1930s, he played mobsters in films such as After the Thin Man 1936 and Algiers 1938. He also co-wrote the screenplay for Robin Hood of El Dorado 1936. In 1939, he played Vasquez in Five Came Back. The 1940s brought ethnic roles: El Sordo in For Whom the Bell Tolls 1943 and a dual role in The Jungle Book 1942. He played Detective Obregon in Gilda 1946. In 1958, he played Sergeant Menzies in Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, a role he considered complex.

Calleia married Eleonore Vassallo. He became a U.S. citizen in November 1941. Though he often played villains on screen, he was known to be kind, reading fan letters and sending signed photos. He retired to his native Malta in 1963. In retirement, he received a telegram from Francis Ford Coppola offering the role of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather 1972, but he declined due to health reasons.

The Maltese government honored Joseph Calleia with two commemorative stamps in 1997 and erected a bust at his birthplace. Critics praise his performance in Touch of Evil for its vulnerability. Orson Welles, impressed by Calleia’s stage work in the 1930s, vowed to work with him and finally did in 1958. Calleia played roles ranging from mobsters to wise storytellers, showing range across his career.