Trivia

He and James Dean are the only actors to receive an Academy Award nomination for both their first and last screen appearance.

At the time he left Warner Brothers, he was trying to convince the studio to let him star in a biography of Ludwig van Beethoven. Warners weren't interested, and Muni never did portray the composer. If the film had been made, it would have been the first screen biography of Beethoven in English. Jack L. Warner, who was president of Warner Brothers, said to the actor, "Nobody wants to see a movie about a blind composer".

He once told Clifford Odets about how he gave up boxing because it endangered his secondary career as a violinist. This inspired Odets to write "Golden Boy" (its film adaptation Golden Boy (1939) was directed by Rouben Mamoulian).

Won Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Inherit the Wind."

One of only six actors to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his first screen appearance. The other five actors are: Orson Welles, Lawrence Tibbett, Alan Arkin, James Dean and Montgomery Clift.

Had a fondness for playing historical characters and appearing in heavy disguise. Co-star Bette Davis wrote in her autobiography : "There is no question that his technique as an actor was superb...(but) Mr. Muni seemed intent on submerging himself so completely that he disappeared".

During his live TV appearance in the Playhouse 90 (1956) episode The Last Clear Chance (1958) , he appeared to be wearing a hearing aid. He wasn't. Due to his age, and given the state of his health, it was no longer possible for him to memorize long stretches of dialogue at short notice. What he was wearing was a small radio transmitter, through which he was fed his lines just prior to speaking them.

Received Oscar nominations for both his first and last screen performances (The Valiant (1929) and The Last Angry Man (1959)).

Suffered all his life from a rheumatic heart.

Was given the nickname "The New Lon Chaney" at the start of his film career.

Turned down the role of Roy Earle in High Sierra (1940), which was eventually given to Humphrey Bogart.

Perhaps the most famous portrayer of Louis Pasteur, Muni was born only six days before Pasteur's death.

Interred at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now called Hollywood Forever), Hollywood, California, USA.

Stars in four Oscar Best Picture nominees: I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932),The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), The Good Earth (1937) and The Life of Emile Zola (1937), with the last of these winning in the category. He was nominated for Best Actor for his performances in all of these except The Good Earth (1937) and won for The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936).

Of the six actors to receive Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their first screen appearance, he's the only one to eventually win a Best Actor Oscar during his career. Of the other five, Orson Welles won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, Alan Arkin eventually won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and Montgomery Clift, Lawrence Tibbett and James Dean never won.

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Scarface (1932), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) and The Life of Emile Zola (1937).

In 1959, he appeared in a Broadway-bound musical adaptation of "Grand Hotel" entitled "At the Grand". Disagreements between the star, the producers and the directors prompted the early closing in San Francisco before it ever made it to New York.

Producer Hal B. Wallis remarked after the failure of Juarez (1939) at the box office "Every time Paul Muni parts his beard and looks down a telescope, this company loses two million dollars".

In Dr. Socrates (1935), he purchases a used book "The Story of Louis Pasteur", which turned out to be his next movie.

Wife Bella was niece of actor Boris Thomashefsky and cousin of classical conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

Away from acting, Muni maintained a low profile. Among other things, this meant the actor avoided public places lest he should be recognized.

Reportedly disliked being labeled a film star, in addition to anything connected with stardom.

Was respected by fellow actor, Marlon Brando.

Failing eyesight and other health problems, led to the actor's retirement in the late 1950s.

Despite his renown as an actor, he was not well-liked in his profession, with many of his colleagues (including Edward G. Robinson, Cornel Wilde, John Huston and Joseph Losey) going on record about how self-centered, unfriendly and unprofessional he was.

He chose his parts with care resulting in few films but all of superior quality.

While working in Hollywood, Paul Muni had a contract clause where he could act in the New York theatre once a year.

Warners were so impressesd by the prestige they felt that Paul Muni had brought them in the film The Life of Emile Zola that they billed him as Mr Paul Muni.

In October 2019, he was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month.

He died of heart disease.

In early 1930 Fox Film Corporation announced that Paul Muni's next film for the company would be "It Might Have Happened", to be directed by Irving Cummings. The film eventually was not made.