Who portrays Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in Five Graves to Cairo?

Erich von Stroheim portrays Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in Five Graves to Cairo.

Billy Wilder’s 1943 war film casts von Stroheim as the German commander during the North African campaign. The story begins after British Corporal John Bramble reaches an isolated hotel while Rommel’s forces advance through Egypt. Bramble discovers that the hotel is being used as a German headquarters and learns of hidden supply dumps prepared for the planned drive toward Cairo.

Von Stroheim was an Austrian-born filmmaker and actor famous for directing silent-era films such as Greed and for playing severe, commanding figures. His casting gave Rommel an especially imposing presence, although von Stroheim’s American career and occasional accent slips distinguish him from the German actors in the supporting cast. Franchot Tone plays Bramble, Anne Baxter plays Mouche, Akim Tamiroff plays Farid, and Peter van Eyck plays Lieutenant Schwegler. The film earned three Academy Award nominations.