A Really Good Actor, Great in " M ",Funny as hell in Arsenic and Old Lace.

An outstanding actor! He's been my personal favorite for more than 30 years.  A biography on Peter Lorre was published in Sept. 2005: The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre by Stephen D. Youngkin -- http://www.peterlorrebook.com

"M" was absolutely brilliant, and way ahead of its time, and he was priceless as Joel Cairo in "The Maltese Falcon." Eventually became something of a caricature, often parodied in Bugs Bunny cartoons, but a very good actor at his peak.

He was grest. It would be hard to find an actor today in the same style.

Probably the only actor who could convincingly strangle himself with his own hand as he did in The Beast with Five Fingers. Could be creepy and/or funny. I honestly don't think he got the roles his talent deserved.

a very intense actor... and not bad as a director :)

Peter lorre was a great actor from M to Moto///

I'll spare you all from my usual rhapsodic waxing...but I'd give him a six and a half if I could. He is the greatest actor of the twentieth century in my opinion. If more people had seen a wider scope of his work instead of the usual ones (Casablanca, Arsenic & Old Lace, The Maltese Falcon, and a handful of blah ones from later in his career) he would receive the respect he deserves. I only wish his more obscure films were available for everyone to see. Also, may I add that I agree with Jezebel_Haddo that Peter Lorre is, indeed, one of the sexiest men who ever walked the earth! Mmm-hmm, you heard me.

There is no Bogart. There is no Brando. There is only Peter Lorre.

Peter Lorre is the greatest ever! I'd also like to say he is the most drool-worthy! (That is to say, he was drop-dead sexy.)

I'm a character actor fan. I think they make films better. Peter Lorre is no exception. He is one of the best character actors ever to appear on screen and probably the most mimicked. Peter Lorre was a dynamic, charismatic and unique character actor. He was a versatile actor with a talent for playing villians and psycotics and in many of his films he added a touch of humor. Lorre was known for his short stature, his bulging eyes and his distinctive Hungarian accent. He was born Lazlo Lowenstein June 26, 1904 in Rozsahegy Austria Hungary. He trained to be an actor in Vienna Austria and acted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 1931 he was cast as the psycopathic child killer in Fritz Lang's "M", a film which garnered Lorre international attention. He moved to London in 1933 where Alfred Hitchcock cast him in The Man Who Knew Too Much. Mad Love was his first American film. From 1937 to 1939 in 8 films he played Japanese detective Mr Moto. He was paired with Sidney Greenstreet in some films. Some of my favorite Lorre films that I've seen so far are Arsenic and Old Lace(my favorite), Casablanca, and Around the World in 80 Days. Lorre died March 23, 1964.

In his youth a very good character actor. As he got old, and discovered narcotics, he got a little sour. Fortunately most of his work is in his youth.