Howard Vernon

Mario Walter Lippert (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996), better known by his stage name Howard Vernon, was a German-born Swiss actor and photographer. He had an extensive career in French cinema which spanned nearly 200 productions over 55 years, between 1945 and 2000. He was best known for his close association with cult filmmaker Jesús Franco, appearing in 40 of the director’s films, beginning with the titular character in The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962).

A prolific character actor, Vernon also worked with many other prominent filmmakers, notably Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, René Clément, Powell & Pressburger, Sacha Guitry, Fritz Lang, John Frankenheimer, Roger Vadim, Fred Zinnemann, Woody Allen and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He was also active as a dubber.