Paul Muni
Paul Muni was one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood history, capable of transitioning from the tough, semi-literate thug he plays in Scarface to Louis Pasteur, Emile Zola and Benito Juarez. Scarface was—rather amazingly—just his third film after carving out a successful career in Yiddish theater. He would receive six Best Actor nominations with the last one coming in 1960. Representing a breed of actor that relied upon creating character rather than building upon a solid persona (Clark Gable would be turned down for the role by director Howard Hawks on the basis that the part called for a real actor, not a personality) Muni would be prove to be one of the most influential actors in Hollywood history: generations from Clift and Brando to Hoffman and Pacino all credited the actor with helping to define their vision of film acting.
Ann Dvorak
Unlike her co-star, Dvorak was no newcomer film when cast as the incestuous sister of the title character. In fact, she appeared in her first movie at age 4 in 1916. Dvorak was an actress cast in the same mold as Muni: her performance in Scarface is electrifying with all the incestuous overtones perfectly underplayed to match the overstated desire expressed by Muni as her brother. This attention to detail and commitment to making her characters as real as possible inevitably led to disagreements with directors and the development of a reputation as “difficult.” For this reason, Dvorak—whose career reveals a talent every bit the equal of a contemporary like Joan Crawford—never got the chance to play the parts in movies she deserved.
George Raft
Scarface not only proved to be the breakthrough role for George Raft that would make him—briefly—the number one movie gangster in Hollywood, it was also the role that defined his iconic status. Nearly every scene in which Raft appears has his flipping a coin in the air. This action would come to be inextricably intertwined with his personality to the point that nearly 30 years later it would be parodied in a scene involving Raft in Some Like it Hot. Raft’s career would sink on the unwise decision to turn down two key roles that elevated Humphrey Bogart above his own status in the hierarchy at Warner Brothers.
Boris Karloff
Six months after appearing as Frankenstein’s creature, Karloff took on the small, but pivotal role of gangland rival Tom Gaffney. Two scenes in which Karloff is featured would play out in real life—one of them after the fact. The drive-by shooting of Tony Camonte at the restaurant was based on the real life attempt on the life of Al Capone. Karloff’s character death while bowling would be replayed four years later in real with the killing of a gangster named Jack McGurn while McGurn was bowling.
Karen Morley
Morley was offered the choice of playing either Tony Camonte’s sister or his “official” love interest who goes from being the moll of one of gangland chief to another. Despite realizing that Cesca was the most interesting role, she agreed to play the love interest on condition that her good friend Dvorak be cast as the sister. Morley would enjoy a career of similarly bland leading roles until she suddenly retired from acting in 1953. Twenty years later she would make a two-year comeback appearing in episodes of TV series before finally retiring for good in 1975.
