Lionel Barrymore, his mentor, once told him, "With that face you could make a fortune in the theater." Wolhim tried the stage late in his career and won considerable attention in Eugene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ape." He later became O'Neill's friend.
Despite his crude, blue-collar looks, he was quite an intelligent man, speaking fluent French, German, Spanish and Yiddish.
Died following six days of rehearsal for the film The Front Page (1931). Adolphe Menjou, the epitome of sartorial elegance and the polar opposite of the brutish-looking Louis, replaced him and was nominated for a "Best Actor" Oscar for his efforts.
His trademark smashed nose was the result of a football injury while attending Cornell University.
Jewish-American character actor considered by many as possessing one of the ugliest mugs in Hollywood, but also deemed one of its best performers, best known for his bravura performance in the classic anti-war epic All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).
Was a mathematics teacher before being brought to films by 'Lionel Barrymore'.