Rudi Fehr

Rudi Fehr was a German-born American film editor and studio executive known for his influential career at Warner Bros., where he worked for 40 years and edited more than thirty films, including classics of Hollywood's golden age.

Born in Berlin on July 6, 1911, Fehr fled Nazi Germany in 1933 after being ousted as a Jew, later emigrating to the United States in 1936 and establishing himself in Hollywood's editing rooms, contributing to notable works such as Key Largo (1948) and Dial M for Murder (1954).

Rudi Fehr was born Rudolf "Rudi" Fehr on July 6, 1911, in Berlin, Germany. Growing up in Berlin, he initially intended to become a diplomat. However, with the rise of the Hitler regime and due to his Jewish heritage, such a career was impossible. He then studied music and aspired to become a symphony conductor. His father, a banker who sat on the board of one of Germany's leading film combines, arranged a position for him in the film industry. Within months, Fehr was editing his first film, Der Schlemiel (1931), at the age of 20.

Rudi Fehr fled Germany following the Nazi takeover in 1933 due to the regime's persecution and his Jewish heritage, which made a diplomatic career impossible under Hitler. He relocated first to Vienna and then to London, where he continued working as a film editor alongside producer Sam Spiegel.