Erich von Stroheim - The Profligate Genius

He was unmistakable. With his suave demeanor, impeccable wardrobe and bullet head, on screen Erich von Stroheim played sadistic and sometimes seductive Prussians. As a director, von Stroheim earned a reputation for unparalleled egomania, arrogance and self indulgence. Though he was fired by nearly every studio he worked for and most of his films he directed were finished by others, or destroyed, what remains offers a glimpse of one of Hollywood's pioneers, one whom everyone loved to hate.