Emil Jannings (July 23, 1884 – January 3, 1950) was a German actor an the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor. He won the 1928 Oscar for two films, The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command. He also starred in F. W. Murnau's The Last Laugh, a film notable in silent cinema for its lack of title cards, and in the 1922 film version of Shakespeare's Othello.