F.W. Murnau, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, was one of the greatest directors of the silent film era. In Germany, he created the masterpiece "Nosferatu", which was tremendously influential in the vampire fiction genre. (It was Murnau's film that invented the idea that vampires are killed by sunlight, a plot point that is not found in Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula".) Murnau also made "The Last Laugh", a silent film that may be the most silent film ever made, in the sense that there aren't even any title cards. The only exposition in the film comes from a newspaper, a typed note, and an inscription on a cake. All the rest of the story is told visually.
He was brought to America by William Fox, owner of the studio that eventually became 20th Century Fox. All he did after he came to Hollywood was make "Sunrise", a contender for the best silent film ever made. This lyrical tale of a faithless husband and his loving wife won an Oscar for "Unique and Artistic Production" at the first ever Oscar ceremony, one that was never given again. His films, both in Germany and Hollywood, featured tracking shots that were revolutionary for cinematic art of the day--really, the only way to appreciate this is to watch a Murnau film in which the camera moves to follow the actors, and then watch any other film from the era in which the camera is usually nailed to the ground.
Murnau might have gone on to great success in talking films, if he hadn't been killed in a car crash in 1931 after letting his 14-year-old boy toy drive his car. He remains one of the great artists of cinema.
Anyway, it seems that his head is missing.
http://www.avclub.com/article/silent-fi ... len-222292
