Murnau’s remains were returned to his native Germany for burial. According to tabloids, a 14-year-old boy was in the car with him. In 1931, at age 42, he was killed in a car accident near Santa Barbara, California. Janet Gaynor, leading lady in Sunrise, was honored as Best Actress that year, the first year of the Academy Awards.į.W. Murnau’s use of lighting and shadow created a mood unlike anything seen in films before or since. A few years later, Hollywood called, and Murnau made the equally stunning Sunrise (1927).
