Editing F. W. Murnau (section)

==Death==
[[File:Suedwestkirchhof08.jpg|thumb|Grave and bust by [[Ludwig Manzel]] in [[Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery]]]] [[File:Gedenktafel Douglasstr 22 (Grunew) Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.JPG|thumb|Murnau's memorial plaque in Berlin]]

On March 10, 1931, a week prior to the opening of the film ''Tabu'', Murnau drove up the [[California State Route 1|Pacific Coast Highway]] from Los Angeles, California, in a rented Packard touring car. Murnau's valet, Eliazar Garcia Stevenson (September 2, 1900 – October 4, 1985),<ref name="deathindex">"Nevada, U.S., Death Index, 1980-2012." Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Statistics. State Death Index. [[Nevada Department of Health and Human Services]], [[Carson City, Nevada]]. ''[[Ancestry.com]]''.</ref> swerved to avoid a truck that unexpectedly veered into the northbound lane. The car overturned after striking an embankment, throwing all occupants out of the vehicle.<ref>Transcript of the coroner's inquest for Frederick [''sic''] Wilhelm Murnau, held on March 11, 1931 in Santa Barbara, California. Santa Barbara Superior Court. Case number 1195.</ref> Murnau suffered a head injury and died the next day at the [[Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital]].<ref name="TCM" /><ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=F. W. Murnau Killed in Coast Auto Crash. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/12/archives/fw-murnau-killed-in-coast-auto-crash-movie-director-planned-to-go.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 12, 1931 |access-date=January 22, 2009 |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723065103/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/12/archives/fw-murnau-killed-in-coast-auto-crash-movie-director-planned-to-go.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A service was held for Murnau at the Hollywood Lutheran Church on March 19, 1931.<ref>''Hollywood Daily Citizen''; March 20, 1931.</ref> His body was transported to Germany, where he was entombed in [[Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery]], near [[Berlin]], on April 13.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/15/nosferatu-director-f-w-murnaus-skull-stolen-by-grave-robber/ |title='Nosferatu' director F.W. Murnau's skull stolen by grave robber |date=July 15, 2015 |work=[[Mercury News]] |agency=Associated Press |access-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128074745/https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/15/nosferatu-director-f-w-murnaus-skull-stolen-by-grave-robber/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Scott |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons |date=2016 |edition=3rd |isbn=978-0-7864-7992-4 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.}}</ref> Among the attendees of his second funeral were Robert J. Flaherty, [[Emil Jannings]], and [[Fritz Lang]], who delivered the eulogy.<ref name="Eisner" /> [[Greta Garbo]] had a [[death mask]] of Murnau commissioned, which she kept on her desk during her years in Hollywood.<ref name=Eisner />

In July 2015, Murnau's grave was broken into, the remains disturbed and the skull removed by persons unknown.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33534109 |title=Nosferatu director's skull believed stolen |date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=July 15, 2015 |work=BBC News |archive-date=November 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102204300/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33534109 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wax residue was reportedly found at the site, leading some to speculate that candles had been lit, perhaps with an occult or ceremonial significance. As this disturbance was not an isolated incident, the cemetery managers were considering sealing the grave.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Nigel M.|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/14/nosferatu-director-head-stolen-germany-grave-fw-murnau|title=Nosferatu director's head stolen from grave in Germany|date=July 14, 2015|access-date=July 15, 2015|work=The Guardian|archive-date=May 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527142448/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/14/nosferatu-director-head-stolen-germany-grave-fw-murnau|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/jan/26/culture.features2 |title=The truth about film-maker FW Murnau |date=January 26, 2001 |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Michael |last=Atkinson |access-date=January 27, 2018 |archive-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827214027/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/jan/26/culture.features2 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=January 2022}}  The skull has not been recovered since.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/stahnsdorf-search-f-w-murnau-stolen-skull/ | title=Stahnsdorf and the search for F.W. Murnau's stolen skull | date=March 12, 2022 }}</ref>