Beery was nominated twice for Oscars and won once (in 1932, for The Champ, the movie he filmed immediately before Grand Hotel).
Beery, who usually played congenial lugs like "The Champ" or, later, Long John Silver, at first refused the part, saying it was too unsympathetic, but MGM told him he'd be the only major character in the cast who would be allowed to speak in a German accent, and that won him over.