The 50 Greatest Actors Of German Expressionism
With these men,the german expressionist movement become one of the greatest periods of cinema history. Here is fifty of them,plus one of the films that they are most remembered.
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This elegant actor of the golden age of German cinema appeared in several masterpieces, before the cameras of such inspired geniuses as Lang, Lubitsch and Murnau. Vocation had come rather late in his life, though. Abel was indeed already 33 when he made his first film. Beforehand, he had been a forester, a gardener and a shopkeeper. But one day, while watching a film with Asta Nielsen, he was struck by revelation. He decided at once to become an actor and with the help of Nielsen in person he started a fruitful screen career. He also wrote and directed a few films. He died too soon aged only 57, but having honored the German screen with his noble, dignified figure in more than a hundred pictures.Phantom- Although somewhat forgotten these days, Max Adalbert was a great name of the German theater at he beginning of the twentieth century. Born Max Kampf in Danzig (now Gdansk in Poland) Max Adalbert worked in Lübeck, St. Gallen (Switzerland), Vienna and Berlin (Kleines Theater, Reinhardt-Bühnen). During the silent period he appeared in two masterpieces by Fritz Lang 'Der müde Tod' and 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler'. After a few years solely devoted to the boards Adalbert successfully returned to the cinema. He was very good in 'Mein Leopold' but it is 'Der Hauptmann von Köpenick' that earned him most acclaim. A heart attack brutally broke this virtuous circle.Der Hauptmann Von Köpenick
- Fritz Alberti was born on 22 October 1877 in Hanau, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924), The Student of Prague (1926) and Das Geheimnis um Johann Orth (1932). He died on 15 September 1954 in Berlin, Germany.Der König Der Mittelstürmer
- Ferdinand von Alten was born on 13 April 1885 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for Othello (1922), Danton (1921) and Deception (1920). He died on 17 March 1933 in Dessau, Anhalt [now Saxony-Anhalt], Germany.Der Sohn Des Hannibal
- Classically-trained actor, former chemist, whose formative years on the stage were spent in Bern (Switzerland) and, from 1909, the Deutsches Theater Berlin under Max Reinhardt's direction. Specialised in Shakespearean roles ('Richard III', 'Hamlet') and was a famous interpreter of the plays of Henrik Ibsen. He delivered his screen debut in a silent version of 'Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde' (Der Andere (1913)). Bassermann remained active in motion pictures throughout the 1920's, also frequently appearing on stage in Austria and Switzerland. His wife, Elsa Bassermann, nee Schiff, was Jewish, and the discrimination shown towards her in his native country so outraged him that he emigrated with her to the United States in 1939.
At the age of 72, he carved out another career in Hollywood as a celebrated character actor. It took him some time to come to terms with the English language, but he was soon cast in a small part in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), as Dr.Robert Koch. He also played a sympathetic chemistry professor in Knute Rockne All American (1940). That same year, he appeared as Van Meer in Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940) and was promptly nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. His distinguished-looking countenance and serious demeanour lent itself to being assigned a variety of consular or professorial roles: he was excellent as Consul Magnus Barring in A Woman's Face (1941) with Joan Crawford; Professor Jean Perote in Madame Curie (1943); and a dying German music teacher in Rhapsody in Blue (1945).
At the age of 83, he made a triumphant return to the German/Austrian stage in Ibsen plays. Albert Bassermann died of a heart attack en route from New York to Zurich on May 15 1952.Der Andere - Paul Bildt was born on 19 May 1885 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Madame Bovary (1937), Two Merry Adventurers (1937) and The False Step (1939). He was married to Charlotte Friedländer and Katharina Pape. He died on 13 March 1957 in West Berlin, West Germany.Rose Bernd
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Erwin Biswanger was born on 26 November 1896. He was an actor and writer, known for Metropolis (1927), Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) and Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924). He died on 1 January 1970.Erdgeist- Ernst Deutsch was born on 16 September 1890 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for The Third Man (1949), Der Prozeß (1948) and Isle of the Dead (1945). He was married to Anuschka Fuchs. He died on 22 March 1969 in West Berlin, West Germany.Von Morgens Bis Mitternacht
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Born in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Wilhelm Dieterle was the youngest of nine children of parents Jacob and Berthe Dieterle. They lived in poverty, and when he was old enough to work, young Wilhelm earned money as a carpenter and a scrap dealer. He dreamed of better things, though, and theater caught his eye as a teen. By the age of 16 he had joined a traveling theater company. He was ambitious and handsome, both of which opened the door to leading romantic roles in theater productions. Though he had acted in his first film in 1913, it was six more years before he made another one. In that year he was noticed by producer/director/designer/impresario Max Reinhardt, the most influential proponent of expressionism in theater; while in Berlin, Reinhardt hired him as an actor for his productions. Dieterle resumed German film acting in 1920, becoming a popular and successful romantic lead and featured character actor in the mix of German expressionist/Gothic and nature/romanticism genres that imbued much of German cinema in the silent era. He was interested in directing even more than acting, however, and he had the iconic Reinhardt to provide inspiration. Dieterle had acted in nearly 20 movies before he also began directing in 1923, his first female lead being a young Marlene Dietrich.
With his wife Charlotte Hagenbruch he started his own film production . He was said to have tired of acting; he appeared in nearly 50 films over the course of his career, mainly in the 1920s, and in several of his films he also functioned as director. As an actor he worked with some of the greatest names in German film, such as directors Paul Leni (in Waxworks (1924) [Waxworks]) and F.W. Murnau (in Faust (1926)) and actors Conrad Veidt and Emil Jannings. By 1930, however, he had emigrated to the US--now rechristened as William Dieterle--with an offer from Warner Brothers to direct their German-language versions of the studio's popular hits for the German market. In that capacity he made Those Who Dance (1930), The Way of All Men (1930) and Die heilige Flamme (1931) (aka "The Holy Flames"). He even stood before the camera for another of these, Dämon des Meeres (1931) (aka "Demon of the Sea", a version of "Moby Dick") in 1931, in which he played Capt. Ahab. The film was directed by another European who was soon to become one of Warners' most successful directors: the Hungarian Michael Curtiz.
Having taken to the Hollywood brand of filmmaking with ease--helped by his own brilliance in defining and executing the telling of a story--into 1931, he was soon promoted to directing some of Warners' "regular" films (his first, The Last Flight (1931), is now regarded as a masterwork) and he wold average directing six pictures a year for the studio through 1934. In that year Reinhardt came to the US, the Nazi threat finally having driven him off the Continent. He arrived with a flourish, ready to stage William Shakespeare's "A Midsummers Night's Dream"--an extravaganza at the Hollywood Bowl that would become legend. It was impressive enough to interest the execs of Warner Bros. They opted for a film version in 1935 with the great Reinhardt--even studio boss Jack L. Warner knew who he was--reunited with his disciple, Dieterle, as co-director. Reinhardt knew nothing about Hollywood and had to learn via Dieterle's diplomacy the differences between the overemphasis of stage and the subtlety of the camera. He learned from other directors as well about the realities of making films, in particular ratchet down the tendency that stage directors had to let their actors perform "too" much. It was all for naught, however, as the film was a major box-office flop, but it was one of the great moments in the evolution of film. Dieterle would direct Paul Muni for Warners in three first-rate bio movies: The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937) and Juarez (1939) and all received Oscar nominations. After that Dieterle moved on to do The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) at RKO with Charles Laughton as Quasimodo. This was one of Dieterle's best efforts, both in its romantic style and the great dark scenes of the Parisian medieval underworld with dramatic minimal lighting that gave vent to his expressionist roots.
Through the 1940s Dieterle moved around among Hollywood's studios, turning out vigorously wrought pictures, such as his two 1940 bios with Edward G. Robinson at Warner's. He became associated with independent producer David O. Selznick and actor Joseph Cotten, first with his direction of I'll Be Seeing You (1944). His romantic fires as a director had been restoked, as it were, and kept burning in the subsequent series of films with them which included the wonderful acting talents of Selznick's soon-to-be-wife (1949), Jennifer Jones: Love Letters (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946)--for which he shared directing but not credit with King Vidor--and the ethereal Portrait of Jennie (1948). "Jennie" was one of Dieterle's masterpieces, bringing into play a fusion of all his artistic fonts. The romantic fantasy with edges of darkness from the novel by Robert Nathan was just the vehicle to challenge Dieterle. His use of light and dark and gauzed--at one point the textured field of a painting canvas--backdrops conveyed the dreamlike state and netherworld atmosphere of the story of lovers from different times. Certainly the film influenced others to follow with similar themes.
Through the 1950s Dieterle's work--two more with Joseph Cotten--though sturdily in the director's hands, came off like good Hollywood fare, but were inspired more by the films' tight shooting schedules than by any artistic pretensions. His output during that decade was small, and that was partly due to bane of McCarthyism. He was never blacklisted as such, but his film Blockade (1938) was too libertarian to keep him completely away from the shadow of suspicion as a "socialist" / "communist" sympathizer. In 1958 he returned to Germany and directed a few films there and in Italy before retiring in 1965.
Though regrettably not as well known as his German and European directorial compatriots in Hollywood, he had great artistic style and worked with much energy in providing some of Hollywood's and the world's crown jewels of cinematic art.Ludwig Der Zweiter - König Von Bayern- Julius Falkenstein was born on 25 February 1879 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Zopf und Schwert - Eine tolle Prinzessin (1926), The Only Girl (1933) and Ich und die Kaiserin (1933). He was married to Helene Julie Zillinger. He died on 9 December 1933 in Berlin, Germany.Die Austernprinzessin
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Friedrich Feher was born on 16 March 1889 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a director and actor, known for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Robber Symphony (1936) and William Tell (1913). He was married to Magda Sonja. He died on 30 September 1950 in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Kabale Und Liebe- Actor
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Olaf Fønss was born on 17 October 1882 in Århus, Denmark. He was an actor and director, known for Homunculus, 1. Teil (1916), Mysteries of India, Part II: Above All Law (1921) and Den store dag (1930). He died on 3 November 1949 in Copenhagen, Denmark.Der Gang In Der Nacht- Rudolf Forster was born on 30 October 1884 in Gröbming, Austria-Hungary. He was an actor, known for Das Glas Wasser (1960), The Threepenny Opera (1931) and Wälsungenblut (1965). He was married to Wilhelmine Karoline Klara Schachschneider and Eleonora von Mendelssohn. He died on 25 October 1968 in Bad Aussee, Styria, Austria.Zur Chronik Von Grieshuus
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- Soundtrack
Willy Fritsch was born on 27 January 1901 in Kattowitz, Upper Silesia, Germany [now Katowice, Slaskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Woman in the Moon (1929), Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Amphitryon (1935). He was married to Dinah Grace. He died on 13 July 1973 in Hamburg, Germany.Spione- Actor
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Gustav Fröhlich was born on 21 March 1902 in Hanover, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Metropolis (1927), Leb' wohl, Christina (1945) and Seine Tochter ist der Peter (1955). He was married to Maria Hajek and Gitta Alpar. He died on 22 December 1987 in Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland.Metropolis- Actor
- Producer
Otto Gebühr was born on 29 May 1877 in Kettwig, Essen, Rhine Province, Prussia [now Northrhine-Westphalia], Germany. He was an actor and producer, known for Der große König (1942), Fridericus (1937) and Pretty Miss Schragg (1937). He was married to Doris Krüger and Cornelia Bertha Julius. He died on 14 March 1954 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.Fridericus Rex- Bernhard Goetzke was born on 5 June 1884 in Danzig, West Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany [now Gdansk, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Salamander (1928), Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924). He died on 7 October 1964 in West Berlin, West Germany.Der Müde Tod
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John Gottowt was born on 15 June 1881 in Lemberg, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Lviv, Ukraine]. He was an actor and writer, known for Nosferatu (1922), Das schwarze Los (1913) and The Student of Prague (1913). He died on 27 August 1942 in Wieliczka, Malopolskie, Poland.Algol - Tragödie Der Macht- Alexander Granach was born in the region of Galizia, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Ukraine). Given the name Jessaja Szajko Gronish, he was one of a dozen children of a poor Jewish family eking out a living, first in a farming village, later in a series of small towns and cities. He began working early mornings as a baker in his father's poor bakery by the age of 6, had a rough and tumble youth with relatively little schooling in religious and secular Jewish schools. He ran away from home four times, according to his autobiographical novel, but, reunited with his family at the age of 14, saw his first theatrical production, a famous play in the Yiddish language. Granach was smitten by the stage and, determined to become an actor, ran away to Berlin in 1909. In Berlin, Granach worked as a journeyman baker, fell in with a group of Jewish socialist worker-intellectuals--recent immigrants from similar Eastern European backgrounds to his own. His beginning as an actor was in amateur Yiddish-speaking productions, but he was encouraged to learn German and aspire to a wider career and was accepted into the acting school of Max Reinhardt, Europe's leading theatrical figure. Although the beginning of his acting career was interrupted by his military service in World War I, and his time as a prisoner of war in Italy, after the war he rapidly established himself as a leading figure of the flourishing theater and film industry of the Weimar-era in post-war Germany. His most enduring success in German film was as "Knock," the weird real estate agent in "Nosferatu." His charisma is demonstrated in the early German "talkie," "Kameradschaft" (1931), directed by G.W. Pabst. Granach was a well-known figure in the lively political and artistic milieu of the 1920s and early '30s, a friend of leading writers, actors, and directors, and had to flee as soon as Hitler came to power in 1933-as both a Jew and a Leftist. He spent the next five years in exile in Poland and the Soviet Union, acting in films and plays, but was arrested by Stalin's minions in 1938 and was fortunate to be able to leave the USSR and then to get to the United States. He learned English, as he had once learned German, and got his chance to act in Hollywood and then on Broadway, joining the small army of Jewish and other escapees from Hitler's Europe. The role for which he is best known in America is that of Kopalsi in "Ninotchka," (1939) directed by Ernst Lubitsch, but his role as Gestapo Inspector Alois Gruber in "Hangmen Also Die!" (1943) should be better known. (The film was written, in part, by his old colleague, Bertolt Brecht and directed by Fritz Lang.) Granach was acting on Broadway with Frederic March in the play by John Hersey, "A Bell for Adano," when he had an attack of appendicitis and died several days later of an embolism, on March 13, 1945. Alexander Granach wrote an autobiographical novel, with the title Da geht ein Mensch, in German, which was published in 1945, just after his death. The book was published at the same time in an English version, as There Goes an Actor. It was recognized at the time as a remarkable work, and has been republished as: From the Shtetl to the Stage: the Odyssey of a Wandering Actor, by Transaction Publishers, 2010.Schatten
- Ludwig Hartau was born on 19 February 1877 in Trachenberg, Silesia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Deception (1920), Marie Antoinette - Das Leben einer Königin (1922) and Johann Baptiste Lingg (1920). He died on 24 November 1922 in Berlin, Germany.Vier Um Die Frau
- Paul Hartmann was born on 8 January 1889 in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Longest Day (1962), Bismarck (1940) and F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932). He was married to Elfriede Lieberum and ???. He died on 30 June 1977 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.Luise Millerin
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His real name was Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, and in the early 1900s, he was already working in the theater under Max Reinhardt's company. Important movies where he defined himself as a convincing actor were Passion (1919) and Quo Vadis? (1924), followed by The Last Laugh (1924) (aka The Last Laugh) in 1924 and Variety (1925) (aka Variety) in 1925. In 1928, he became the first male leading actor to receive the academy award for The Last Command (1928) directed by Josef von Sternberg. In 1929, Stenberg directed him in his world famous movie The Blue Angel (1930) (aka The Blue Angel) co-starring the young Marlene Dietrich (her first role). Later on, he concentrated on theater and dedicated his acting skills to the Nazi regime and also took part in the realization of Ohm Krüger (1941) in 1941, an expensive anti-British film production. When the Second World War ended, the US government cleaned his image, and he converted to Catholicism. He played in a few more German movies, but his career never recaptured its brilliance.Der Letzte Mann- Actor
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Victor Janson was born on 25 September 1884 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor and director, known for The Oyster Princess (1919), Die Dame in Schwarz (1920) and Das Skelett des Herrn Markutius (1920). He died on 29 June 1960 in West Berlin, West Germany.Die Puppe- Georg John was born on 23 July 1879 in Schmiegel, Poland. He was an actor, known for M (1931), Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924). He died on 18 November 1941 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland.Hilde Warren Und Der Tod
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Eugen Klöpfer was born on 10 March 1886 in Talheim, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Der Spieler (1938), Götz von Berlichingen zubenannt mit der eisernen Hand (1925) and Luther (1928). He was married to ???. He died on 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.Sylvester- Arnold Korff was born on 2 August 1870 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), Black Moon (1934) and Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). He was married to Annie Bauer (actress). He died on 2 June 1944 in New York City, New York, USA.Tagebuch Einer Verlorenen
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Fritz Kortner was born on 12 May 1892 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor and director, known for Pandora's Box (1929), Somewhere in the Night (1946) and The Hands of Orlac (1924). He was married to Johanna Hofer. He died on 22 July 1970 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.Hintertreppe- Werner Krauss was born on 23 June 1884 in Gestungshausen, Sonnefeld, Bavaria, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Paracelsus (1943) and Robert Koch: The Battle Against Death (1939). He was married to Liselotte Graf, Maria Bard and Paula Saenger. He died on 20 October 1959 in Vienna, Austria.Geheimnisse Einer Seele
- Harry Liedtke was born on 12 October 1882 in Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany [now Kaliningrad, Russia]. He was an actor, known for Die Konkurrenz platzt (1929), Der Mann ohne Namen - 1. Der Millionendieb (1921) and Die Liebe einer Königin (1923). He was married to Käthe Dorsch, Ernestine Emaline Johanne Proft, Christa Tordy and Hanne Schutt. He died on 28 April 1945 in Bad Saarow, Brandenburg, Germany.Die Finanzen Des Grossherzogs
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Theodor Loos was born on 18 May 1883 in Zwingenberg, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for M (1931), Metropolis (1927) and Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924). He died on 27 June 1954 in Stuttgart, Germany.Die Nibelungen- Director
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From Ernst Lubitsch's experiences in Sophien Gymnasium (high school) theater, he decided to leave school at the age of 16 and pursue a career on the stage. He had to compromise with his father and keep the account books for the family tailor business while he acted in cabarets and music halls at night. In 1911 he joined the Deutsches Theater of famous director/producer/impresario Max Reinhardt, and was able to move up to leading acting roles in a short time. He took an extra job as a handyman while learning silent film acting at Berlin's Bioscope film studios. The next year he launched his own film career by appearing in a series of comedies showcasing traditional ethnic Jewish slice-of-life fare. Finding great success in these character roles, Lubitsch turned to broader comedy, then beginning in 1914 started writing and directing his own films.
His breakthrough film came in 1918 with The Eyes of the Mummy (1918) ("The Eyes of the Mummy"), a tragedy starring future Hollywood star Pola Negri. Also that year he made Carmen (1918), again with Negri, a film that was commercially successful on the international level. His work already showed his genius for catching the eye as well as the ear in not only comedy but historical drama. The year 1919 found Lubitsch directing seven films, the two standouts being his lavish Passion (1919) with two of his favorite actors--Negri (yet again) and Emil Jannings. His other standout was the witty parody of the American upper crust, The Oyster Princess (1919) ("The Oyster Princess"). This film was a perfect example of what became known as the Lubitsch style, or the "Lubitsch Touch", as it became known--sophisticated humor combined with inspired staging that economically presented a visual synopsis of storyline, scenes and characters.
His success in Europe brought him to the shores of America to promote The Loves of Pharaoh (1922) ("The Loves of Pharaoh") and he become acquainted with the thriving US film industry. He soon returned to Europe, but came back to the US for good to direct new friend and influential star Mary Pickford in his first American hit, Rosita (1923). The Marriage Circle (1924) began Lubitsch's unprecedented run of sophisticated films that mirrored the American scene (though always relocated to foreign or imaginary lands) and all its skewed panorama of the human condition. There was a smooth transition between his silent films for Warner Bros. and the sound movies--usually at Paramount--now embellished with the flow of speech of Hollywood's greats lending personal nuances to continually heighten the popularity at the box office and the fame of Lubitsch's first-rate versatility in crafting a smart film. There was a mix of pioneering musical films and some drama also through the 1930s. The of those films resulted in Paramount making him its production chief in 1935, so he could produce his own films and supervise production of others. In 1938 he signed a three-year contract with Twentieth Century-Fox.
Certainly two of his most beloved films near the end of his career dealt with the political landscape of the World War II era. He moved to MGM, where he directed Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas in Ninotchka (1939), a fast-paced comedy of "decadent" Westerners meeting Soviet "comrades" who were seeking more of life than the mother country could--or would--offer. During the war he directed perhaps his most beloved comedy--controversial to say the least, dark in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way--but certainly a razor-sharp tour de force in smart, precise dialog, staging and story: To Be or Not to Be (1942), produced by his own company, Romaine Film Corp. It was a biting satire of Nazi tyranny that also poked fun at Lubitsch's own theater roots with the problems and bickering--but also the triumph--of a somewhat raggedy acting troupe in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. Jack Benny's perfect deadpan humor worked well with the zany vivaciousness of Carole Lombard, and a cast of veteran character actors from both Hollywood and Lubitsch's native Germany provided all the chemistry needed to make this a classic comedy, as well as a fierce statement against the perpetrators of war. The most poignant scene was profoundly so, with Felix Bressart--another of Reinhardt's students--as the only Jewish bit player in the company. His supreme hope is a chance to someday play Shylock. He gets his chance as part of a ruse in front of Adolf Hitler's SS bodyguards. The famous soliloquy was a bold declaration to the world of the Axis' brutal inhumanity to man, as in its treatment of and plans for the Jewry of Europe.
Lubitsch had a massive heart attack in 1943 after having signed a producer/director's contract with 20th Century-Fox earlier that year, but completed Heaven Can Wait (1943). His continued efforts in film were severely stymied but he worked as he could. In late 1944 Otto Preminger, another disciple of Reinhardt's Viennese theater work, took over the direction of A Royal Scandal (1945), with Lubitsch credited as nominal producer. March of 1947, the year of his passing, brought a special Academy Award (he was nominated three times) to the fading producer/director for his "25-year contribution to motion pictures." At his funeral, two of his fellow directorial émigrés from Germany put his epitaph succinctly as they left. Billy Wilder noted, "No more Lubitsch." William Wyler answered, "Worse than that - no more Lubitsch films."Schuhpalast Pinkus- Actor
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Hans Marr was born on 22 July 1878 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. He was an actor and director, known for Wilhelm Tell (1923), The Ladies' Paradise (1922) and Silent Night (1934). He died on 31 March 1949 in Vienna, Austria.Wilhelm Tell- Actor
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- Producer
André Mattoni was born on 23 February 1900 in Karlsbad, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Ein Sommernachtstraum (1925), Land der Sehnsucht (1950) and Waltz Melodies (1938). He died on 11 January 1985 in Vienna, Austria.Herr Tartüff- Lothar Mehnert was born on 21 February 1875 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Allein im Urwald (1922), The Haunted Castle (1921) and Der galante König - August der Starke (1920). He died on 30 November 1926.Schloss Vogelöd
- Hans Carl Mueller was born on 5 November 1889. He was an actor and director, known for Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924), Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924) and Die wirkliche Liebe (1937). He died on 29 May 1960 in Munich, Germany.Friedrich Schiller - Eine Dichterjunge
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- Producer
Lupu Pick was born on 2 January 1886 in Iasi, Iasi, Romania. He was an actor and director, known for The Armored Vault (1926), Die tolle Heirat von Laló (1918) and Die Liebe des Van Royk (1918). He was married to Edith Posca. He died on 7 March 1931 in Berlin, Germany.Scherben- Fritz Heinrich Rasp was the thirteenth child of a county surveyor. He was schooled from 1908-1909 at the Theaterschule Otto Königin in Munich where, due to a speech impediment, Rasp developed a Frankish dialect. Rasp debuted on the stage in 1909, as Amandus in Max Halbe's "Skandalstück Jugend" as the Münchner Schauspielhaus.
In May 1914, Rasp received a five-year contract in the Reinhardts Deutschem Theater in Berlin, which was interrupted by his military service to Germany from 1916 - 1918.Die Liebe Der Jeanne Ney - Paul Richter was born on 1 April 1895 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for The Ringer (1932), Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924). He was married to Elisabeth Hölzl and Aud Egede-Nissen. He died on 30 December 1961 in Vienna, Austria.Der Letzte Nacht
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During the heyday of German silent cinema, Rudolf Klein-Rogge was the prototype for the master criminal, the irredeemable arch villain or mad scientist. Born in Cologne, he served as a cadet in a Prussian military academy before finishing his matriculation. He then began to attend acting classes and studying art history in Berlin and Bonn, making his debut on the stage in 1909. After playing in theatres in towns and cities along the Rhine and northern Germany for nearly ten years, he started making films in 1919.
His villainous roots first came to the fore in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), but he really established his reputation in a series of classic expressionist films written by his then-wife Thea von Harbou and directed by Fritz Lang. Of these, the most memorable were his forceful Moriarty-inspired portrayals of the titular character in Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922), and its later sequel, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933). The latter, which has an evil mastermind directing his empire from a madhouse, was so obviously aimed at the Hitler regime, that it was banned by Joseph Goebbels. Klein-Rogge's other noteworthy appearances include King Etzel in Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) and Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924); and his insane scientist C.A. Rothwang, creator of the robot creature in Fritz Lang's masterpiece Metropolis (1927). A powerful personality possessed of an almost hypnotic stare and a strong, resonant voice, Klein-Rogge continued on through the 1930's in supporting roles. However, the period of expressionist cinema in Germany had all but run its course and he died in relative obscurity in Graz, Austria, in April 1955.Dr. Mabuse - Der Spieler- Hans Adalbert Schlettow was born on 11 June 1887 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was an actor, known for Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922), Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924) and Volga Volga (1928). He died on 30 April 1945 in Berlin, Germany.Asphalt
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Max Schreck was born in Berlin. He worked in an apprenticeship until his father's death before enrolling into a school for acting. He toured the country with his peers and was a member of several theaters until he became a part of Max Reinhardt's group of innovative German actors. He played mostly out of the norm characters, the elderly and the grotesque, because of his talent and passion for make-up and costume fabrication. Although film was a challenge in which he excitedly and hopefully participated, he had small roles in films that are scarcely available, and his real career was in German theatre. He played hundreds of roles in his lifetime. He was married to Fanny Normann, a fellow performer whom he met a short time after his actor's education and shared many times with on stage. They had no children. He died on the morning of February 20th, 1936 from a heart attack.Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie Des Grauens- Actor
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The son of a German father and a Jewish mother, Schünzel was born in St. Pauli -- the best known, but also the poorest part of Hamburg. His father started off as an actor but economic circumstances forced him to turn towards commerce. For a while, the son followed in his footsteps. He undertook business studies and then began his professional career in the publishing business. After first acting on stage in 1912 he became enamoured with the profession, honing his thespian skills with theatrical companies in Switzerland and Berlin for another three years. 1916 marked Schünzel's first appearance on screen. Soon after, he diversified into directing.
Alternating directing with being in front of the camera, Schünzel proved a versatile performer -- equally at home in light comedy or in dramatic roles, often as irredeemable villains or as suave, powerful men of a dubious or corruptible nature. As a director he made his mark with epic historical dramas like Katharina die Große (1920) which were popular enough to allow him to set up his own production company. He was greatly influenced by established film makers Richard Oswald (a mentor and frequent collaborator from 1916) and Ernst Lubitsch (for whom he had worked as an actor in Passion (1919)). Schünzel's satirical, mythologically-themed musical farce Amphitryon (1935) , in particular, had all the hallmarks of the ironic, feather-light and slightly risqué 'Lubitsch touch'. It also boasted above-average production values. "Amphitryon" was Ufa's number one box office hit in its year.
Schünzels other notable directorial efforts included the original drag comedy Victor and Victoria (1933) -- a spoof of British music hall impersonators -- and the social satire Die englische Heirat (1934). His work was so popular in Germany that the Nazi regime bestowed upon him the title of 'Ehrenarier' (honorary Aryan) and permitted him to continue to work despite his Jewish background. This was later to prove detrimental to his career, even though he did eventually leave Germany in 1937, increasingly frustrated with governmental interference in his projects. Like so many other exiles, he turned up in Hollywood. Signed by MGM, he directed three films among which stand out the glossy operetta Balalaika (1939), a star vehicle for Nelson Eddy (for once, without Jeanette MacDonald). His other films, particularly The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939) and the romanticised and inaccurate biopic of composer Franz Schubert, New Wine (1941) (an independent production released by United Artists), suffered from a severe case of miscasting. The former was possibly the biggest flop of Joan Crawford's long career in the film business.
As a result of these setbacks, Schünzel returned to acting. He was predictably typecast as academics or Nazis, his most memorable performance being the sinister scientist Dr. Anderson in Alfred Hitchcock's excellent thriller Notorious (1946). Sometime after 1949, he returned to Germany but found work opportunities scarce. Schünzel died in November 1954 of a heart ailment following a visit to the cinema.Anders Als Die Andern- Albert Steinrück was born on 20 May 1872 in Wetterburg, Bad Arolsen, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Asphalt (1929), Helen of Troy (1924) and Der Richter von Zalamea (1920). He died on 10 February 1929 in Berlin, Germany.Der Golem - Wie Er In Die Welt Kam
- Hans Heinrich von Twardowski was born on 5 May 1898 in Stettin, Pomerania, Germany [now Szczecin, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor and writer, known for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Hangmen Also Die! (1943) and The Scarlet Empress (1934). He died on 19 November 1958 in New York City, New York, USA.Genuine
- Hermann Vallentin was born on 24 May 1872 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Captain from Köpenick (1931), Marie Antoinette - Das Leben einer Königin (1922) and Friedrich Schiller - Eine Dichterjugend (1923). He died on 18 September 1948 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Lohnbuchhalter Kremke
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Conrad Veidt attended the Sophiengymnasium (secondary school) in the Schoeneberg district of Berlin, and graduated without a diploma in 1912, last in his class of 13. Conrad liked animals, theater, cinema, fast cars, pastries, thunderstorms, gardening, swimming and golfing. He disliked heights, flying, the number 17, wearing ties, pudding and interviews. A star of early German cinema, he became a sensation in 1920 with his role as the murderous somnambulist Cesare in Robert Wiene's masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Other prominent roles in German silent films included Different from the Others (1919) and Waxworks (1924). His third wife, Ilona (nicknamed Lily), was Jewish, although he himself wasn't. However, whenever he had to state his ethnic background on forms to get a job, he wrote: "Jude" (Jew). He and Lily fled Germany in 1933 after the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, and he became a British citizen in 1939. Universal Pictures head Carl Laemmle personally chose Veidt to play Dracula in a film to be directed by Paul Leni based on a successful New York stage play: "Dracula". Ultimately, Bela Lugosi got the role, and Tod Browning directed the film, Dracula (1931). In his last German film, F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932), Veidt sang a song called "Where the Lighthouse Shines Across the Bay." Although the record was considered a flop in 1933, the song became a hit almost 50 years later, when, in 1980, DJ Terry Wogan played it as a request on the Radio 2 breakfast show. That single playing generated numerous phone calls, and shortly thereafter the song appeared on a British compilation album called "Movie Star Memories" - a collection of songs from 1930s-era films compiled from EMI archives. The album was released by World Records Ltd., and is now out of print but can still be ordered online ("Where the Lighthouse Shines Across the Bay" is track 4 on side 2). Veidt appeared in Germany's first talking picture, Bride 68 (1929), and made only one color picture, The Thief of Bagdad (1940), filmed in England and Hollywood. His most famous role was as Gestapo Maj. Strasser in the classic Casablanca (1942); although he was not the star of the picture, he was the highest paid actor. He died while playing golf, and on the death certificate his name is misspelled as "Hanz Walter Conrad Veidt". Because he had been blacklisted in Nazi Germany, there was no official announcement there of his death. His ex-wife, Felicitas, and daughter Viola, in Switzerland, heard about it on the radio.Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari- Carl de Vogt was born on 14 September 1885 in Cologne, Germany. He was an actor, known for Helen of Troy (1924), Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses (1920) and Caravan of Death (1920). He was married to Claire Lotto. He died on 16 February 1970 in West Berlin, West Germany.Die Spinnen
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Gustav von Wangenheim was a German actor, film director, and screenwriter from Wiesbaden. He is mostly remembered for playing the character Hutter in the classic horror film "Nosferatu" (1921). His character was based on the character of Jonathan Harker in the novel "Dracula" (1897) by Bram Stoker.
In 1895, Wangenheim was born in Wiesbaden. His father was the prolific actor Eduard von Winterstein (1871-1961, real name: Eduard Clemens Franz Anna Freiherr von Wangenheim), while his mother was theatrical actress Minna Mengers. His paternal ancestors were members of German nobility, the Freiherrs (Barons) of Wangenheim.
Wangenheim made his film debut in 1914, and went on to star in several silent films. Besides "Nosferatu", his best known film was "Woman in the Moon" (1929) by y Fritz Lang. It was among the earliest depictions of space travel in film, and is still considered one of the first "serious" science fiction films.
In 1921, Wangenheim joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD, 1918-1956). At the time, the KPD was one of the major political parties of the Weimar Republic. During the 1920s, the party became Stalinist in ideology. In 1931, Wangenheim established "Die Truppe '31", a theatrical company consisting exclusively of communists. Wangenheim both wrote and produced three plays for this theatre company between 1931 and 1933.
In 1933, the then-new Nazi regime shut down Wangenheim's theatrical company. His ideology made Wangenheim a target for Nazi persecution, so he soon fled Germany. He settled in the Soviet Union, becoming a long-term resident of the "Hotel Lux" in Moscow. During the 1930s, this hotel housed exiles from about 50 different countries.
In 1933, Wangenheim became the new leader of Left Column, a Soviet theatrical company which consisted primarily of German exiles. He eventually secured enough funding to direct the film "Der Kampf" (1936), a film protesting against the oppressive policies of Nazi Germany.
In 1936, Wangenheim was implicated in the then-ongoing trials of the Great Purge, a repressive political purge within the Soviet Union. He reportedly denounced the actress Carola Neher (1900-1942) and her husband as Trotskyites. According to a testimony from Wangenheim's son, following a lengthy interrogation, his father was forced to sign papers which implicated Neher in an anti-Soviet conspiracy. The charges against her had been prepared, and the authorities needed to convince Wangenheim to serve as a false witness.
In 1943, Wangenheim became a founding member of the "National Committee for a Free Germany". It was an anti-Nazi and pro-Soviet organization formed within the Soviet Union, with most of its members being German exiles or German war prisoners that tried to gain support from the Soviet government.
Following the end of World War II, Wangenheim settled in East Germany. He joined the state-owned film studio DEFA (1946-1992), serving as one of its film directors and screenwriters for several years. In 1954, he had his long-term marriage to the writer and photographer Inge von Wangenheim (1912-1993) annulled.
In 1975, Wangenheim died in East Berlin, at the age of 80. He was buried in the Friedrichsfelde cemetery in Berlin. He remains among the best remembered actors of the German silent film period, in part due to collaborations with well-regarded film directors.Frau Im Mond- Actor
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Paul Wegener was born in Arnoldsdorf, West Prussia, part of the German Empire. His birthplace is currently part of Poland, under the name "Jarantowice". Wegener's family included a number of scientists, the most notable being his cousin Alfred Wegener (1880-1930). Alfred is remembered as the originator of the theory of continental drift.
Paul has no known relation to another Paul Wegener (1908-1993), who served as a Nazi Party official and an officer of the Schutzstaffel (SS).
Paul Wegener initially followed legal studies in college, but dropped out in order to become a theatrical actor. By 1906, he was part of an acting troupe led by Max Reinhardt (1873-1943). Reinhardt went on to become a film director. By 1912, Wegener himself had become interested in the film medium, and sought roles as a film actor.
In 1913, Wegener heard of an old Jewish legend, concerning the Golem. He wanted to adapt the legend into film, and started co-writing a script with Henrik Galeen (1881-1949). Their script was adapted into the film "The Golem" (1915), with Wegener and Galeen serving as the two co-directors. The film was a success and established Wegener as a celebrated figure in German cinema. Wegener returned to adapting the Golem legend into film, by directing a parody film in 1917 and the more serious "The Golem: How He Came into the World" (1920). The 1920 film remains one of the classics of German cinema. Wegener's other films often reflected his personal interests, such as trick photography, the supernatural, and mysticism.
He continued his film career into the 1930s, and made the transition from silent films to sound films. Under the Nazi regime (1933-1945), several actors and directors faced persecution or exile. Wegener instead found himself favored by the regime and appeared regularly in Nazi propaganda films of the 1940s. Wegener personally disliked the regime (which had persecuted a number of his friends and associates) and reputedly financed a number of German resistance groups.
In 1945, with World War II over and Berlin in ruins, Wegener took initiative as president of an organization intended to improve the living standards for surviving citizens of Berlin. He continued to appear in theatrical productions from 1945 to 1948, although he was suffering from an increasingly poor health.
In July 1948, Wegener collapsed on stage during a theatrical performance. The curtain was brought down and the rest of the performance was canceled. It was his last acting role, as he retired in an attempt to recuperate. He died in his sleep in September 1948. He was survived by his last wife Lyda Salmonova (1889-1968).Der Student Von Prag- Eduard von Winterstein was born on 1 August 1871 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for The Blue Angel (1930), Die Sonnenbrucks (1951) and Emilia Galotti (1958). He was married to Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein and Minna Mengers. He died on 22 July 1961 in Berlin, Germany.Nerven