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1-50 of 197
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Bertolt Brecht was born on 10 February 1898 in Augsburg, Germany and one of the country's most influential poets, playwrights and screenwriters. His most famous work was the musical "The Threepenny Opera" (with Kurt Weill), but his dramas such as "Mother Courage and Her Children" or "The Good Person of Sezuan" were equally successful. As he opposed the upcoming Nazi movement, he fled Germany in 1933 and finally emigrated to the United States. After testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, he left Hollywood and returned to Europe. He settled down in East Germany, where he founded the famous "Berliner Ensemble" and became the state's intellectual hero. He died on 14 August 1956 in East Berlin.- Seghers grew up in a wealthy Jewish home. From 1919 she studied art history, philosophy, history and sinology in Cologne and Heidelberg. In 1924 she completed her studies with the doctoral thesis "Jews and Judaism in the Works of Rembrandt". In the same year she wrote her first story entitled "The Dead of the Island of Djal", which was only published after her death (1985). In 1925 she married the Hungarian social scientist Lásló Radványi, with whom she had two children. In 1927 she first published a story called "Grubetsch". The work appeared in the Frankfurter Zeitung and was marked with Segher's name.
Since then she has published all of her works under this pseudonym; Behind the name lies a contemporary of the painter Rembrandt. In 1928 the story "Uprising of the Fishermen of St. Barbara" was published, for which she was awarded the Kleist Prize. The German theater manager and director Erwin Piscator adapted the play into a film in the Soviet Union in 1934. In the same year, Anna Seghers became a member of the KPD, the German Communist Party. The following year, 1929, she joined the "Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Writers" (BPRS). Her novel "The Companions" was published in 1932, in which she warned about the dangers of the emerging fascist rule. After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, Seghers was briefly arrested. She then emigrated to France.
There she supported anti-fascist organizations and magazines. Her first exile novel was written in 1933, entitled "The Head Wage," in which she traces the causes of National Socialism. Two years later the novel "The Road Through February" was published. In the years 1938 and 1939 she maintained correspondence with the philosopher Georg Lukács. In the year that German troops invaded France, Anna Seghers withdrew from Paris to unoccupied Marseille. In 1941 she left for Mexico. There she founded the Heinrich Heine Club, which was a German literary and cultural institution that pursued anti-fascist goals under her leadership. The novel "The Seventh Cross" was published in 1942. The work established her international reputation as a writer who defended herself against fascism.
The original was filmed in 1944 by the American director Fred Zinnemann with Spencer Tracy. The novel was first published in English and then published in German by a Mexican exile publisher. "The Seventh Cross" sensitively tells the story of the escape of seven prisoners from a concentration camp in Rhine-Hesse and everyday life in the Third Reich. Seghers used cinematic design tools that realized the narrative structure in a complex way. In 1944 the novel "Transit" was published. It appeared first in Spanish and then in English, and in German it came out in 1948. Seghers had already started the work in France. It describes the author's personal experiences and fears in exile, which she connects with the theme of loss and preservation of identity. The successful book is one of the most important works about the fears in exile.
In 1947 Anna Seghers returned to Europe and initially settled in West Berlin. She joined the SED, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. In the same year she was honored with the Georg Büchner Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary award, for her novel "The Seventh Cross". Anna Seghers was committed to reconstruction in Germany. In 1948 she became vice president of the "Culture Association for the Democratic Renewal of Germany". The following year her social novel "The Dead Stay Young" was published. The work was made into a film in 1968. In 1950, Anna Seghers moved to East Berlin. She became a co-founder of the peace movement in the GDR and joined the presidium of the World Peace Council. In the same year she was one of the co-founders of the German Academy of Arts.
In 1951 she was awarded the GDR's first national prize. A trip to China followed. Anna Seghers was a co-founder of the GDR Writers' Association and headed it from 1952 to 1978. Hermann Kant later became her successor. In 1957 the novella "The Just Judge" was completed. For political reasons, the work was not published until 1990. The University of Jena awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1959. Anna Seghers dealt with the time of Mexican exile again in the story "The Real Blue," which was published in 1967. One of her important late works is the title "The Crossing", a love story that came onto the market in 1971. In 1981 she was made an honorary citizen of Mainz. - Sabine Thalbach was born on 4 August 1932 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Kleiner Mann - was nun? (1967), The Small White Mouse (1964) and Musterknaben (1959). She was married to Benno Besson. She died on 30 September 1966 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
He was the son of the German dramatist Friedrich Wolf. He left Germany with his family for the USSR and came back to Germany as a nineteen year old Lieutenant in the Russian Army in 1945. Was a short time commander of the town Bernau near Berlin in Spring 1945. _Ich war 19 (1968)_ is an autobiographical movie about this time.- Hertha Thiele was born on 8 May 1908 in Leipzig, Germany. She was an actress, known for Mädchen in Uniform (1931), Little Man What Now (1933) and Elisabeth und der Narr (1934). She was married to Heinz Klingenberg and Wolfgang Wohlgemuth. She died on 5 August 1984 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Friedrich Gnaß was born on 13 November 1892 in Langendreer, Bochum, Province of Westphalia, Prussia [now Bochum, North-Rhine Westphalia], Germany. He was an actor, known for M (1931), Danton (1931) and Rasputin, Demon with Women (1932). He died on 8 May 1958 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Script and Continuity Department
Helene Weigel was born on 12 May 1900 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. She was an actress, known for Mother Courage and Her Children (1961), Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (1955) and Señora Carrar's Rifles (1953). She was married to Bertolt Brecht. She died on 6 May 1971 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Margarete Kupfer was born on 10 April 1881 in Freystadt in Schlesien, Lower Silesia, Germany [now Kozuchów, Lubuskie, Poland]. She was an actress, known for Nathan der Weise (1922), Woman in the Moon (1929) and Sumurun (1920). She died on 11 May 1953 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Walter Richter-Reinick was born on 14 April 1911 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Der letzte der Mohikaner (1956), Der Raub der Sabinerinnen (1960) and Der Fächer der Madame de Pompadour (1964). He died on 14 December 1984 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Carola Braunbock was born on 9 January 1924 in Vseruby, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Der Untertan (1951), Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) and Frau Venus und ihr Teufel (1967). She died on 4 July 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Ursula Braun was born on 8 August 1921 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Der Richter von Zalamea (1956), Mirandolina (1967) and Caesar und Cleopatra (1970). She died on 3 December 1984 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Rolf Herricht was born on 5 October 1927 in Magdeburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Maxe Baumann (1976), The Small White Mouse (1964) and Der Weihnachtsmann heißt Willi (1969). He was married to Christa Herricht. He died on 23 August 1981 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Else Wolz was born on 14 January 1908 in Kleinschwalbach, Germany. She was an actress, known for Johnny Belinda (1960), Die schwarze Galeere (1962) and The Rabbit Is Me (1965). She was married to Walter Ohm. She died on 10 July 1983 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Hanns Eisler was a German-Austrian-American composer and lyricist. He was known for his "Das Lied von der Moldau" ("La Chanson du Moldau", "The Song of the Moldau") used in the TV film Schweyk im zweiten Weltkrieg (1961) and also sang by Zarah Leander on TV. He did so many more songs in Hollywood, France, Austria and Germany.- Dieter Franke was born on 13 October 1934 in Harthau, Germany. He was an actor, known for Dach überm Kopf (1980), Jeder stirbt für sich allein (1970) and Wer reißt denn gleich vorm Teufel aus (1977). He died on 23 October 1982 in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic.
- Actor
- Writer
Harry Hindemith was born on 16 June 1906 in Brussels, Belgium. He was an actor and writer, known for Snow White (1961), Tilman Riemenschneider (1958) and Die Heiratsurkunde (1964). He died on 21 January 1973 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
János Veiczi was born on 30 September 1924 in Budapest, Hungary. He was a director and writer, known for Zwischenfall in Benderath (1956), Streng geheim (1963) and Anflug Alpha I (1971). He died on 26 June 1987 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Friedrich Richter was born on 5 June 1894 in Brünn, Austria-Hungary. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Tartu (1943), Ein idealer Gatte (1962) and Jacob the Liar (1974). He was married to Amy Frank. He died on 3 March 1984 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- After school he trained as a printer from 1908 to 1912. After his membership in the Socialist Workers' Youth had a lasting impact on him, Grotewohl joined the SPD in 1912. In the following two years he worked as a printer in Braunschweig, Wolfenbüttel and Krefeld. When the First World War broke out, Grotewohl was drafted into military service in 1914, which he did until the end of the war in 1918. Under the influence of the November Revolution of the same year, Grotewohl left the SPD to turn to the USPD. In Braunschweig he was actively involved in the revolutionary events in 1918/19. Grotewohl then worked as an employee of the Braunschweig local health insurance fund from 1919 to 1921. From 1920 to 1926 he sat in the state parliament of Braunschweig, for which he also served as Minister of the Interior and Public Education until 1922. In 1922 Grotewohl rejoined the SPD.
A year later he was appointed Minister of Justice of the Free State of Braunschweig, where he served until 1924. In the following years, Grotewohl also undertook several studies in Hanover and Berlin. From 1928 to 1933 he was also represented in the Reichstag. Grotewohl worked as president of the state insurance company in Braunschweig from 1925 to 1933. He had to give up this position a few months after Adolf Hitler came to power in January 1933. He was forced to leave Braunschweig and settled in Hamburg, where he worked as a commercial employee until 1938. Grotewohl moved to Berlin in 1938, where he was imprisoned for his membership in an illegal social democratic group. Released from prison in 1940, he worked as managing director of a small company in Berlin, where he was also involved in the social democratic resistance. In 1945 he was able to avoid being drafted into the Volkssturm by going into hiding.
As a result of the collapse of National Socialist rule, Grotewohl took part in the reconstruction of the SPD in Berlin. After some hesitation, in 1946 he supported the merger of the SPD and KPD to form the SED, which was carried out by Wilhelm Pieck under pressure from the occupying power in the Soviet occupation zone. Until 1954 he led the SED as chairman together with Pieck. Grotewohl was a member of the Saxon state parliament from 1946 to 1950. From 1947 to 1949 he also served as President of the German People's Congress. After the founding of the German Democratic Republic, Grotewohl was promoted to its Prime Minister (then: Chairman of the Council of Ministers) in 1949. From this year he also sat in the GDR People's Chamber. In September 1960 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the State Council. A few months later, an illness made it difficult for him to continue to perform his functions. From 1962 Grotewohl was represented as head of government by Willi Stoph.
Otto Emil Franz Grotewohl died on September 21, 1964 in Berlin (East). - Ruth Kommerell was born on 9 May 1923 in Stuttgart, Germany. She was an actress, known for Einer muß die Leiche sein (1978), Gewissen in Aufruhr (1961) and Der Dritte (1972). She died on 1 September 1986 in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic.
- Actor
- Director
Wolfgang Heinz was born on 18 May 1900 in Pilsen, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Plzen, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and director, known for Nosferatu (1922), A Blonde Dream (1932) and Professor Mamlock (1961). He was married to Erika Pelikowsky. He died on 30 October 1984 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Fritz Bartholdt was born on 7 May 1920 in Stettin, Pomerania, Germany [now Szczecin, Zachodniopomorskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Coriolan (1978), Sankt Urban (1969) and Chiffriert an Chef - Ausfall Nr. 5 (1979). He died on 21 April 1988 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Theo Shall was born on 24 February 1896 in Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, Germany [now Moselle, France]. He was an actor, known for Anna Christie (1930), Ten Minute Alibi (1935) and Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse (1955). He died on 4 October 1955 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- From 1907 to 1914, Zweig studied German, art history, modern languages, philosophy and psychology in Breslau, Göttingen and Berlin, in accordance with his family's wishes, in order to later become a teacher. Zweig became active in literature while he was still a student; he and others founded the student magazine "The Guests," in which he published his first works. He did not complete his studies. In the early drama "Abigal and Nabal", published in 1913, Zweig's Jewish identity is revealed in the Old Testament story on which it is based, but this is also evident in later works such as "The Mission of Semael" (1918) or "The Repentance of the Apostate" (written in 1914 , published in 1925).
The symbiosis between German and Jewish identity at the time was expressed in the fact that Zweig was enthusiastic about the First World War and volunteered to fight. The writer first ended up on the Western Front in Verdun, France, then in the press department of the Commander-in-Chief in the East. The Prussian enthusiasm for war can be found literary in the stories in the book "The Beast" (1914). However, due to the cruelty and hopelessness of his wartime experiences, Arnold Zweig became a determined opponent of the war. He moved to Lake Starnberg and worked there as a freelance writer. In 1923 he worked as an editor for the "Jüdische Rundschau" in Berlin. In 1933, the year Adolf Hitler came to power, Zweig emigrated via Prague and Vienna, Switzerland and France to Haifa in Palestine. There the Jewish consciousness condensed into a Zionist attitude.
After the end of the war, Zweig returned to Germany, where he settled in the Soviet-occupied eastern part of Berlin and became a communist. After the founding of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Zweig was a member of the GDR People's Chamber from 1949 to 1967. From 1950 to 1953 he was president of the Academy of Arts. In 1957 he was appointed president of the "German P.E.N. - Center East and West", and since 1967 of the "P.E.N. - Center GDR". Arnold Zweig dealt with the Jewish faith in numerous early plays, such as "Ritual Murder in Hungary". For this work he received the Kleist Prize in 1915. He brought his psychological novel style to its climax in "Novellen um Claudia" (1912), which also became the most important work of this genre. The novel is characterized by the sensitive description of marriage and love shocks, mental anguish and the transgression of social norms, which fit entirely into the literary aesthetic of its time.
With the war experiences there was also a turn to humanistic and anti-war themes in Zweig's stories. He made a name for himself as a German realist novelist who dealt with war and its moral and human consequences. In 1927 his novel "The Controversy of Sergeant Grischa" was published as a preprint in the "Frankfurter Zeitung". This gave Arnold Zweig his breakthrough as a writer. His pacifist attitude is also reflected in this, as Zweig shows the reversal of state legal and moral concepts through the state of war and thus processes his experiences and insights from the First World War. From this, Zweig had planned a cycle entitled "The Great War of the White Men" within the period from the First World War to the October Revolution. But the work remained fragmented.
The novels "Young Woman of 1914" (1931), "Education before Verdun" (1935), "Appointment of a King" (1937), "The Ceasefire" (1954) and "The Time is Ripe" (1957) were completed. . During his time in Palestine, Zweig wrote the novel "The Hatchet of Wandsbek", which also deals with the topic of fascism and bandwagonism in a psychologically sensitive way. The novel was first published in Hebrew. Zweig's interest in psychology and psychoanalysis went back, among other things, to his friendly relationship with Sigmund Freud. There are three main influences in Zweig's work - Zionism, communism and psychoanalysis. Zweig's literary work is in the tradition of the Russian and French novelists of the 19th century. Theodor Fontane, but also Gottfried Keller and Thomas Mann can be named as role models. Zweig's epic works take a critical look at current events and analyze them in depth psychology.
In addition, Arnold Zweig also worked as an editor for works by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Georg Büchner and Heinrich von Kleist. In his essays he dedicated himself, for example, to Carl Sternheim. His study of "Caliban, or Politics and Passion" (1927) treats anti-Semitism as a collective phenomenon. To the other works of Arnold Zweig include, among others, "The East Jewish Face" (1920), "Called Shadows" (1923), "The New Canaan" (1925), "Jews on the German Stage" (1927), "De Vriendt returns home" (1932 ) or "Balance of the German Jewish era in 1933" (1934).
Arnold Zweig died on November 26, 1968 in East Berlin. - Actor
- Director
Werner Schulz-Wittan was born on 14 May 1907 in Finsterwalde, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Professor Mamlock (1958), Die Frau am Pranger (1962) and Stürmischer Lebensabend (1955). He was married to Dorothea Volk. He died on 30 November 1969 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Amy Frank was born on 15 December 1896 in Schüttenhofen, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Susice, Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Affairs of a Rogue (1948), Pygmalion (1957) and While the Sun Shines (1947). She was married to Friedrich Richter. She died on 6 May 1980 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Norbert Christian was born on 5 December 1925 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Unterm Birnbaum (1973), Schneider Wibbel (1959) and Die heilige Johanna (1962). He was married to Erdmute Schmidt-Christian and Myriam Sallo-Christianová. He died on 18 December 1976 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Walter Felsenstein was born on 30 May 1901 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a director and writer, known for Fidelio (1956), Ein Windstoß (1942) and Hoffmanns Erzählungen (1970). He was married to Ellen Brenner and Maria ?. He died on 8 October 1975 in Berlin, East Germany.- Gerd Ehlers was born on 21 May 1924 in Reinfeld, Germany. He was an actor, known for Karbid und Sauerampfer (1963), Das grüne Ungeheuer (1962) and The Small White Mouse (1964). He died on 27 June 1988 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Nico Turoff was born on 6 December 1899 in Kremenchuk, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire. He was an actor, known for Trenck - Der Roman einer großen Liebe (1932), G.P.U. (1942) and The Devious Path (1928). He died on 22 June 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Max Butting was born on 6 October 1888 in Berlin, Germany. Max was a composer, known for Lichtspiel Opus 1. (1921). Max died on 13 July 1976 in Berlin, East Germany.
- Günter Karau was born on 20 April 1929 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer, known for Chiffriert an Chef - Ausfall Nr. 5 (1979), Der Mensch neben dir (1966) and Der lange Ritt zur Schule (1982). He died on 26 April 1986 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Brigitte Reimann was born on 21 July 1933 in Burg, Germany. She was a writer, known for Die Frau am Pranger (1962). She was married to Rudolf Burgartz, Jon K., Siegfried Pitschmann and Günter Domnik. She died on 20 February 1973 in East Berlin, German Democratic Republic.
- Fritz Links was born on 24 September 1896 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He was an actor, known for Tecumseh (1972), Die Kleinbürger (1968) and Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti (1960). He died on 9 April 1976 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Jörg Knochée was born on 6 December 1944 in Druxberge, Germany. He was an actor, known for Das unsichtbare Visier (1973), Karla (1965) and Kit & Co. (1974). He was married to Heike. He died on 27 October 1989 in East Berlin, East Germany.
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- Actor
Wolfgang E. Struck was born on 16 February 1920 in Soldin, Germany. He was a director and writer, known for Das Stacheltier - Folge 140 (1958), Das Stacheltier - Die Rache der Chemie (1959) and Das Stacheltier - Folge 142 (1959). He died on 14 February 1989 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Heinz Scholz was born on 15 March 1910 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Jeder stirbt für sich allein (1970), Der Auftrag Höglers (1950) and Wolf unter Wölfen (1964). He died on 31 May 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Friedel Nowack was born on 13 September 1901 in Bremen, Germany. She was an actress, known for Maibowle (1959), Silvesterpunsch (1960) and Der Untertan (1951). She was married to Erwin Reiche. She died on 15 May 1988 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Siegfried Weiß was born on 18 April 1906 in Chemmitz, Germany. He was an actor, known for Der Geizige (1956), Die Häuser des Herrn Sartorius (1955) and Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy (1961). He died on 8 October 1989 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Hans Székely was born on 7 July 1901 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. He was a writer, known for Arise, My Love (1940), Paris Calling (1941) and Die singende Stadt (1930). He was married to Erzsi Bársony. He died on 16 December 1958 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Krista Siegrid Lau was born on 16 November 1917 in Ebersbach, Germany. She was an actress, known for A Lord of Alexander Square (1967), Entlassen auf Bewährung (1965) and Die letzte Nacht (1961). She died on 27 December 1969 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Kurt Kachlicki was born on 19 May 1934 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Verwirrung der Liebe (1959), Ohne Paß in fremden Betten (1965) and Sasiedzi (1969). He died on 17 February 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Kurt Wenkhaus was born on 10 September 1891 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Gewissen in Aufruhr (1961), Acht Uhr dreizehn - Das Geheimnis des Deltaklubs (1921) and Hotelboy Ed Martin (1955). He died on 22 December 1965 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Actor
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Gustav Püttjer was born on 15 May 1886 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor and production manager, known for Die lustigen Weiber (1936), Wie der Hase läuft (1937) and Comradeship (1931). He died on 11 August 1959 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Wolfram Handel was born on 16 May 1929 in Erfurt, Germany. He was an actor, known for Archiv des Todes (1980), Front ohne Gnade (1984) and Wolf unter Wölfen (1964). He was married to Ingrid Handel. He died on 11 December 1987 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Karl Kendzia was born on 25 August 1897 in Leipzig, Germany. He was an actor, known for Wolf unter Wölfen (1964), Die Heirat (1958) and Eine Berliner Romanze (1956). He died on 20 February 1973 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Herbert Dirmoser was born on 12 April 1896 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. He was an actor, known for Eolomea (1972), Der Berg ruft! (1938) and Sommerwege (1960). He died on 23 January 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Director
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- Writer
Helmut Spieß was born on 3 March 1902 in Ilmenau, Thuringia, Germany. He was a director and actor, known for Eine Handvoll Noten (1961), Einer von uns (1960) and Hexen (1954). He died on 11 March 1962 in East Berlin, East Germany.- Peter Marx was born on 23 November 1914 in Cologne, Germany. He was an actor, known for Anna Susanna (1953), Der Raub der Sabinerinnen (1957) and Gaslicht (1962). He died on 2 February 1978 in East Berlin, East Germany.
- Günther Simon was born on 11 May 1925 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse (1954), Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse (1955) and Das Lied vom Trompeter (1964). He was married to Margaritha. He died on 25 June 1972 in East Berlin, East Germany.