Egon Brecher
Encyclopedia
Egon Brecher was a Czechoslovakian stage actor and director who toured Austria
and Germany
acting on the stage, and also served as the chief director of the Stadts Theatre in Vienna
, before entering the motion picture industry.
in 1900 at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He did not finish his studies, because he decided to become an actor. He debuted either in 1900 (according to Zalmen Zylbercwaig) in the play Das neue Ghetto (The new ghetto) by Theodor Herzl
or in 1903 on the Vienna stage in Grillparzer′s Sappho. He played on several province stages in Germany and Austria until 1910 and then played in Vienna on stages directed by Josef Jarno
until 1921. Besides, in 1907, he founded an initiative (which lasted for something like one or two years) to play modern yiddish theatre in German language with Siegfried Schmitz and members of the student club ‘Theodor Herzl’ like Hugo Zuckermann
and Oskar Rosenfeld
. In 1919 he was co-founder of the Freie Jüdische Volksbühne in Vienna, a yiddish stage, which existed for three years.
Then, in 1921, he went to Broadway
, to act there. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s to appear in foreign-language versions of American films. In the mid-1930s he appeared in classic horror films The Black Cat
, Werewolf of London
, The Black Room
, Mark of the Vampire
and The Devil-Doll
, and worked steadily in the espionage films of the 30s and 40s, his Slavic accent landing him roles both noble and villainous. One of his largest screen roles was in 1946's So Dark the Night. He died that same year of a heart attack
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
acting on the stage, and also served as the chief director of the Stadts Theatre in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, before entering the motion picture industry.
Career
Born as a son of a professor, he began to study philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in 1900 at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He did not finish his studies, because he decided to become an actor. He debuted either in 1900 (according to Zalmen Zylbercwaig) in the play Das neue Ghetto (The new ghetto) by Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
or in 1903 on the Vienna stage in Grillparzer′s Sappho. He played on several province stages in Germany and Austria until 1910 and then played in Vienna on stages directed by Josef Jarno
Josef Jarno
Josef Jarno was an Austrian actor and theatre director. He was the older brother of opera composer Georg Jarno.- Life :Jarno made his debut in the Lehártheater in Bad Ischl, Upper Austria...
until 1921. Besides, in 1907, he founded an initiative (which lasted for something like one or two years) to play modern yiddish theatre in German language with Siegfried Schmitz and members of the student club ‘Theodor Herzl’ like Hugo Zuckermann
Hugo Zuckermann
Hugo Zuckermann was a Jewish-Austrian poet and Zionist.Hugo Zuckermann was born 15 May 1881 in Cheb. 1907 he founded, together with writer Oskar Rosenfeld, Egon Brecher and others a Jewish theatre group to play modern yiddish dramas in German language. The initiative lasted for one or two years....
and Oskar Rosenfeld
Oskar Rosenfeld
Oskar Rosenfeld was an Austrian-Jewish writer killed at Auschwitz concentration camp.-Early life and education:Oskar Rosenfeld was born May 13, 1884 in Koryčany, Moravia to Jeanette Rosenfeld . Finished his studies in 1908 and promoted in Vienna about Philipp Otto Runge in the Romantics. Active in...
. In 1919 he was co-founder of the Freie Jüdische Volksbühne in Vienna, a yiddish stage, which existed for three years.
Then, in 1921, he went to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, to act there. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s to appear in foreign-language versions of American films. In the mid-1930s he appeared in classic horror films The Black Cat
The Black Cat (1934 film)
The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. It was the first of eight movies to pair actors Béla Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Edgar G. Ulmer directed the film; Peter Ruric wrote the screenplay...
, Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
, The Black Room
The Black Room (1935 film)
The Black Room is a 1935 mystery-horror film, directed by Roy William Neill. The movie stars Boris Karloff in a dual role as twin brothers. The film also starred Marian Marsh and Robert Allen...
, Mark of the Vampire
Mark of the Vampire
Mark of the Vampire is a 1935 horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt and directed by Tod Browning...
and The Devil-Doll
The Devil-Doll
The Devil-Doll is a horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring a cross-dressing Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan as his daughter, Lorraine Levond...
, and worked steadily in the espionage films of the 30s and 40s, his Slavic accent landing him roles both noble and villainous. One of his largest screen roles was in 1946's So Dark the Night. He died that same year of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Partial filmography
- The Royal Box (1929)
- To the Last Man (1933)
- The Black CatThe Black Cat (1934 film)The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. It was the first of eight movies to pair actors Béla Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Edgar G. Ulmer directed the film; Peter Ruric wrote the screenplay...
(1934) - Many Happy Returns (1934)
- Mark of the VampireMark of the VampireMark of the Vampire is a 1935 horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt and directed by Tod Browning...
(1935) (uncredited) - The Florentine Dagger (1935)
- Black FuryBlack Fury (1935 film)Black Fury is a 1935 American crime film starring Paul Muni, Karen Morley, and William Gargan. It was adapted from the short story "Jan Volkanik" by Judge Michael A. Musmanno and the play Bohunk by Harry R...
(1935) - Werewolf of LondonWerewolf of LondonWerewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
(1935) (uncredited) - The Black RoomThe Black Room (1935 film)The Black Room is a 1935 mystery-horror film, directed by Roy William Neill. The movie stars Boris Karloff in a dual role as twin brothers. The film also starred Marian Marsh and Robert Allen...
(1935) (uncredited) - Charlie Chan's Secret (1936)
- Boulder Dam (1936)
- Till We Meet Again (1936)
- Sins of Man (1936)
- The White Angel (1936)
- The Devil-DollThe Devil-DollThe Devil-Doll is a horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring a cross-dressing Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan as his daughter, Lorraine Levond...
(1936) (uncredited) - Alibi for Murder (1936)
- Ladies in Love (1936)
- Black Legion (1937)
- Stolen HolidayStolen HolidayStolen Holiday is a 1937 film loosely based on the Stavisky Affair, a French political scandal. A Russian con artist worms his way into the upper reaches of French society, but is finally exposed, with tragic consequences.-Plot:...
(1937) - Espionage (1937)
- I Met Him in Paris (1937)
- Thin IceThin Ice (1937 film)Thin Ice is a United States comedy/romance film directed by Sidney Lanfield starring Tyrone Power and figure skater Sonja Henie.-Plot:...
(1937) - HeidiHeidi (1937 film)Heidi is a 1937 American dramatic film directed by Allan Dwan. The screenplay by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris was based on the 1880 children's story of the same name by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The film is about an orphan named Heidi who is taken from her grandfather to live as a...
(1937) - The Spy Ring (1938)
- Invisible Enemy (1938)
- You and Me (1938)
- SuezSuez (film)Suez is a 1938 film account of the building of the Suez Canal by Ferdinand de Lesseps, played by Tyrone Power. It was so highly fictionalized that de Lesseps' descendants sued for libel....
(1938) - Devil's IslandDevil's Island (1939 film)Devil's Island is a 1939 prison film directed by William Clemens and starring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Boris Karloff - Dr. Charles Gaudet* Nedda Harrigan - Madame Helene Lucien* James Stephenson - Colonel Armand Lucien* Adia Kuznetzoff - Pierre Leroux...
(1939) as Debriac - The Three Musketeers (1939)
- The Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their Faces is a 1939 Warner Bros. film starring Ronald Reagan and The Dead End Kids.-Plot:Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and it taken to a new house by his sister Joy to start a new life where no one knows of his past...
(1939) - Espionage Agent (1939)
- Judge Hardy and Son (1939)
- I Was an Adventuress (1940)
- Four Sons (1940) as Richter
- The Man I MarriedThe Man I MarriedThe Man I Married is a 1940 drama film starring Joan Bennett and Francis Lederer. An American woman marries a German, only to lose him to the Nazi Party when the couple travel to Germany.-Cast:...
(1940) - Man Hunt (1941)
- UndergroundUnderground (1941 film)Underground is a 1941 film about the German Resistance opposing the Nazis in World War II. Jeffrey Lynn and Philip Dorn play two brothers initially on opposite sides.-Cast:*Jeffrey Lynn as Kurt Franken*Philip Dorn as Eric Franken...
(1941) - They Dare Not Love (1941)
- ManpowerManpower (1941 film)Manpower is a 1941 film about power company linemen starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft. The memorable posters for the movie proclaimed, "Robinson - He's mad about Dietrich. Dietrich - She's mad about Raft...
(1941) - Kings RowKings RowKings Row is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, and Ronald Reagan that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century, beset by social pressure, dark secrets, and the challenges and tragedies one must face as a result of these...
(1942) - Isle of Missing Men (1942)
- A Royal ScandalA Royal Scandal (film)A Royal Scandal, also known as Czarina, is a 1945 film about the love life of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. It stars Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Coburn, Anne Baxter, and William Eythe...
(1945) - White Pongo (1945)
- O.S.S.O.S.S. (film)O.S.S. is a 1946 war film starring Alan Ladd, Colton Winters and Geraldine Fitzgerald about the Office of Strategic Services....
(1946) - So Dark the Night (1946)
Literature
- Brigitte Dalinger: Verloschene Sterne. Geschichte des jüdischen Theaters in Wien. (History of Jewish theatre in Vienna) Picus Verlag, Wien 1998, p. 65 and 198