Friedrich Kayßler
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Kayßler was a German theatre and film actor. He appeared in 56 films between 1913 and 1945.
in the Prussian Silesia Province (now Nowa Ruda in Poland
). He attended the gymnasium
in Breslau (Wrocław), where he became a close friend of Christian Morgenstern
and Fritz Beblo
. Graduating in 1893 Kayßler studied philosophy at the universities of Breslau and Munich and began his theatre career at he Deutsches Theater
in Berlin
under manager Otto Brahm
, later working at municipal theatres in Görlitz
and Halle
.
At the Deutsches Theater, Kayßler had made friends with director Max Reinhardt
, whose Schall und Rauch Kabarett
ensemble in Berlin he joined in 1901. He followed Reinhardt, when he became manager of the Deutsches Theater in 1905, where Kayßler performed in Kleist's The Prince of Homburg
, Goethe's Faust
and Ibsen's Peer Gynt
. He also succeeded Reinhardt as manager of the Berlin Volksbühne
from 1918 until 1923. He first appeared as a film actor in the silent movie Welche sterben, wenn sie lieben in 1913 and wrote several poems and dramas.
In March 1944 his son Christian, who was also a popular film actor, was killed in an allied bombing raid. Kayßler was named as one of the Third Reich's most important artists in the Gottbegnadeten list
of September 1944. During the Battle of Berlin
he was murdered by Red Army
troops at his house in the suburb of Kleinmachnow
, when he tried to protect his wife.
Biography
Kayßler was born in NeurodeNowa Ruda
Nowa Ruda is a town in south-western Poland near the Czech border, lying on the Włodzica river in the central Sudetes mountains. As of 2007 it has 25,240 inhabitants. The town is located in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
in the Prussian Silesia Province (now Nowa Ruda in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). He attended the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Breslau (Wrocław), where he became a close friend of Christian Morgenstern
Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
and Fritz Beblo
Fritz Beblo
Friedrich Karl Ewald Beblo, called Fritz Beblo was a German city planner, architect and painter....
. Graduating in 1893 Kayßler studied philosophy at the universities of Breslau and Munich and began his theatre career at he Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
under manager Otto Brahm
Otto Brahm
Otto Brahm was a German drama and literary critic, theatre manager and director. His productions were noted for being accurate and realistic. He was involved in the foundation of the progressive Freie Bühne company, of which he became president and producer...
, later working at municipal theatres in Görlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
and Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
.
At the Deutsches Theater, Kayßler had made friends with director Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
, whose Schall und Rauch Kabarett
Kabarett
Kabarett is a form of cabaret which developed in Germany from 1901, with the creation of the Überbrettl venue, and that by the Weimar era in the mid 1920s was characterized by political satire and gallows humor...
ensemble in Berlin he joined in 1901. He followed Reinhardt, when he became manager of the Deutsches Theater in 1905, where Kayßler performed in Kleist's The Prince of Homburg
The Prince of Homburg (play)
The Prince of Homburg is a play by Heinrich von Kleist written in 1809-10, but not performed until 1821, after the author's death. A performance during his lifetime was not possible because Princess Marianne of Prussia , by birth a member of the Hesse-Homburg family, to whom Kleist had given sight...
, Goethe's Faust
Goethe's Faust
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
and Ibsen's Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
. He also succeeded Reinhardt as manager of the Berlin Volksbühne
Volksbühne
The Volksbühne is a theater in Berlin, Germany. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in what was the GDR's capital....
from 1918 until 1923. He first appeared as a film actor in the silent movie Welche sterben, wenn sie lieben in 1913 and wrote several poems and dramas.
In March 1944 his son Christian, who was also a popular film actor, was killed in an allied bombing raid. Kayßler was named as one of the Third Reich's most important artists in the Gottbegnadeten list
Gottbegnadeten list
The Gottbegnadeten list was a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture. The list was assembled in September 1944 by Joseph Goebbels, the head of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, and Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler.The list exempted the designated artists from...
of September 1944. During the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
he was murdered by Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
troops at his house in the suburb of Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It is situated southwest of the centre of Berlin, immediately neighbouring the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and east of Potsdam...
, when he tried to protect his wife.
Selected filmography
- Gräfin DonelliGräfin DonelliCountess Donelli is a 1924 silent German film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Paul Hansen - Graf Donelli* Henny Porten - Mathilde, seine Frau* Friedrich Kayßler - Graf Bergheim...
(1924) - Zwei MenschenZwei MenschenZwei Menschen is a novel by Richard Voß. It has been filmed in Germany twice, in 1930 by Erich Waschneck, and in 1952 by Paul May.- Plot :...
(1930) - The Flute Concert of Sans-SouciThe Flute Concert of Sans-SouciThe Flute Concert of Sans-Souci is a 1930 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Otto Gebühr.-Cast:* Otto Gebühr - Friedrich II.* Renate Müller - Blanche von Lindeneck* Hans Rehmann - Major von Lindeneck* Walter Janssen - Maltzahn...
(1930) - Der Hauptmann von KöpenickDer Hauptmann von Köpenick (1931 film)The Captain from Köpenick is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Richard Oswald and produced by Gabriel Pascal. It is one of several films based on the 1931 play by the same name written by Carl Zuckmayer. The story centers around the Hauptmann von Köpenick affair in 1906.- Plot :Der Hauptmann...
(1931) - YorckYorckYorck is a 1931 German war film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Werner Krauss, Grete Mosheim and Rudolf Forster. It portrays the life of the Prussian General Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg, particularly his refusal to serve in Napoleon's army during the French Invasion of Russia in 1812.-Cast:*...
(1931) - GoldGold (1934 film)Gold is a 1934 science fiction film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers.-Cast:* Hans Albers - Werner Holk* Friedrich Kayßler - Prof...
(1934) - The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Hound of the Baskervilles (1937 film)The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1937 German mystery film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Bruno Güttner, Fritz Odemar and Peter Voß. It is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes's story The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.-Cast:* Peter Voß ... Lord Henry Baskerville* Friedrich...
(1937)
Works
- Simplicius (1905)
- Sagen aus Mijnhejm (1909)
- Schauspielernotizen (1910–1914)
- Jan der Wunderbare (1917)
- Zwischen Tal und Berg der Welle (1917)
- Stunden in Jahren (1924)