O. W. Fischer
Encyclopedia
Otto Wilhelm Fischer was an Austria
n actor. A leading man of German cinema, he began his career with Max Reinhardt
's stage company.
He was born in Klosterneuburg
near Vienna
. While he enjoyed a great career, unlike countrymen Oskar Werner
, Curd Jürgens
, Maria Schell
and Romy Schneider
, he never made it internationally. Worse, his American break ended before it began: he was signed to star with June Allyson
in a remake
of My Man Godfrey
in 1956, but was replaced by David Niven
when Fischer reportedly lost his memory during filming. Fischer directed and starred opposite Anouk Aimée
in a 1956 film, Ich suche Dich
, based on the play, Jupiter Laughs
, by A. J. Cronin
. In 1955, he directed and starred in Hanussen
, a movie detailing the life of Erik Jan Hanussen
, the Devil's Prophet. While the film is considered highly romanticized, it assisted historians and biographers in uncovering previously unknown facts. He also starred in the title role in the classic German film, Ludwig II
.
In the early 1970s, he retired to concentrate on linguistics
and philosophy
, on which he lectured and published a number of books. He died in Lugano, Switzerland of kidney failure.
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...
n actor. A leading man of German cinema, he began his career with Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt (theatre director)
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
's stage company.
He was born in Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg is an attractive small town in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24,442.It is located on the Danube, immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg hills...
near 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...
. While he enjoyed a great career, unlike countrymen Oskar Werner
Oskar Werner
-Early life:Born Oskar Josef Bschließmayer in Vienna, Werner spent much of his childhood in the care of his grandmother, who entertained him with stories about the Burgtheater, the Austrian state theatre, where he was accepted at the age of eighteen by Lothar Müthel. He was the youngest person ever...
, Curd Jürgens
Curd Jürgens
Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens.-Early life:...
, Maria Schell
Maria Schell
Maria Margarethe Anna Schell was an Austrian/Swiss actress, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 1956 for Gervaise....
and Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider
Romy Schneider was an Austrian-born German film actress who also held French citizenship.-Early life:Schneider was born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach in Nazi-era Vienna, six months after the Anschluss, into a family of actors that included her paternal grandmother Rosa Albach-Retty, her Austrian...
, he never made it internationally. Worse, his American break ended before it began: he was signed to star with June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
in a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of My Man Godfrey
My Man Godfrey
My Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on "1101 Park Avenue", a short story by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her...
in 1956, but was replaced by David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
when Fischer reportedly lost his memory during filming. Fischer directed and starred opposite Anouk Aimée
Anouk Aimée
Anouk Aimée is a French film actress. Aimée has appeared in 70 films since 1947. She began her film career in 1947 at age 14. In 1958 she portrayed the tragic artist Jeanne Hébuterne in the film Les Amants de Montparnasse...
in a 1956 film, Ich suche Dich
Ich suche Dich
Ich suche Dich is a 1956 German film based on the play Jupiter Laughs by A. J. Cronin directed by O. W. Fischer also starring in the film, that also features Anouk Aimée, Nadja Tiller, and Otto Brüggemann. Seeleiten Castle in Murnau, Bavaria serves as one of the filming locations.-Cast:*O. W....
, based on the play, Jupiter Laughs
Jupiter Laughs
Jupiter Laughs is A. J. Cronin's 1940 play in three acts about a doctor and his love interest, who hopes to become a medical missionary. The play was first staged in Glasgow at the King's Theatre and starred Henry Longhurst, Catherine Lacey and James Mason. In 1940, it opened on Broadway at the...
, by A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
. In 1955, he directed and starred in Hanussen
Hanussen (1955 film)
Hanussen is a 1955 German war film directed by and starring O. W. Fischer.-Cast:* O. W. Fischer - Eric Jan Hanussen* Liselotte Pulver - Hilde Graf* Theodor Danegger* Maria Dominique - Grace Coligny* Werner Finck - Der Sachverständige...
, a movie detailing the life of Erik Jan Hanussen
Erik Jan Hanussen
Erik Jan Hanussen, born Hermann Steinschneider , was an Austrian Jewish publicist and clairvoyant performer who lied about his origins. Acclaimed in his lifetime as a hypnotist, mentalist, occultist, and astrologer, Hanussen was active in Weimar Republic Germany and also at the beginning of Nazi...
, the Devil's Prophet. While the film is considered highly romanticized, it assisted historians and biographers in uncovering previously unknown facts. He also starred in the title role in the classic German film, Ludwig II
Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs
Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs is a 1955 German drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring O. W. Fischer. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* O. W...
.
In the early 1970s, he retired to concentrate on linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and philosophy
Philosophy
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...
, on which he lectured and published a number of books. He died in Lugano, Switzerland of kidney failure.
Selected filmography
- 1951: A Tale of Five CitiesA Tale of Five CitiesA Tale of Five Cities is a 1951 British-Italian drama film directed by Romolo Marcellini and five other directors.-Cast:* Bonar Colleano - Bob Mitchell* Barbara Kelly - Lesley - American Magazine Editor* Anne Vernon - Jeannine Meunier...
(Passaporto per l'oriente) - 1952: DesiresDesires (film)Desires is a 1952 German drama film directed by Rolf Hansen. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Heidemarie Hatheyer - Anna Falkner* O. W. Fischer - Hans Falkner* Sybil Werden - Bozena Boroszi* René Deltgen - Dr. med. Steininger...
(Das letzte Rezept) - 1953: As Long as You're Near MeAs Long as You're Near MeAs Long as You're Near Me is a 1953 German drama film directed by Harald Braun. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Brigitte Horney - Mona Arendt* O.W...
(Solange Du da bist) - 1955: Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines KönigsLudwig II: Glanz und Ende eines KönigsLudwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs is a 1955 German drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring O. W. Fischer. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* O. W...
- 1955: HanussenHanussen (1955 film)Hanussen is a 1955 German war film directed by and starring O. W. Fischer.-Cast:* O. W. Fischer - Eric Jan Hanussen* Liselotte Pulver - Hilde Graf* Theodor Danegger* Maria Dominique - Grace Coligny* Werner Finck - Der Sachverständige...
- 1956: Ich suche DichIch suche DichIch suche Dich is a 1956 German film based on the play Jupiter Laughs by A. J. Cronin directed by O. W. Fischer also starring in the film, that also features Anouk Aimée, Nadja Tiller, and Otto Brüggemann. Seeleiten Castle in Murnau, Bavaria serves as one of the filming locations.-Cast:*O. W....
- 1958: Arms and the ManArms and the Man (film)Arms and the Man is a 1958 West German film directed by Franz Peter Wirth and based on a play by George Bernard Shaw. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:...
(Helden) - 1959: Menschen im HotelMenschen im HotelMenschen im Hotel is a 1959 German drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, and produced by Artur Brauner. The screenplay was written by Ladislas Fodor and Hans Jacoby, based on novel by Vicki Baum. It is a remake of the 1932 classic Grand Hotel....
- 1959: And That on Monday MorningAnd That on Monday MorningAnd That on Monday Morning is a 1959 German comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. It was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* O. W. Fischer - Alois Kessel* Ulla Jacobsson - Delia Mond* Vera Tschechowa - Monika...
(Und das am Montagmorgen) - 1963: Breakfast in BedBreakfast in Bed (film)Breakfast in Bed is a 1963 German comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring O.W. Fischer, Liselotte Pulver and Ann Smyrner. The wife of a newspaper editor grows sick of his frequent absences.-Cast:...
(Frühstück im Doppelbett) - 1963: The Secret of the Black WidowThe Secret of the Black WidowThe Secret of the Black Widow is a 1963 German crime film directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and starring O. W. Fischer.-Cast:* O. W. Fischer - Wellby* Karin Dor - Clarisse* Klaus Kinski - Boyd* Werner Peters - Mr. Shor* Doris Kirchner - Mrs. Shor...
(Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe) - 1965: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Onkel Toms Hütte)
Publications
- [-?-]: Auferstehung in Hollywood. Texte, Wien: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei,o.J. ISBN 3-7046-0037-7
- 1986: Engelsknabe war ich keiner. Erinnerung an eine Jugend, Munich: Langen Müller ISBN 3-7844-2109-1
- 1999: Ferner Klang. Texte, Ulm: Hess ISBN 3-87336-000-4
- 2000: Meine Geheimnisse. Erinnerungen und Gedanken, Munich: Langen Müller ISBN 3-7844-2770-7
Further reading
- Holba, Herbert: O. W. Fischer, Phänomen einer schauspielerischen Persönlichkeit, Wien 1964
- Popa, Dorin: O. W. Fischer, Seine Filme – sein Leben, Heyne, München 1989. ISBN 3-453-00124-9
- F.F.G.: ...was mich ankommt, als Gesicht, Traum und Empfindung. Das denkwürdigste Interview von O. W. Fischer, Strom, Zürich 1977. ISBN 3-85921-038-6