Robert Freitag
Encyclopedia
Robert Freitag (legally named Robert Peter Freytag) was an Austrian-Swiss stage and screen actor
and film director
.
in Vienna
. During the nazi era he went to Switzerland
, where he was active as an actor at the Schauspielhaus Zürich
(Zürich playhouse). In 1945 he married the German actress Maria Becker, who had studied acting in Vienna and who since had been at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, which had benefitted from the presence of German émigrés during the second world war. Becker became a Swiss citizen by marrying Freitag.
In 1949 Freitag began participating in the Salzburg Festival
. Later he performed, among other places, at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus
and the Hamburger Kammerspiele
, both in Hamburg.
With his wife Maria Becker and the German stage actor Will Quadflieg
he founded the Zürcher Schauspieltruppe in 1956 in in Zürich
, where he was also a part-time administrator. That troupe performed throughout the German-speaking countries and in the United States.
On stage he played many classical and modern roles. Beginning in 1941 he also appeared in films—in particular in the starring role in William Tell. Later he often appeared on television.
Freitag and Maria Becker were divorced in 1966, but they continued to work together, especially in the travelling theater company Schauspieltruppe Zürich that they had founded. They had three sons, two of whom—Benedict Freitag und Oliver Tobias
—became actors.
In 1994, Freitag's autobiography, Es wollt mir behagen, mit Lachen die Wahrheit zu sagen was published by Pendo Verlag.
In 2001 at the age of 85, he had a role in the made-for-TV movie Die Liebenden vom Alexanderplatz (The Alexanderplatz
Lovers, directed by Detlef Rönfeldt.
Freitag's second marriage, to the German actress Maria Sebaldt
, lasted from 1966 until his death. They lived in Grünwald, Bavaria
. They had a daughter.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Life
Freitag is the son of the Swiss opera singer Otto Freitag. He was trained as an actor at the Max Reinhardt SeminarMax Reinhardt Seminar
The Max Reinhardt Seminar is the School of Drama at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Palais Cumberland, Penzingerstraße 9, in Vienna's 14th district - History :...
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...
. During the nazi era he went to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he was active as an actor at the Schauspielhaus Zürich
Schauspielhaus Zürich
The Schauspielhaus Zürich is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" after its location on the Pfauen Square in Zürich, Switzerland. The large theatre has 750 seats...
(Zürich playhouse). In 1945 he married the German actress Maria Becker, who had studied acting in Vienna and who since had been at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, which had benefitted from the presence of German émigrés during the second world war. Becker became a Swiss citizen by marrying Freitag.
In 1949 Freitag began participating in the Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
. Later he performed, among other places, at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus
Deutsches Schauspielhaus
The Deutsches Schauspielhaus is a theatre in the St. Georg quarter of the city of Hamburg, Germany. With a capacity for 1192 spectators, it places it as Germany's largest theatre...
and the Hamburger Kammerspiele
Hamburger Kammerspiele
Hamburger Kammerspiele is a theatre in Hamburg, Germany....
, both in Hamburg.
With his wife Maria Becker and the German stage actor Will Quadflieg
Will Quadflieg
Friedrich Wilhelm "Will" Quadflieg was a German actor from Oberhausen. He was the father of actor Christian Quadflieg. He is considered one of Germany's best post-war actors. One of his most widely recognized roles was in the title role in the 1960 film Faust. He also starred in a number of other...
he founded the Zürcher Schauspieltruppe in 1956 in in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, where he was also a part-time administrator. That troupe performed throughout the German-speaking countries and in the United States.
On stage he played many classical and modern roles. Beginning in 1941 he also appeared in films—in particular in the starring role in William Tell. Later he often appeared on television.
Freitag and Maria Becker were divorced in 1966, but they continued to work together, especially in the travelling theater company Schauspieltruppe Zürich that they had founded. They had three sons, two of whom—Benedict Freitag und Oliver Tobias
Oliver Tobias
Oliver Tobias is a UK-based film, stage, and television actor and directorBorn Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zürich, Switzerland, he is the son of Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School,...
—became actors.
In 1994, Freitag's autobiography, Es wollt mir behagen, mit Lachen die Wahrheit zu sagen was published by Pendo Verlag.
In 2001 at the age of 85, he had a role in the made-for-TV movie Die Liebenden vom Alexanderplatz (The Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
Lovers, directed by Detlef Rönfeldt.
Freitag's second marriage, to the German actress Maria Sebaldt
Maria Sebaldt
-Selected filmography:* The Little Czar * Mädchen ohne Grenzen * Charley's Aunt * Los Pistoleros de Arizona -External links:...
, lasted from 1966 until his death. They lived in Grünwald, Bavaria
Grünwald, Bavaria
Grünwald is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Isar, 12 km southwest of Munich...
. They had a daughter.
Partial filmography
- 1943: Wilder Urlaub (wild holiday)
- 1951: Decision Before DawnDecision Before DawnDecision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II...
- 1954: Carnival StoryCarnival StoryCarnival Story is a 1954 film directed by Kurt Neumann, starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film was shot in 3-D, but was only released to theaters in 2D...
- 1954: Der schweigende Engel (the silent angel)
- 1955: Flucht in die Dolomiten (flight to the Dolomite Alps)
- 1955: Der 20. JuliDer 20. JuliDer 20. Juli is a German feature film on the failed July 20, 1944 attempt at assassinating Adolf Hitler. Falk Harnack directed and co-wrote the 1955 film's script. Wolfgang Preiss won the German Federal Film Award for his role as the rebel army officer, Claus von Stauffenberg.The film has a...
(the 20th of July) - 1955: Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne
- 1956: Heiße Ernte (hot harvest)
- 1956: Von der Liebe besiegt (conquered by love)
- 1957: Die große Chance
- 1958: Auferstehung (standing up)
- 1960: Wilhelm Tell (Burgen in Flammen)
- 1961: Das letzte Kapitel (the last chapter)
- 1963: The Great EscapeThe Great Escape (film)The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
- 1972: Der KommissarDer KommissarDer Kommissar is a German television series about a group of detectives of the Munich homicide squad . All 97 episodes , which were shot in black-and-white and first broadcast between 1969 and 1976, were written by Herbert Reinecker and starred Erik Ode as Kommissar Herbert Keller...
- 1981: Euch darf ich's wohl gestehen
- 1985: Wild Geese IIWild Geese IIWild Geese II is a 1985 British action-thriller film, based on the 1982 novel The Square Circle by Daniel Carney, in which a group of mercenaries are hired to spring Rudolf Hess from Spandau Prison in Berlin. The film is a sequel to the 1978 film The Wild Geese, which was also adapted from a novel...
- 2001: Die Liebenden vom Alexanderplatz (the lovers of Alexander Square)