Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 66
- Actor
- Cinematographer
- Composer
Iconic American-born singer and actor in international films since the 1950s. Born in L.A. to Russian immigrant parents, Constantine studied voice in Vienna. He returned to the US, where his singing career wavered and he found work as a film extra. Constantine first achieved fame in Paris, where he launched a successful career as a popular singer under the tutelage of Édith Piaf. On screen from 1953, his tough guy manner was put to good use in French imitations of Humphrey Bogart films, several of which featured Peter Cheyney's no-nonsense, hard-hitting private detective, Lemmy Caution. In 1965 Jean-Luc Godard appropriated both Constantine and the Caution character for Alphaville (1965), a futuristic, parodic homage to the detective genre. The tough guys that craggy-faced Constantine played were ideals derived from the already stylized and ritualized world of G-men and private eyes found in American movies. Filmmakers of the New German Cinema resurrected Constantine and his persona; notably, Rainer Werner Fassbinder cast him as the laconic star of the film-within-the-film in Beware of a Holy Whore (1971). Constantine also appeared in a number of German TV dramas in the 70s and 80s and, late in life, reprised his most famous role in Godard's Germany Year 90 Nine Zero (1991).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Corpulent German character actor, often seen in menacing or unpleasant roles. Trained under Lina Carstens (1935-1937), Peters initially started out as a comedian. After military service in World War II, he reinvented himself as a serious dramatic actor, resident for some time at the Munich Kammerspiele and at the Deutsches Theater. From 1948 onwards, he was signed as a character player by the East German film company DEFA, where he became noted for several exceptional performances in films like The Affair Blum (1948) and, as the obsequious, power-hungry Dietrich Hessling, in the controversial Der Untertan (1951) (a starring role which won him an East German National Prize).
Peters moved to the West in 1955 to portray Nazis, corrupt establishment figures, sinister spies and reprehensible philistines (as well as the odd police inspector or victim) in local and international films. He hit the apex of his career with Robert Siodmak's The Devil Strikes at Night (1957), as a uniformed minor Nazi functionary. His dark screen image also made Peters a perennial favorite as protagonist for the ever-popular "Dr. Mabuse" films and the Edgar Wallace series of potboilers. In addition to his work in front of the camera, Peters set up a dubbing studio in 1958 (Rondo Films) for which he himself supplied German voice-overs for international stars like Donald Pleasence and Rod Steiger.- Christian Reiner was an actor, known for Wallenstein (1978), Der Kandidat (1986) and Sonderdezernat K1 (1972). He died on 24 December 1991 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Forgotten today, Marcella Albani was an idol of the European cinema in the final years of the 1920s, making dozens of films in five different countries (Italy, Germany, Austria, France and Czechoslovakia). After sound came, her popularity declined and she turned to writing. One of her novels "La Città dell'amore" was even adapted for the big screen by Mario Franchini, her husband. She went on acting until 1936. After a final appearance in Luis Trenker Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (1936), she retired from acting and led a peaceful life at the Ligurian Coast. Born in 1899, Marcella Albani had been discovered twenty years afterward by writer-director Guido Parish with whom she formed a very successful team. The couple made nearly all their respective films together (mainly tearjerkers and adventure yarns) until 1924 when they parted company. Their first movies were made in Italy until Parish decided to go to Germany. Marcella followed her mentor - who had changed his name to Guido Schamberg - there, and she met with instant success. Very exotic as the elegant Latin lady against a German backdrop, she enraptured German males in flicks such as Frauenschicksal (1923), Das Spiel der Liebe (1924) or Die Flucht in den Zirkus (1926). When she became freelance, she was occasionally chosen by important directors like Joe May, Friedrich Zelnik' or William Dieterle. One thing leading to another Marcella Albani made no fewer than fifty-odd films in only seventeen years. She was not even sixty when, having fallen into oblivion, she died of a brain tumor. Will she be rediscovered some day?- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Eugen Klöpfer was born on 10 March 1886 in Talheim, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Der Spieler (1938), Götz von Berlichingen zubenannt mit der eisernen Hand (1925) and Luther (1928). He was married to ???. He died on 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Wilfried Seyferth was born on 21 April 1908 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Der Selbstmörder - Ins Grab kann man nichts mitnehmen (2. Fassung) (1941), Decision Before Dawn (1951) and Die Wirtin zum Weißen Röß'l (1943). He was married to Eva Ingeborg Scholz, Lu Säuberlich, Irene Naef and Tatjana Iwanow. He died on 9 October 1954 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Erna Sack, "The German Nightingale" was born in Berlin in 1898 and was still a child when her voice attracted attention both at school and in the church choir in which she sang. For her parents, however, there could be no question of her training to become a singer. It was only when her fiancé, Hermann Sack, whom she married in 1921, interceded on her behalf that her parents changed their minds. Accordingly, she moved to Prague to study with her first teacher. Erna Jack finally joined the ranks of Germany's leading coloratura sopranos. By 1934 she was singing mostly at the Dresden State Opera, where she attracted the attention of Karl Böhm and, above all, Richard Strauss. Her first concert tours were to Austria, Holland, France and England (Covent Garden in 1936) and she had a contract with Telefunken Records. In 1937 she played at the State Opera House in Vienna. She also went to Rome, where she sang in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" with Tito Schipa. After that, she went to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and for the first time to the USA at Carnegie Hall with Richard Tauber and Josef Schmidt. She also sang in Italian at Chicago's Lyric Opera.
During the war, Erna Sack's career was limited almost exclusively to Germany and her allies. After the war, her career was slow to restart in Latin America, especially Brazil, Argentina, Urugay and Chile. By that time, she was a Brazilian citizen because of her husband. But it was in Canada that she enjoyed her greatest successes at this time, and for a number of years the couple lived in Montreal. In 1954 she moved on to Carnegie Hall and then ended up in Germany with the brief tour of German Democratic Republic in 1957. She also made two appearances on TV in the mid 60s and two Movies Blumen aus Nizza (1936) and Nanon (1938). - Martina Servatius was born on 30 October 1954 in East Berlin, East Germany. She was an actress, known for Verbotene Liebe (1995), Tatort (1970) and Familie Neumann (1984). She was married to Karl Jürgen Sihler. She died on 4 July 2016 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Actor
- Producer
Otto Gebühr was born on 29 May 1877 in Kettwig, Essen, Rhine Province, Prussia [now Northrhine-Westphalia], Germany. He was an actor and producer, known for Der große König (1942), Fridericus (1937) and Pretty Miss Schragg (1937). He was married to Doris Krüger and Cornelia Bertha Julius. He died on 14 March 1954 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Writer
- Actor
- Composer
Heinz Schenk was born on 11 December 1924 in Mainz, Germany. He was a writer and actor, known for Kein Pardon (1993), Der Geizhals (1992) and Der eingebildete Kranke (1996). He was married to Gerti Schenk. He died on 1 May 2014 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Martin Jente was born on 6 January 1909 in Görlitz, Germany. He was a producer and actor, known for Frankfurter Palette (1958), Heute letzter Tag (Ein Abend im 'Eldorado') (1960) and Kulinade (1972). He was married to Ellen Beguhl-Turcsany-Kranl. He died on 14 February 1996 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Writer
- Actor
Wim Thoelke was born on 9 May 1927 in Mülheim an der Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was a writer and actor, known for Tatort (1970), Das aktuelle Sportstudio (1963) and Ein verrücktes Paar (1977). He was married to Ulla Thoelke. He died on 26 November 1995 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Dieter Schaad was born on 2 April 1926 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Die Denunziantin (1993), Victor and the Secret of Crocodile Mansion (2012) and Club der roten Bänder (2015). He was married to Dagmar Hessenland. He died on 4 February 2023 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Marek Hlasko was born on 14 January 1934 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer, known for The Eighth Day of the Week (1958), The Noose (1958) and Skarb kapitana Martensa (1957). He was married to Sonja Ziemann. He died on 14 June 1969 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Gerhard Klarner was born on 5 February 1927 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. He was an actor, known for Singles (1988), IOB Spezialauftrag (1980) and Variationen zu einem patriotischen Thema (1988). He was married to Rita Klarner. He died on 22 January 1990 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Maurits Binger was born on 5 April 1868 in Haarlem, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was a director and producer, known for Carmen of the North (1919), Op hoop van zegen (1918) and Het goudvischje (1919). He was married to Bettina Cantor. He died on 9 April 1923 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Pete Lancaster was born on 23 June 1946 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Name of the Rose (1986), A Case for Two (1981) and Hafendetektiv (1987). He died on 24 February 2012 in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany.
- Martin Niemöller was born on 14 January 1892 in Lippstadt, Westphalia, Prussia [now North Rhine-Westphalia], Germany. He was a writer, known for First They Came for... (2008), Martin Niemöller: Was würde Jesus dazu sagen? (1985) and Zur Person (1963). He was married to Else Bremer and Sibylle Sarah von Sell. He died on 6 March 1984 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Otto F. Henning was born on 27 January 1884 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Two Friends (1938), Pedro soll hängen (1941) and Jud Süß (1940). He died on 21 February 1950 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
Heinrich Beisenherz was born on 5 February 1891 in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was a production designer and art director, known for Frau Luna (1941), Request Concert (1940) and Karneval der Liebe (1943). He died on 24 March 1977 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Sonja Hörbing was born on 7 March 1934 in Dresden, Germany. She was an actress, known for Karriere N (1974), Wäre die Erde nicht rund... (1981) and A Lord of Alexander Square (1967). She was married to Peter Kupke. She died on 3 August 2010 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Claus Seibel was born on 16 September 1936 in Gießen, Germany. He was an actor, known for Heute (1963), Das große Los (1996) and Dalli Dalli (1971). He was married to Gabriele. He died on 1 March 2022 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Alfred Mendler was born on 19 June 1910 in Ulm, Germany. He was an actor, known for Fußballtrainer Wulff (1972), Chronik der Familie Nägele (1968) and Ein Chirurg erinnert sich (1972). He died on 24 January 1996 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Director
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Edgar von Heeringen was born on 5 March 1941 in Berlin, Germany. He was a director and producer, known for Schmunzelgeschichten (1989), Rom aktuell (1969) and Wiedersehen macht Freude - Elmar Gunsch präsentiert Kabinettstückchen (1978). He died on 16 December 2019 in Wiesbaden, Germany.- Erika Raphael was born on 18 December 1910 in Schöneberg, Germany [now: Berlin-Schöneberg]. She was an actress, known for Liebe kann lügen (1937), Maria, die Magd (1936) and Renate im Quartett (1939). She died on 2 November 2006 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Olaf Buhl was born on 4 January 1953 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He was a writer, known for Kennzeichen D (1971), Reportage am Montag (1984) and Die goldene Kamera 1999 (1999). He died on 6 August 2014 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Alexander Hunzinger was born on 16 February 1888 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. He was an actor, known for Die Dubarry (1951), The Lost Man (1951) and Geheimakten Solvay (1953). He died on 4 March 1976 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Director
Karl Schulz was born on 13 May 1895 in Forsthaus Eiche, Zossen, Brandenburg, Germany. He was a producer and production manager, known for Der lose Falter (1938), Im Schatten des Berges (1940) and Irrtum des Herzens (1939). He died on 28 September 1983 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Wolfgang Ziemssen was born in July 1928 in Kiel, Germany. He was an actor, known for Der Familientag (1965), Der Typ (2003) and Notarztwagen 7 (1976). He died on 12 May 2012 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Director
- Writer
Norbert Grundmann was born on 22 April 1940 in Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany. He was a director and writer, known for Eine Compagnie tanzt (1970) and Die Drehscheibe (1964). He died on 3 February 2009 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Producer
- Production Manager
Ernst Krüger was born on 25 March 1898 in Graudenz, West Prussia, Germany [now Grudziadz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland]. He was a producer and production manager, known for The Green Hell (1938), The Hunter of Fall (1936) and Die Stunde der Versuchung (1936). He died on 19 February 1995 in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany.- Viktor Hospach was born on 14 June 1904 in Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Mordprozeß Dr. Jordan (1949), Nachsitzen für Erwachsene (1958) and Rosen aus dem Süden (1954). He died on 12 August 1971 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Production Manager
- Actor
- Director
Conny Carstennsen was born on 8 December 1888 in Colmar, Alsace, Germany [now Haut-Rhin, France]. He was a production manager and actor, known for Zwölf Herzen für Charly (1949), Wer nimmt die Liebe ernst...? (1931) and Die Dubarry (1951). He died on 14 June 1957 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Editor
- Writer
Michael Palme was born in 1943 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an editor and writer, known for Der Sport-Spiegel (1963) and Vorsicht, Falle! - Nepper, Schlepper, Bauernfänger (1964). He died on 10 February 2010 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Wilhelm 'Willy' Hagara was born in Vienna, Austria in 1927. He was initially trained as a postal clerk and practiced this profession as well. In 1946, he won a popular song contest in the Wiener Konzerthaus. He focused all his activities to this new career, and took singing and acting lessons. During this time he was successful with folk songs and as the singer of the band of John Fehring, who later became the leader of the ORF Big Band Orchestra. Hagara was a classic band singer who performed one of his songs in an early Schlager show for the German ARD television, Schlager-Expreß/Schlager Express (1953). Finally in 1955 came his breakthrough with the song Eine Kutsche voller Mädels/A Coach Full of Girls (1955).
Hagara moved to Frankfurt in Germany and became the German Perry Como, whose songs in German versions he often would sing. Two years later he appeared in his first film, the musical comedy Weißer Holunder/White Elder (Paul May, 1957) with Germaine Damar. This was followed by a string of light entertainment films: Liebe, Mädchen und Soldaten/Love, Girls and Soldiers (Franz Antel, 1958), Mein ganzes Herz ist voll Musik/My Whole Heart is Filled with Music (Helmut Weiss, 1959), Der Haustyrann/The Domestic Tyrant (Hans Deppe, 1959) starring Heinz Erhardt, Laß mich am Sonntag nicht allein/Let Me Not Be Alone on Sunday (Arthur Maria Rabenalt, 1959) with Heidi Brühl, and Paprika/Pepper (Kurt Wilhelm, 1959).
Cinema attendance in Germany and Austria had spectacularly grown in the 1950s, but at the end of the decade it first stagnated and went into free-fall in the 1960s; the once popular Schlager films suddenly became outdated. In 1961 Willy Hagara appeared in his last Schlager film, Ramona (Paul Martin, 1961) with Senta Berger. At the time, television was developing into a mass medium that began to compete with the cinema and by 1962 there were already 7 million TV sets in West-Germany. Hagara moved over to the small screen and appeared in such musical TV comedies as Mitternachtszauber/Midnight Magic (Ralph Lotar, 1964) with Werner Fuetterer, and Vom Ersten das Beste/From the First the Best (Ekkehard Böhmer, 1965) with Hannelore Auer. These TV productions were in the same genre as the films he had made in the 1950s for the cinema. He had five Top 10 recording hits, including the evergreen Casetta in Canada. His song Du spielst 'ne tolle Rolle (You Play a Great Role) became one of Nat King Cole's Top 10 hits in the US. But the Beat wave finished his singing career. His later TV-films included Ein Mädchen von heute/A Girl of Today (Dieter Finnern, 1966) with Karin Baal.
In 1969 he received an inheritance which left him a millionaire: His father, the merchant Franz Hagara, left him with a villa and several lease lands in Vienna. However, he did not retire and he bridged the 1970s with live gala performances, and appeared as a guest in such TV shows as Hit-Journal (H.B. Theopold, 1973), Tango-Tango (Horst Eppinger, 1976) and Ein kleines Glück auf allen Wegen/A Small Fortune on All Routes (Ekkehard Böhmer, 1980).
After the death of his wife in 1986, Willy Hagara retired from show business. His last public appearance was in a show from Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna in 2002 on the occasion of his 75th birthday; he passed away in 2015 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was 87.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Writer
Nicholas Kaufmann was born on 1 December 1892 in Berlin, Germany. He was a producer and production manager, known for Sport in der Zeitlupe (1944), Falsche Scham - Vier Episoden aus dem Leben eines Arztes (1926) and Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit - Ein Film über moderne Körperkultur (1925). He died on 5 May 1970 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Composer
- Writer
Hans Jönsson was born on 26 October 1913 in Berlin, Germany. He was a composer and writer, known for Tim Frazer (1963), Deception (1920) and Das Halstuch (1962). He died on 30 September 1993 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Composer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Ben Patterson was a composer and writer, known for Flux Concert (1979), Zeitkratzer Unprotected Music: Ben Patterson's Paper Piece (2007) and Ben Patterson's Paper Piece Performed by Ensemble for Experimental Music and Theater (2013). He died on 25 June 2016 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Hans Janke was born on 29 July 1944 in Erwitte, Germany. He was a producer, known for Vom Suchen und Finden der Liebe (2005), Marlene (2000) and Im Schlaraffenland. Ein Roman unter feinen Leuten (1981). He died on 19 April 2022 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Zygmunt Apostol was born on 5 June 1931 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Bokser (1967), Rachunek sumienia (1964) and Czekam w Monte-Carlo (1969). He died on 6 August 2018 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Director
- Animation Department
Heinz Tischmeyer was born on 20 January 1913 in Germany. Heinz was a director, known for Vom Bäumlein, das andere Blätter hat gewollt (1940). Heinz died in 2013 in Wiesbaden, Germany.- Otto Schwartz was a writer, known for The Cross-Patch (1935), How to Catch Men (1932) and Tante Jutta aus Kalkutta (1953). He died on 10 May 1940 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
Ekkehard Böhmer was born on 8 June 1929 in Arnstadt, Germany. He was a director and assistant director, known for Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten (1969), Die glücklichen Vier (1957) and Karussell (1963). He was married to Alma. He died on 14 April 2014 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Helmut Schön was born on 15 September 1915 in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. He was married to Annelies. He died on 23 February 1996 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Artur von Schwertführer was born on 3 February 1891 in Leoben, Austria. He was a cinematographer, known for Richthofen, der rote Ritter der Luft (1927), Der König der Mittelstürmer (1927) and Mädchenschicksale (1928). He died on 13 March 1967 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Sigrid Skoetz was born in 1945 in Wernigerode. She was an actress, known for Sankt Urban (1969), Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen (2001) and Das Verlangen (2002). She was married to Manfred Kranich. She died on 29 October 2022 in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany.
- Music Department
Siegfried Köhler was born on 30 July 1923 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. He is known for Rienzi (1992). He died on 12 September 2017 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.- Ulrich Kienzle was born on 9 May 1936 in Neckargröningen, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Frontal (1991), Hauser & Kienzle und die Meinungsmacher (1997) and Landesschau (1957). He was married to Ilse. He died on 16 April 2020 in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany.
- Jürgen Grabowski was born on 7 July 1944 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was married to Helga. He died on 10 March 2022 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.
- Herbert Günther was born on 13 March 1929 in Bergshausen, Fuldabrück, Hesse, Germany. He died on 11 August 2013 in Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany.