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Fritz KortnerGerman actor, director and screenwriter
Date of Birth: 12.05.1892
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Fritz Kortner
Fritz Kortner was a German actor, director, and screenwriter. Born in Austria, he studied at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. In 1911, he joined Max Reinhardt's theater troupe in Berlin, and in 1916, he became a part of Leopold Jessner's troupe. Kortner made his film debut in 1915 and actively appeared in movies directed by Harry Piel, F.W. Murnau, Robert Wiene, G.W. Pabst, and others. In the theater, he performed in Shakespeare's dramas such as Hamlet, Othello, and The Merchant of Venice, as well as in Georg Büchner's Danton's Death.
However, with the rise of the Nazis to power, Kortner emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1933 and later moved to the United States in 1937. In 1949, he returned to Germany and continued his work as an actor and director.
Achievements and Contributions
Kortner received the Honorary Award of German Cinema in 1966. He played over 90 roles in films, often portraying Russian characters in costume historical dramas, as well as appearing in adaptations of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels. He was one of the first directors to stage Samuel Beckett's plays. Kortner also left behind a book of memoirs titled "Every Evening" (1959), which was reissued multiple times.
Among Kortner's students was Peter Stein, who followed in his footsteps as a renowned director.
