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Werner KrausGerman actor
Date of Birth: 23.06.1884
Country:  Austria |
Content:
Biography of Werner Kraus
Early Life and CareerWerner Johannes Kraus, a German actor known for his roles in films of the German Expressionist era, was born on June 23, 1884, in Gestungshausen near Coburg. He was the son of Paul Kraus, a postal official, and Caroline Wust. After the death of his grandfather, a priest in Gestungshausen, in 1887, Kraus returned to his parents in Breslau. In 1891, his father was transferred to Leipzig, later being dismissed and sent to a psychiatric hospital. In 1893, Kraus returned to Breslau with his mother. In 1898, he attended the preparatory department of the Evangelical Teacher Training Institute in Breslau as per his family's wishes. From 1901, he attended the teacher's seminar in Kroytzberg. However, in 1902, he was expelled from the institute due to his appearances as an extra on the stage of the theater in Breslau. Kraus decided to become an actor and performed in traveling troupes and provincial theaters.
Theater and Film Career
In 1913, Kraus arrived in Berlin and joined Max Reinhardt's theater troupe. In 1915, he was drafted into the army but was discharged after three months of service as a cadet in Kiel. From 1916, while still playing minor roles for Reinhardt, Kraus began acting in films. After his debut in Richard Oswald's film "Tales of Hoffman," with whom he frequently collaborated, he mainly appeared in detective stories, melodramas, and so-called "enlightenment films." His career in theater and film took off after World War I. In the film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, 1919), Kraus managed to adapt his acting style to the expressionistic set designs, balancing between reality and imagination.
Later Career and Controversies
From November 1923 to June 1924, Kraus was in New York, where he participated in the staging of Max Reinhardt's pantomime "The Miracle" by Karl Vollmöller. Upon his return, he worked at the State Theater (1924-1926, 1931-1933), the German Theater (1926-1931), and the Burgtheater in Vienna (1928-1929). In the early 1930s, he played his most successful and popular roles in the German Theater - Wilhelm Voigt in "The Captain from Köpenick" and Matthias Clausen in "Before Sundown." From January 1933 until the end of his contract at the State Theater, he worked again at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Kraus' association with the Nazi regime became evident through encounters with Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who appointed him as deputy president of the Imperial Theater Chamber (1933-1935), and Adolf Hitler himself. In September-October 1933, he toured London with the play "Before Sundown" performed in English. In addition to his work in Vienna, Kraus continued to perform at the State Theater in Berlin in 1934. He went on a lengthy tour to Latin America in 1935. In the summer of 1937, at the Salzburg Festival, he collaborated with Max Reinhardt for the last time, playing Mephisto in his production of "Faust."
Later Life and Legacy
Kraus rarely appeared in sound films, mostly choosing to participate in films considered "especially valuable in terms of state politics," such as "Robert Koch, the Fighter Against Death" (1939), "Dismissal" (1942), and "Paracelsus" (1943). In the Soviet release, he appeared in "The Miraculous Healer." In the anti-Semitic film "Jud Süß" (1940), Kraus played five different Jewish characters to demonstrate their shared roots, according to director Veit Harlan. As World War II came to an end, Kraus was in his home in Mondsee, Salzkammergut. In August 1946, he was deported from Austria and settled in Stuttgart. In May 1948, during a court hearing for a civil lawsuit, he was categorized as someone "slightly involved" and ordered to pay court costs of 5,000 marks. This was in addition to accusations of portraying Shylock in an anti-Semitic manner in a 1943 performance of "The Merchant of Venice" at the Burgtheater. Kraus returned to Vienna, obtained Austrian citizenship, and continued working at the Burgtheater. On October 23, 1958, during a performance of "King Lear," he collapsed onstage and died on October 20, 1959, in Vienna after a prolonged illness.
