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1-8 of 8
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Gustav von Wangenheim was a German actor, film director, and screenwriter from Wiesbaden. He is mostly remembered for playing the character Hutter in the classic horror film "Nosferatu" (1921). His character was based on the character of Jonathan Harker in the novel "Dracula" (1897) by Bram Stoker.
In 1895, Wangenheim was born in Wiesbaden. His father was the prolific actor Eduard von Winterstein (1871-1961, real name: Eduard Clemens Franz Anna Freiherr von Wangenheim), while his mother was theatrical actress Minna Mengers. His paternal ancestors were members of German nobility, the Freiherrs (Barons) of Wangenheim.
Wangenheim made his film debut in 1914, and went on to star in several silent films. Besides "Nosferatu", his best known film was "Woman in the Moon" (1929) by y Fritz Lang. It was among the earliest depictions of space travel in film, and is still considered one of the first "serious" science fiction films.
In 1921, Wangenheim joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD, 1918-1956). At the time, the KPD was one of the major political parties of the Weimar Republic. During the 1920s, the party became Stalinist in ideology. In 1931, Wangenheim established "Die Truppe '31", a theatrical company consisting exclusively of communists. Wangenheim both wrote and produced three plays for this theatre company between 1931 and 1933.
In 1933, the then-new Nazi regime shut down Wangenheim's theatrical company. His ideology made Wangenheim a target for Nazi persecution, so he soon fled Germany. He settled in the Soviet Union, becoming a long-term resident of the "Hotel Lux" in Moscow. During the 1930s, this hotel housed exiles from about 50 different countries.
In 1933, Wangenheim became the new leader of Left Column, a Soviet theatrical company which consisted primarily of German exiles. He eventually secured enough funding to direct the film "Der Kampf" (1936), a film protesting against the oppressive policies of Nazi Germany.
In 1936, Wangenheim was implicated in the then-ongoing trials of the Great Purge, a repressive political purge within the Soviet Union. He reportedly denounced the actress Carola Neher (1900-1942) and her husband as Trotskyites. According to a testimony from Wangenheim's son, following a lengthy interrogation, his father was forced to sign papers which implicated Neher in an anti-Soviet conspiracy. The charges against her had been prepared, and the authorities needed to convince Wangenheim to serve as a false witness.
In 1943, Wangenheim became a founding member of the "National Committee for a Free Germany". It was an anti-Nazi and pro-Soviet organization formed within the Soviet Union, with most of its members being German exiles or German war prisoners that tried to gain support from the Soviet government.
Following the end of World War II, Wangenheim settled in East Germany. He joined the state-owned film studio DEFA (1946-1992), serving as one of its film directors and screenwriters for several years. In 1954, he had his long-term marriage to the writer and photographer Inge von Wangenheim (1912-1993) annulled.
In 1975, Wangenheim died in East Berlin, at the age of 80. He was buried in the Friedrichsfelde cemetery in Berlin. He remains among the best remembered actors of the German silent film period, in part due to collaborations with well-regarded film directors.- Director
- Writer
- Art Department
Endre Rodríguez was born on 28 April 1899 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was a director and writer, known for Taken by the Flood (1941), Bors István (1939) and Varjú a toronyórán (1938). He died on 5 August 1975 in Munich, West Germany.- Edward Harvey was born on 4 July 1895 in Reigate, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Newcomers (1965), ITV Play of the Week (1955) and The Franchise Affair (1962). He died on 5 August 1975 in Ventnor, England, UK.
- Writer
- Music Department
Sikandar Abu Zafar was born on 19 March 1919 in Satkhira, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Satkhira, Bangladesh]. He was a writer, known for Nawab Sirajuddaula (1967), Nawab Sirajuddaula (1989) and Agun Niye Khela (1967). He died on 5 August 1975 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.- Aleksandr Lapauri was born on 15 June 1926 in Moscow, Russia. He was an actor, known for Romeo & Juliet (1955), Cinderella (1961) and The Grand Concert (1951). He died on 5 August 1975 in Russia.
- Aleksandr Komissarov was born on 27 February 1904 in Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for The Circus (1936), Shkola zlosloviya (1952) and Kolybelnaya dlya muzhchin (1977). He died on 5 August 1975 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Bernard R. Goodman was born on 5 March 1911. He was a producer, known for One Giant Leap (1970), Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975) and The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One (1974). He died on 5 August 1975.
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Sarkis Safaryan was born on 24 February 1898 in village Vank, Yelisavetpol Governorate, Russian Empire [now Martakert Region, the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic or Azerbaijan]. He was an art director and production designer, known for Pepo (1935), Karo (1937) and Anahit (1947). He died on 5 August 1975 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia].