Gustav von Wangenheim

Gustav von Wangenheim
Born	Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von Wangenheim February 18, 1895(1895-02-18) Wiesbaden, Germany
Died	August 5, 1975 (aged 80) East Berlin, East Germany
Spouse(s)	Inge von Wangenheim (née Franke), 1931–1954

Gustav von Wangenheim (February 18, 1895 – August 5, 1975) was a German actor, screenwriter and director.

Life

Wangenheim was born Ingo Clemens Gustav Adolf Freiherr von Wangenheim in Wiesbaden, Hesse, to parents Eduard Clemens Freiherr von Wangenheim and Minna Mengers. Both of his parents were actors; his father, who used the stage name Eduard von Winterstein, appeared in over 200 films between 1910 and 1960.^[1]

Wangenheim made his screen debut in 1914 in Passionels Tagebuch and went on to star in many silent features. Among his works were Fritz Lang's early science fiction film Frau im Mond, where he portrayed Windegger, and Karl Heinz Martin's Das Haus zum Mond. In 1921, Wangenheim was cast in what would prove to be his most enduring role, that of Thomas Hutter (Jonathan Harker) in F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu.

A member of the Communist Party of Germany since 1921, Wangenheim founded the Communist theatre company Die Truppe '31 in 1931.^[2] Die Truppe '31 produced three plays, authored and directed by Wangenheim, before it was shuttered by order of the Nazi regime in 1933.^[3]

Wangenheim fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and found refuge in the Soviet Union. While living in exile, he continued writing and producing movies, such as Kampf (1936), an anti-Nazi protest film, and was the head of the German language Cabaret "Kolonne Links". In 1936, throughout the Stalinist Great Purge, he denounced his colleagues Carola Neher and Anatol Becker as Trotskyites ^[4]. Becker was executed and Neher died in the Gulag system after 5 years in prison^[5]. Wangenheim was a founding member of the National Committee for a Free Germany. After World War II he returned to East Germany where he worked for the DEFA as screenwriter and director.

Gustav von Wangenheim (on the right)

Wangenheim was married to Inge von Wangenheim, née Franke, from 1931 to 1954, when the marriage was annulled. The couple had one son, Friedel von Wangenheim. Wangenheim died in East Berlin on August 5, 1975.

Filmography

• 1955: Heimliche Ehen (director/writer)
• 1955/1956: Lied über dem Tal (director)
• 1953/1954: Gefährliche Fracht (director)
• 1949: Der Auftrag Höglers (director/writer)
• 1948: ...und wieder 48! (director/writer)
• 1935: Kämpfer (Film) (director/writer)
• 1930/1931: Danton
• 1928/1929: Frau im Mond
• 1923: Schatten - Eine nächtliche Halluzination
• 1922: Das Feuerschiff
• 1922: Der Liebe Pilgerfahrt
• 1922/1923: Der steinerne Reiter
• 1921: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
• 1920: Das Haus zum Mond
• 1920: Der Tempel der Liebe
• 1920: Kohlhiesels Töchter
• 1919: Die Welteroberer
• 1919: Kitsch. Tragödie einer Intrigantin
• 1919/1920: Romeo und Julia im Schnee
• 1918: Ferdinand Lassalle
• 1917: Die Erzkokette
• 1916: Das Leid der Liebe
• 1916: Homunculus. 3. Teil: Die Liebestragödie des Homunculus
• 1914: Passionels Tagebuch

References in popular culture

• In the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire, which depicted the production of Nosferatu, Eddie Izzard portrayed Wangenheim.
• Footage of Wangenheim's performance as Hutter appears in the Queen video for "Under Pressure."

References

External links

• Gustav von Wangenheim at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Homepage of Gustav von Wangenheim
• Official Homepage of his Father Eduard von Winterstein