Falk Harnack (2 March 1913 – 3 September 1991) was a German director and screenwriter. During Germany's Nazi era, he was also active with the German Resistance and toward the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the partisans in Greece. Harnack was from a family of scholars, artists and scientists, several of whom were active in the anti-Nazi Resistance and paid with their lives.

Early years

Falk Erich Walter Harnack was the younger son of painter Clara Harnack (née Reichau) and literary historian Otto Harnack; a nephew of theologian

Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...

and

Erich Harnack Friedrich Moritz Erich Harnack (, Dorpat (now ) – 24 April 1915 Halle an der Saale) was a Baltic German pharmacologist and toxicologist. From 1869 he studied medicine at the University of Dorpat, receiving his doctorate in 1873 with the diss ...

, professor of

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemi ...

and chemistry; the grandson of theologian

Theodosius Harnack Theodosius Andreas Harnack (russian: Феодосий Карлович Гарнак, translit=Feodosij Karlovič Garnak; , St. Petersburg – , Dorpat (now )) was a Baltic German theologian. A professor of Divinity, he started his career as a ...

and the younger brother of

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Un ...

and German Resistance fighter Arvid Harnack. He was also a cousin of theologian

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti- Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world h ...

and

Ernst von Harnack Ernst Wolf Alexander Oskar Harnack (15 July 1888 – 5 March 1945), granted the title von Harnack in 1914, was an official of the Prussian provincial government, a German politician, and a German Resistance fighter. He was arrested, tried and ...

, who, like his brother and sister-in-law,

Mildred Harnack Mildred Elizabeth Harnack ( Fish; September 16, 1902 – February 16, 1943) was an American literary historian, translator, and member of the German resistance against the Nazi regime. After marrying Arvid Harnack, she moved to Germany in 1929, ...

, also became victims of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

.Mildred Harnack: Cast of characters
Traces.org. Retrieved February 19, 2012Others close to Harnack who were executed by the SS were his cousin Klaus Bonhoeffer and Hans von Dohnanyi, who was Klaus' and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's brother-in-law. He never got to know his father, who committed suicide in 1914. Through his older brother, Harnack early learned about

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

, through which he came into contact with people who later became members of the Red Orchestra. These acquaintances made a big impression on him, so that he recoiled from Nazi

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loa ...

. After going to school in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg an ...

, he continued his education near

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...

, where he received his

abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen yea ...

in 1932. In 1933, he began attending university, first in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

and after 1934, in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

,Gottfried Hamacher, Andre Lohmar, Herbert Mayer and Günter Wehner
''Gegen Hitler: Deutsche in der Resistance, in den Streitkräften der Antihitlerkoalition und der Bewegung "Freies Deutschland"''
Dietz, Berlin (March 2005), p. 76. where in May, he took part in disseminating fliers against the National Socialist German Students' League. He received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

with a dissertation on

Karl Bleibtreu Karl August Bleibtreu (January 13, 1859 – January 30, 1928) was a German writer who promoted naturalism in German literature. He was noted for his aggressive and dogmatic style of criticism, linked to a nationalistic and sometimes antisemitic a ...

Falk Harnack biography
Filmreporter.de. Retrieved February 19, 2012 in 1936 and the following year, began working at the

Nationaltheater Weimar The (DNT) is a German theatre and musical organisation based in Weimar. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical (German National Theatre, now solely based in Weimar) and the symphony orchestra known as the . It has a total of ...

and the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

theater in Altenburg. He worked there as a director until 1940, when he was drafted into the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

War years

In 1942,

Hans Scholl Hans Fritz Scholl (; 22 September 1918 – 22 February 1943) was, along with Alexander Schmorell, one of the two founding members of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. The principal author of the resistance movement's ...

Alexander Schmorell Alexander Schmorell (; russian: Александр Гугович Шморель, translit=Aleksandr Gugovich Shmorel', ; 16 September 1917 – 13 July 1943) was a Russian-German student at Munich University who, with five others, formed a resis ...

and other members of the Munich Resistance group the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the University of Munich: Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmore ...

got in touch with Harnack through Lilo Ramdohr, a mutual friend who had gone to school with Harnack. Through him, they hoped to build a relationship with the Berlin Resistance members involved with Harnack's brother, Arvid,»Keine Träne, aufrecht«
''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History Th ...

'' (November 24, 2009). Retrieved March 2, 2012 Harro Schulze-Boysen, Hans von Dohnanyi and others. Harnack put them in touch with his cousins,

Klaus Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus * Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseb ...

and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. That same year, the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one or ...

intercepted communications revealing the existence of the Red Orchestra and leading to numerous arrests. Many of those arrested were later executed, including Harnack's brother on 22 December 1942, and on 16 February 1943 his sister-in-law,

, an American citizen. During this period, Ramdohr was engaged to Falk Harnack, which Arvid mentioned in his farewell letter to his family, written hours before his execution. Though Harnack's brother had just been executed, he went to Munich to meet with

Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

and Hans Scholl on 3 February 1943. He and Hans Scholl agreed to meet again on 25 February but Harnack waited in vain; Scholl had already been arrested and executed, along with his sister. Thirteen other members of the White Rose were taken into custody, including

Kurt Huber Kurt Huber (24 October 1893 – 13 July 1943) was a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose. For his involvement he was imprisoned and guillotined. Early life Huber was born in Chur, Switzerland, to Ger ...

Willi Graf Wilhelm Graf (better known as Willi Graf) (2 January 1918 – 12 October 1943) was a member of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) resistance group in Nazi Germany. The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th centu ...

and Harnack. Of the lot, Harnack was the only one acquitted; the others were found guilty and condemned to death, some executed the same day they were tried at the Volksgerichtshof, the civilian "People's Court". On 19 April 1943, Harnack was acquitted because of a lack of evidence and "unique special circumstances". In August 1943 he was removed from service to the Wehrmacht and transferred to a penal battalion, the 999th Light Afrika Division and sent to Greece. In December 1943, he was to be arrested and sent to a Nazi concentration camp, but his superior, Lieutenant Gerhard Fauth, tipped him off and helped him escape. He then joined the Greek partisans fighting the Nazis, working with the

Greek People's Liberation Army Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

(ELAS) and co-founded the Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany with

Gerhard Reinhardt Gerhard Reinhardt (May 4, 1916 – August 22, 1989) was an East Germany, East German politician and German resistance to Nazism, German Resistance fighter against Nazism. Life and work Reinhardt was born in Werdau, in the Kingdom of Saxony, a st ...

, becoming leader of the organization.

Postwar years

After the war, Harnack returned to his career as a director and

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and printed programmes (or helps others with these tasks), consults auth ...

, first working at the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

n state theater in Munich. In 1947, he began working at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. From 1949 to 1952, he was the artistic director at

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...

, where he made the film '' The Axe of Wandsbek'', adapted from a book by

Arnold Zweig Arnold Zweig (10 November 1887 – 26 November 1968) was a German writer, pacifist and socialist. He is best known for his six-part cycle on World War I. Life and work Zweig was born in Glogau, Prussian Silesia (now Głogów, Poland), the son ...

. According to Zweig's son, the movie is based on a true story and may also relate to the events of

Altona Bloody Sunday Altona Bloody Sunday (german: Altonaer Blutsonntag) is the name given to the events of 17 July 1932 when a recruitment march by the Nazi SA led to violent clashes between the police, the SA and supporters of the Communist Party of Germany ( ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

.''Das Beil von Wandsbek (The Axe of Wandsbek)''
DEFA Film Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved 19 February 2012. The main character carries out a Nazi execution, though he ruins his business, marriage and life over it. Opening to positive reactions from the public, the film met with disapproval from the Socialist Unity Party and its Soviet advisors, who felt the movie's political position was not clear enough. One such adviser said, "

he film had He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

an undesired and deleterious effect on people in the GDR, as it does not depict hatred of fascism, but rather pity for the murderers." The government banned the movie within weeks. Poet and playwright

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

remarked after the banning, “It is important to emphasize that there can be no sympathy for a Nazi executioner." After all that Falk Harnack had lost to the Nazis, this dispute hit him hard and in 1952, he left

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

for

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under m ...

. For the first few years, Harnack worked for the film production company

CCC Film CCC Film (German: Central Cinema Compagnie-Film GmbH) is a German film production company founded in 1946 by Artur Brauner. A Polish Jew who survived the Nazi era by fleeing to the Soviet Union, he lost dozens of relatives to the Nazis. His prima ...

and, along with

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

and

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside He ...

, was one of the most important directors of German postwar films. From the end of the 1950s, however, he worked almost exclusively in television. He also wrote the screenplays for many of his films. From 1962 to 1965, he was the leading director of the newly founded German television station, ZDF. Subsequently, he worked primarily as a free lance. In addition to entertainment, he also made challenging films, which sometimes dealt with Germany's Nazi era and the Resistance, such as his 1955 release ''

The Plot to Assassinate Hitler ''The Plot to Assassinate Hitler'' (german: Der 20. Juli) is a 1955 German feature film produced by CCC Film on the failed 20 July 1944 attempt to kill Adolf Hitler. Falk Harnack directed and co-wrote the film's script with Günther Weisenborn ...

'' (''Der 20. Juli'') about the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, which won the 1956

German Film Award The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

in the category "Films Contributing to the Encouragement of Democratic Thought". In 1962, he directed for television, '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'', an adaptation of

Hans Fallada Hans Fallada (; born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen; 21 July 18935 February 1947) was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1932) and ''Every Man Dies Alone'' ...

's novel, '' Every Man Dies Alone'', based on the story of Otto and Elise Hampel, a working class couple who became involved in the anti-Nazi Resistance, failed in their efforts and were executed.

Recognition and personal

About Harnack's work, German author Gerhard Schoenberner opined that, ''" ta time when West German postwar film had sunk to its artistic and political low, his work set new standards for the dictates of commerce and the false glorification of the past that had become fashionable during the Adenauer period as a result of the Cold War."'' Harnack was married to German actress

Käthe Braun Käthe Braun (11 November 1913 – 9 September 1994) was a German stage and film actress. She was married to director Falk Harnack and acted in several of his films. Career Katharina Braun was born in Wasserburg am Inn. After studying act ...

, who was often in his films. He died on 3 September 1991, aged 78, after a long illness.

Awards (selected)

* 1940

Goethe Medal The Goethe Medal, also known as the Goethe-Medaille, is a yearly prize given by the Goethe-Institut honoring non-Germans "who have performed outstanding service for the German language and for international cultural relations". It is an offici ...

of the German National Theater Weimar * 1952

, Gold pin * 1959 Guild of the German Stage, Silver pin * 1977 Honorary Certificate,

Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime The Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime/Federation of Antifascists (German: ''Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten'') (VVN-BdA) is a German political confederation founded in 1947 ...

* 1983 Filmband in Gold for "Longstanding and Excellent Work in German Film"List of German Film Award winners by name
Deutsche Filmakademie. Retrieved February 19, 2012 * 1989

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

, Officer's Cross

Filmography

* 1951: '' The Axe of Wandsbek'' (based on a novel by

) – with

Erwin Geschonneck Erwin Geschonneck (27 December 1906 – 12 March 2008) was a German actor. His biggest success occurred in the German Democratic Republic, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time. Early life Geschonneck was born in B ...

Claus Holm Claus Holm (4 August 1918 – 21 September 1996) was a German film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1943 and 1979. He was born in Bochum, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Floh im Ohr'' (1943) - Knecht Ha ...

, Gisela May * 1954: ''Roman eines Frauenarztes'' (based on a novel by ) – with

Rudolf Prack Rudolf Prack (2 August 1905 – 2 December 1981) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * ''Florentine'' (1937) * ''Prinzessin Sissy'' (1939) - Prince Luitpold * '' A Mother's Love'' (1939) - Felix Pirlinger - 1922 * ''Krambambuli'' ( ...

, Anne-Marie Blanc, Winnie Markus, Jan Hendriks * 1955: ''

'' – with Wolfgang Preiss,

Annemarie Düringer Annemarie Düringer (26 November 1925 – 26 November 2014) was a Swiss actress. She was born in Arlesheim, Basel-Landschaft. The daughter of a Swiss industrialist, she graduated from Cours Simon, Paris in 1946, and from the Max Reinhardt Semi ...

, Wolfgang Büttner * 1956: ''

Night of Decision ''Night of Decision'' (german: Nacht der Entscheidung) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Falk Harnack and starring Carl Raddatz, Hilde Krahl and Albert Lieven.Bock & Bergfelder p. 383 It was shot at Göttingen Studios and on locati ...

'' – with

Carl Raddatz Carl Raddatz (13 March 1912 – 19 May 2004) was a German stage and film actor. Raddatz was a leading man of German cinema during the Nazi era appearing in a number of propaganda films and romances. Later in his career he developed a reputation ...

Hilde Krahl Hilde Krahl (10 January 1917 – 28 June 1999) was an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 70 films between 1936 and 1994. She was born Hildegard Kolačný in Brod, Austria-Hungary (now Slavonski Brod, Croatia) in 1917, and she died in Vien ...

, Albert Lieven * 1956: '' The Story of Anastasia'' – with

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

, Ivan Desny,

Ellen Schwiers Ellen Schwiers (11 June 1930 – 26 April 2019) was a German actress of stage, film, and television. She was featured in world premieres of plays by Dürrenmatt and Frisch at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, and appeared as Buhlschaft in '' Jed ...

, Tilla Durieux * 1957: ''

The Night of the Storm ''The Night of the Storm'' or ''Tempestuous Love'' (german: Wie ein Sturmwind) is a 1957 West German drama film directed by Falk Harnack and starring Lilli Palmer, Ivan Desny and Willy A. Kleinau.Bock & Bergfelder p. 357 It was made at the Span ...

'' – with Lilli Palmer, Ivan Desny, Susanne Cramer,

Siegfried Schürenberg Siegfried Schürenberg (12 January 1900 – 31 August 1993) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1933 and 1974. He was born in Detmold, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany in 1993, at age 93. Although he never p ...

* 1958: '' Restless Night'' (based on a story by Albrecht Goes) – with

Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the ...

Ulla Jacobsson Ulla Jacobsson (23 May 1929 – 20 August 1982) was a Swedish actress. She had the lead role in One Summer of Happiness (1951) and played the only female speaking role in the film '' Zulu'' (1964). Early life Jacobsson was born in Mölndal, ...

Hansjörg Felmy Hansjörg Felmy (born Hans-Jörg Hellmuth Felmy; 31 January 1931 – 24 August 2007) was a German actor. He appeared in 50 films and television shows between 1957 and 1995. Films like '' Der Stern von Afrika'' and '' Wir Wunderkinder'' made ...

* 1959: ' – with Ewald Balser, Wolfgang Preiss, Barbara Rütting, Wolfgang Kieling * 1959: ''Der Fall Pinedus'' (TV film, based on a play by ) – with

Alfred Balthoff Alfred Balthoff (1905 – 1989) was a German stage, film and television actor. He also worked as a voice actor, dubbing foreign releases for the German-speaking market. Of Jewish background, he spent the final years of the Nazi era in hiding.N ...

Franz Schafheitlin Franz Schafheitlin (9 August 1895 – 6 February 1980) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1927 and 1974. He was born in Berlin, Germany and died in Pullach, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Bordellos ...

Fritz Tillmann Fritz Tillmann (December 13, 1910 – October 30, 1986) was a German actor. Selected filmography * '' Hoegler's Mission'' (1950) - Fritz Rottmann * '' The Council of the Gods'' (1950) - Dr. Hans Scholz * ''Master of Life and Death'' (1955) - Dr ...

, Hans-Christian Blech * 1960: ''Der Prozess Mary Dugan'' (TV film, based on '' The Trial of Mary Dugan'') – with

Anaid Iplicjian Anaid Iplicjian (born 24 October 1935) is a German actress. Biography She is of Armenian descent. After studying at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg she has been a member of the Graz (Austria), Wiesbaden, the State Theatre Hannover and the Burg ...

* 1961: ''Die Marquise von Arcis'' (TV film, based on a play by Carl Sternheim) – with

Alexander Kerst Alexander Kerst (23 February 1924 – 9 December 2010) was an Austrian television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, o ...

, Hilde Krahl, Brigitte Mira, Uta Sax * 1962: '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'' (TV film, based on '' Every Man Dies Alone'') – with Edith Schultze-Westrum, Alfred Schieske, Anneli Granget, Hartmut Reck * 1963: ''Die Wölfe'' (TV film, based on a play by

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production an ...

) – with Thomas Holtzmann, Martin Hirthe, Kurt Pieritz * 1964: ''Manchmal spielt der Himmel mit'' (TV film) – with Wolf Ackva, Isolde Bräuner, Sascha Hehn * 1964: ''Pamela'' (TV film, based on ''

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'' is an epistolary novel first published in 1740 by English writer Samuel Richardson. Considered one of the first true English novels, it serves as Richardson's version of conduct literature about marriage. ''Pam ...

'') – with

Veronika Bayer Veronika Bayer (born 4 June 1940, Stuttgart – d. 31 January 2008) was a German actress. Filmography * 1959: ''Liebe, Luft und lauter Lügen'' * 1959: ''Melodie und Rhythmus'' * 1959: ''Twelve Girls and One Man ''Twelve Girls and One Ma ...

, Christoph Bantzer * 1964: ''Ein Frauenarzt klagt an – Angeklagt: Dr. Thomas'' – with Dieter Borsche, Anita Höfer, Dietmar Schönherr,

Hans Nielsen Hans Nielsen may refer to: * Hans Nielsen (American football) (born 1952), Denmark football player * Hans Nielsen (composer) (1580–1626), Danish madrigal composer at the court of Christian IV * Hans Nielsen (actor) (1911–1965), German actor * H ...

Inge Meysel Inge Meysel (; 30 May 1910 – 10 July 2004) was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on televisio ...

* 1964: ''Und nicht mehr Jessica'' (TV film, based on ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'') – with Horst Naumann, Margot Trooger, Wolf Ackva, Wolfgang Büttner,

Marthe Keller Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress and opera director. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film '' Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Career Early years Keller studied ba ...

* 1965: ''Der Gärtner von Toulouse'' (TV film, based on a play by

Georg Kaiser Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, called Georg Kaiser, (25 November 1878 – 4 June 1945) was a German dramatist. Biography Kaiser was born in Magdeburg. He was highly prolific and wrote in a number of different styles. An Expressionist dramatist, ...

) * 1966: ''Weiß gibt auf'' (TV film, based on a play by Frederic Raphael) – with

Rudolf Platte Rudolf Antonius Heinrich Platte (12 February 1904 – 18 December 1984) was a German actor. Biography Born in Hörde, Westphalia (today part of Dortmund) the son of a merchant, his family moved to Hildesheim three years later. Rudolf left scho ...

Siegfried Lowitz Siegfried Lowitz (22 September 1914 – 27 June 1999) was a German actor. Born in Berlin, he played the Hauptkommissar ''Erwin Köster'' in the German television drama '' Der Alte''. Prior to his tenure as Hauptkommissar, he played a killer ...

, Friedrich Schoenfelder, Doris Kirchner * 1966: ''Die Ersten und die Letzten'' (TV film, based on '' The First and the Last'') – with Arno Assmann * 1966: ''Wer rettet unseren Ackerknecht'' (TV film, based on ''Who'll Save the Plowboy?'' by

Frank D. Gilroy Frank Daniel Gilroy (October 13, 1925 – September 12, 2015) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film producer and director. He received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play ''The Subject Was Roses' ...

) – with

Friedrich G. Beckhaus Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

, Eva Pflug, Michael Degen * 1967: ''Ein Schlaf Gefangener'' (TV film, based on ''

A Sleep of Prisoners ''A Sleep of Prisoners'' is a 1951 verse play by Christopher Fry. It concerns four English prisoners of war locked up in a church overnight, and the Old Testament style dreams they have springing from an argument between them. Plot Four English ...

'') – with

Walter Buschhoff Walter Buschhoff (1923–2010) was a German stage, film and television actor.Goble p.462 He was married to the actress Maria Körber. Selected filmography * ''IA in Oberbayern'' (1956) - Dr. Hans von Spörling * ''Heiße Ernte'' (1956) - Oskar ...

Fritz Wepper Fritz Wepper (born 17 August 1941, Munich, Germany) is a German film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Inspector Harry Klein in the long-running crime series ''Derrick'' (1974–1998). Wepper is also remembered for his roles ...

, Paul Dahlke, Hellmut Lange * 1967: ''Kampf um Kautschuk'' (TV film) – with Klausjürgen Wussow * 1968: ''Die schwarze Sonne'' (TV film, based on ''Verlöschende Feuer'' by

Horst Lange Horst Lange (6 October 1904 – 6 July 1971) was a German poet who published during the Third Reich and is regarded as a proponent of ''Inner emigration''. His writings have been categorised as ''Naturmagie'' and his novel ''Schwarze Weide'' is reg ...

) – with

Christine Ostermayer Christine Ostermayer (born 15 December 1936 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian actress. Selected filmography * Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a ...

Friedhelm Ptok Friedhelm is a name of Germanic origin. It may refer to: * Friedhelm Busse (1929–2008), German national socialist politician and activist *Friedhelm Döhl (born 1936), German composer and professor of music *Friedhelm Eronat (born 1953), Geneva-b ...

, Wolfgang Völz, Maria Sebaldt * 1968: ''Unwiederbringlich'' (TV film, based on ''

Irretrievable ''Irretrievable'' (german: Unwiederbringlich, 1892, also known as ''Beyond Recall'' and ''No Way Back'' ) is one of realist Theodor Fontane's mature German novels. As with some other of Fontane's novels (including Effi Briest), its heroine is be ...

'' by

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known tod ...

) – with

Lothar Blumhagen Lothar Blumhagen (16 July 1927 – 10 January 2023) was a German actor, especially known as a voice actor. He began as a stage actor, in ensembles in East Berlin and West Berlin. He was often the German voice of British gentleman characters, s ...

Solveig Thomas Solveig (, ) is a female given name of Old Norse origin. It is most common in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, and it is also somewhat common in Germany and France. Etymology The name consists of two parts, where both parts have different th ...

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

Karin Hübner Karin Hübner (, 16 September 1936 – 25 July 2006) was a German stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in more than forty films from 1955 to 1977. Her name is sometimes given as Karin Huebner. Hübner was born in Gera in Thuringia a ...

* 1970: ''Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin – Stunde der Entscheidung'' (TV film) – with Wolfgang Büttner, Gerd Baltus,

Gisela Holzinger Gisela is the name of: People Full name * Gisela, Abbess of Chelles (757–810), daughter of Pepin the Short, sister of Charlemagne ** Gisela, daughter of Charlemagne (781–808) * Gisela, daughter of Louis the Pious (born 821), consort of Eberha ...

Lis Verhoeven Lis Verhoeven (also spelled Liz Verhoeven) (11 March 1931 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany – 2 July 2019) was a German actress and theatre director. Biography Verhoeven was the daughter of Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) i ...

, Wolfgang Völz * 1970: ''Peenemünde'' (two-part docudrama, TV) – with Dieter Kirchlechner, Wolfgang Preiss, Karl John,

Heinz Engelmann Heinz Engelmann (1911–1996) was a German film actor. He was married to the actress Gertrud Meyen. Selected filmography * ''D III 88'' (1939) * '' Drei Unteroffiziere'' (1939) * '' Congo Express'' (1939) * '' The Girl at the Reception'' (1940) * ...

* 1971: ''Das Ding an sich und wie man es dreht'' (TV film) – with Friedrich G. Beckhaus, Friedrich W. Bauschulte,

Horst Bollmann Horst Bollmann (11 February 1925 – 7 July 2014) was a German film and television actor. He was born in Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Fe ...

, Volkert Kraeft * 1971: ''Ein Fall für Herrn Schmidt'' (TV film, based on a story by

Wolfdietrich Schnurre Wolfdietrich Schnurre (22 August 19209 June 1989) was a German writer. Best known for his short stories, he also wrote tales, diaries, poems, radio plays, and children's books. Born in Frankfurt am Main, and later raised in Berlin-Weißensee, ...

) – with

Klaus Schwarzkopf Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. He was also known as a re ...

Gaby Dohm Gaby Dohm (born 23 September 1943 in Salzburg) is a German actress. She is the daughter of actor Will Dohm and actress Heli Finkenzeller. Selected filmography * ''When Mother Went on Strike'' (1974) * '' The Serpent's Egg'' (1977) * '' Doktor Fa ...

, Heinz Meier,

* 1973: ''Der Astronaut'' (TV film) * 1973: ''Der Tote vom Pont Neuf'' (TV film) * 1974: ''Der Verfolger'' (TV film, based on a novel by Günther Weisenborn) – with Gerd Böckmann,

Kornelia Boje Kornelia or Kornélia is a given name of European origin. It is similar to Cornelia and Korneliya. List of people with the given name * Kornélia Demény, Hungarian woman, wife of Albert Szent-Györgyi * Kornelia Ender (born 1958), German re ...

, * 1974: ''Silverson'' (TV film) – with

Herbert Bötticher Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

, Gracia-Maria Kaus, Ernst Schröder, Isabell Stumpf * 1975: ''Hier ruht George Dillon'' (TV film, based on '' Epitaph for George Dillon'') * 1976: ''Erika'' (TV film, based on a play by

Ursula Krechel Ursula Krechel (born 4 December 1947) is a German writer. Krechel was born in Trier. From 1966 to 1972 she studied German studies, theatre, and art history at the University of Cologne. From 1969 to 1972, she worked as a drama advisor in Dortm ...

) – with Silvia Reize, Eva-Maria Bauer, Eva Brumby,

Irmgard Riessen Irmgard Riessen is a German film and television actress. Selected filmography * ' (1968, TV film) * '' Angels of the Street'' (1969) * ''The Sex Nest'' (1970) * ''Der Sonne entgegen'' (1985, TV series) * ''Jokehnen'' (1987, TV miniseries) * ''Sc ...

Kyra Mladeck Kyra may refer to: Places * Kyra, Cyprus, a village * Kyra, Russia, a rural locality (''selo'') in Zabaykalsky Krai * Kyra River, a river in Kyra, Russia Given name * Kyra (given name) * Kyra (''Charmed''), a fictional character in the TV s ...

Audio plays

* 1946: ''Bolwieser'' * 1972: ''Androklus und der Löwe'' (adaptation of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's ''

Androcles and the Lion Androcles ( el, Ἀνδροκλῆς, alternatively spelled Androclus in Latin), is the main character of a common folktale about a man befriending a lion. The tale is included in the Aarne–Thompson classification system as type 156. The ...

'')

Notes

References

;Other sources * Armin Ziegler: ''Dramaturg des Widerstands – Falk Harnack und die Geschichte der „Weißen Rose“. Ein Beitrag zur „Weiße-Rose“-Forschung.'' Selbstverlag, (September 2005) * Lilo Fürst-Ramdohr: ''Freundschaften in der Weißen Rose.'' Verlag Geschichtswerkstatt Neuhausen, Munich (1995) * Falk Harnack: ''Die Dramen Carl Bleibtreus. Eine dramaturgische Untersuchung.'' (Germanische Studienhefte 199), Kraus-Reprint, Nendeln/Liechtenstein (1967) * Maike Bruhns: ''Kunst in der Krise'', Vol. 2, Dölling und Galitz Verlag, Munich and Hamburg (2001), p. 43. *

Hans Coppi Hans-Wedigo Robert Coppi (25 January 1916 – 22 December 1942) was a German resistance fighter against the Nazis. He was a member of a Berlin-based anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra by the Gestapo. Life ...

, Jürgen Danyel, Johannes Tuchel: ''Die Rote Kapelle im Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus.'' Edition Hentrich, Berlin (1994), p. 117. * Gottfried Hamacher et al. (Eds.)
''Gegen Hitler. Deutsche in der Résistance, in den Streitkräften der Antihitlerkoalition und der Bewegung »Freies Deutschland«. Kurzbiografien'' (Series: Manuskripte/Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung; Vol. 53)
(PDF) Dietz, Berlin (2005), p. 76.

External links

Akademie der Künste The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was fo ...

Berlin
Falk Harnack document archive
Akademie der Künste Berlin

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harnack, Falk 1913 births 1991 deaths German theatre directors German resistance members Film people from Stuttgart Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Greek Resistance members White Rose members German Army soldiers of World War II People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Deserters