Georg John (born Georg Jacobsohn; 23 July 1879 – 18 November 1941) was a German stage and film actor.
Early life
Georg Jacobsohn was born into a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
household in
Schmiegel,
Province of Posen,
Imperial Germany
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
.
Career
John began his career around 1900 in smaller stages and traveling theatres. In 1904, he was engaged at the Theater of
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...
, followed by appearances at
Stolp in 1905,
Altona,
Mülheim an der Ruhr,
Bochum and
Göttingen
Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911.
General information
The ori ...
. In 1914, John worked as an actor and producer for Vaterländische Schauspiele in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
In 1917, John first appeared in
silent movies
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
, playing a Tibetan monk in ''Die Fremde'' (''The Stranger''), and Death in ''Hilde Warren und der Tod'' (''Hilde Warren and Death''). These roles were typical of the kinds of parts he would become known for, even if, at first, he was more often seen as a father, husband or dignitary. Beginning in the 1920s, John appeared in the films of notable German filmmakers, where he often played bizarre, gnome-like figures, such as the beggar in
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
's ''Der müde Tod'' (''Tired Death'', 1921, released in English as ''
Destiny
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
''), and the blind balloon-seller who recognizes the murderer due to a whistled song in 1931's ''
M''. For
F. W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer and screenwriter.
He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at th ...
he played a night-watchman in ''Der Letzte Mann'' (''The Last Man'', 1924, released in English as ''
The Last Laugh'').
Being a Jew, John was deported in autumn 1941 to the
Łódź Ghetto
The Łódź Ghetto or Litzmannstadt Ghetto (after the Nazi German name for Łódź) was a Nazi ghetto established by the German authorities for Polish Jews and Roma following the Invasion of Poland. It was the second-largest ghetto in all of ...
where he died on 18 November 1941 at the age of 62.
Kay Weniger
Kay Weniger (born in Berlin in 1966) is an Austrian writer of books on media issues. He published an eight-volume encyclopaedia on international film people.
Biography
Weniger is the son of the German stage and film actress and the Austria ...
: ''Zwischen Bühne und Baracke'', p. 194. Berlin 2008
Selected filmography
* ''Ramara'' (1916)
* ''
Hilde Warren und der Tod
''Hilde Warren und der Tod'' (''Hilde Warren and Death'') is a German film from 1917 by Joe May (director, born Joseph Otto Mandel) and Fritz Lang (screenplay). The title role of Hilde was played by Joe May's wife Mia May.
Plot
Hilde Warren, a ...
'' (1917) – Tod
* ''
Die Fremde'' (1917)
* ''Das Buch des Lasters'' (1917) – Bildhauer
* ''
Waves of Fate
''Waves of Fate'' (German: ''Wogen des Schicksals'') is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Joe May and starring Mia May, Erich Kaiser-Titz and Georg John. Bock, Hans-Michael & Lenssen, Claudia. ''Joe May: Regisseur und Produzent''. 1991. ...
'' (1918)
* ''Mr. Wu'' (1918) – Tschang-Ta
* ''Verlorene Töchter'' (1918) – Manager Pichler
* ''
Veritas Vincit'' (1919) – Blinder Senator
* ''
Peer Gynt'' (1919, part 1, 2) – Prof. Dr. Begriffenfeldt
* ''
The Boy in Blue'' (1919) – Zigeunerhauptmann / Gypsy commander
* ''
The Spiders'' (1919–1920, part 1, 2) – Dr. Telphas
* ''
Unheimliche Geschichten'' (1919)
* ''
Harakiri
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...
'' (1919) – Buddhist Monk
* ''Phantome des Lebens'' (1919)
* ''
Der Weg der Grete Lessen'' (1919, Short)
* ''Dämon der Welt'' (1920, part 2, 3) – Fred Osring
* ''
Der Menschheit Anwalt'' (1920) – Hexenrichter Abdonatus / Hexenrichter Lucinder
* ''
Johann Baptiste Lingg
''Johann Baptiste Lingg'' is a 1920 German silent historical film directed by Arthur Teuber and starring Carl Auen, Irmgard Bern and Frida Richard.Mattei p.368
The film's art direction was by Julian Ballenstedt and E.A. Zirkel.
Cast
* Car ...
'' (1920) – Gutsverwalter Wolleck
* ''
The Legend of Holy Simplicity
''The Legend of Holy Simplicity'' (german: Die Legende von der heiligen Simplicia) is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Joe May and starring Eva May, Alfred Gerasch and Wilhelm Diegelmann.Bock & Bergfelder p. 181
The art director Er ...
'' (1920) – Blinder Bettler
* ''
Der König von Paris
''The King of Paris'' (german: Der König von Paris) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Leo Mittler and starring Iván Petrovich, Hanna Ralph and Hans Peppler
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* H ...
'' (1920, part 1, 2)
* ''
Humanity Unleashed
''Humanity Unleashed'' (german: Die entfesselte Menschheit) is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Joseph Delmont and starring Eugen Klöpfer, Paul Hartmann and Carl de Vogt. The film portrays a violent leftist attempt to seize power ...
'' (1920) – Fritz Breese
* ''Schatten einer Stunde'' (1920)
* ''
Napoleon and the Little Washerwoman
''Napoleon and the Little Washerwoman'' (German: ''Napoleon und die kleine Wäscherin'') is a 1920 German silent historical comedy film directed by Adolf Gärtner and starring Ellen Richter, Rudolf Lettinger and Georg John.Bachmann p.251 It is ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Hearts are Trumps'' (1920) – Dunkler mann
* ''Planetenschieber'' (1921)
* ''Tobias Buntschuh – Das Drama eines Einsamen'' (1921) – Abgesandte des Stahltrusts
* ''
The Stranger from Alster Street
''The Stranger from Elster Street'' (German: ''Die Fremde aus der Elstergasse'') is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Alfred Tostary and starring Margit Barnay, Olaf Storm and Eduard von Winterstein. It premiered in Berlin on 7 June 1 ...
'' (1921)
* ''Die Geschichte von Barak Johnson'' (1921)
* ''Der Silberkönig'' (1921, part 1-4)
* ''
Der müde Tod
''Destiny'' (german: Der müde Tod'':'' ''ein deutsches Volkslied in sechs Versen'' (''Weary Death: A German Folk Story in Six Verses''); originally released in the United States as ''Behind the Wall'') is a 1921 silent German Expressionist fan ...
'' (1921) – Beggar / Bettler
* ''
The Riddle of the Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Aeolic Greek, Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx has the he ...
'' (1921) – Mummy
* ''
Lady Hamilton
Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...
'' (1921) – zwei Jacobiner
* ''
The Indian Tomb'' (1921, part 1, 2) – Büßer / a Penitent
* ''
Das Geheimnis der Santa Maria'' (1921)
* ''Das Geheimnis der sechs Spielkarten'' (1921, part 4)
* ''Die Geschichte des grauen Hauses 1 – Episode: Der Mord aus verschmähter Liebe'' (1921)
* ''
The Adventurer'' (1922) – der rote Johnny
* ''
Die Beute der Erinnyen
''The Prey of the Furies'' (German:''Die Beute der Erinnyen'') is a 1922 German silent film directed by Otto Rippert and starring Werner Krauss and Dary Holm.Ames p.297
The film's art direction was by Artur Gunther.
Cast
In alphabetical order ...
'' (1922) – Tom Sprang
* ''
Der brennende Acker'' (1922) – Großknecht / Head farmhand
* ''
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler'' (1922) – Pesch
* ''
She and the Three'' (1922) – Ehrenmann hinter schwedischen Gardinen
* ''
Prashna's Secret
''Prashna's Secret'' (german: Praschnas Geheimnis) is a 1922 German silent adventure film directed by Ludwig Baetz and starring Hermann Leffler, Fern Andra, and Leopold von Ledebur.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacek Rotm ...
'' (1922) – Praschna, indischer Fakir
* ''
The Fall of Jerusalem'' (1922) – Egyptian Emmissary
* ''
Marie Antoinette, the Love of a King
''Marie Antoinette, the Love of a King'' (german: Marie Antoinette – Das Leben einer Königin) is a 1922 German silent historical drama film directed by Rudolf Meinert and starring Diana Karenne, Maria Reisenhofer and Gustav May. The film de ...
'' (1922) – Robespierre
* ''
The Fire Ship'' (1922)
* ''
The Stone Rider
''The Stone Rider'' (german: Der steinerne Reiter) is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Fritz Wendhausen and starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Lucie Mannheim and Gustav von Wangenheim.Bock & Bergfelder p. 248 It was shot at the Babelsberg S ...
'' (1923) – Pförtner
* ''
A Woman, an Animal, a Diamond
''A Woman, an Animal, a Diamond'' (german: Ein Weib, ein Tier, ein Diamant) is a 1923 German silent film directed by Hanns Kobe and starring Charlotte Ander, Fritz Kortner and Paul Bildt.Bock & Bergfelder p. 385
The film's sets were designed by ...
'' (1923) – Zirkusdirektor
* ''
The Lost Shoe
''The Lost Shoe'' (german: Der verlorene Schuh) is a 1923 German silent fantasy film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Helga Thomas, Paul Hartmann and Mady Christians. Its plot is loosely based on that of Cinderella. It was shot at the ...
'' (1923) – Jon
* ''
I Had a Comrade'' (1923) – Marodeur
* ''
The Good Comrade'' (1923) – Marodeur
* ''
Gold and Luck'' (1923) – Wucherer
* ''Frauenschicksal'' (1924)
* ''
Die Nibelungen
''Die Nibelungen'' ("The Nibelungs") is a two-part series of silent fantasy films created by Austrian director Fritz Lang in 1924, consisting of ''Die Nibelungen: Siegfried'' and ''Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge''.
The scenarios for bo ...
'' (1924) – Mime the blacksmith / Alberich the Nibelung / Slaodel, his brother
* ''
Decameron Nights
''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...
'' (1924) – Astologer
* ''
My Leopold'' (1924) – Nibisch
* ''
Das Wachsfigurenkabinett'' (''Waxworks'') (1924) – Prisoner
* ''
The Last Laugh'' (1924) – Nachtwächter
ight Watchman* ''
Peter the Pirate'' (1925) – Beppo
* ''
Harry Hill's Deadly Hunt'' (1925, part 1, 2)
* ''
Guillotine
A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Express Train of Love
''Express Train of Love'' (German:''Blitzzug der Liebe'') is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch and Lillian Hall-Davis. It premiered on 6 May 1925 at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Slums of Berlin
''Slums of Berlin'' (german: Die Verrufenen) is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Aud Egede-Nissen, Bernhard Goetzke, and Mady Christians. It was shot at the Marienfelde Studios in Berlin. The film's s ...
'' (1925) – Laundress's Husband
* ''
The Gentleman Without a Residence'' (1925) – Fürst
* ''
Varieté
''Variety'' (german: Varieté , also known by the alternative titles ''Jealousy'' or ''Vaudeville'') is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont based on the 1912 novel '' The Oath of Stephan Huller'' by Felix Hollaender ...
'' (1925) – Seeman
* ''
Bismarck'' (1925, part 1)
* ''
The Hanseatics
''The Hanseatics'' (german: Hanseaten) is a 1925 German silent film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Tamara Karsavina, Fritz Alberti and Hermine Sterler.Grange p.211
The film's sets were designed by the art director Otto Moldenhauer ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Adventure on the Night Express'' (1925) – Theewens Diener Raoul
* ''
The Fallen'' (1926) – Schampuspusorje
* ''
The Mill at Sanssouci
''The Mill at Sanssouci'' (german: Die Mühle von Sanssouci) is a 1926 German silent historical film directed by Siegfried Philippi and Frederic Zelnik and starring Otto Gebühr, Lissi Lind and Jakob Tiedtke. The film is part of the popular cycl ...
'' (1926) – General Zieten
* ''
Des Königs Befehl'' (1926)
* ''
Eyes Open, Harry!
''Eyes Open, Harry!'' (German: ''Achtung Harry! Augen auf!'') is a 1926 German silent thriller film directed by and starring Harry Piel.Grange p.234 It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by Willi Herrmann ...
'' (1926) – Nathan Miller
* ''
Das graue Haus'' (1926) – Der Henker
* ''
Hell of Love
''Hell of Love'' (german: Hölle der Liebe – Erlebnisse aus einem Tanzpalast) is a 1926 German silent drama film directed by Bruno Rahn and starring Vivian Gibson, Erich Kaiser-Titz, and William Dieterle.Mierendorff & O'Dell, p. 319
The film' ...
'' (1926) – Heinicke, Prokurist
* ''
The Flight in the Night
''The Flight in the Night'' (German: ''Die Flucht in die Nacht'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Amleto Palermi and starring Conrad Veidt, Robert Scholz and Angelo Ferrari.Soister & Battle p.193-196 It was based on the play '' Henry IV' ...
'' (1926) – Bediensteter
* ''Wenn Menschen irren. Frauen auf Irrwegen'' (1926)
* ''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
'' (1927) – Arbeiter / Working Man Who Causes Explosion of M-Machine (uncredited)
* ''Erinnerungen einer Nonne'' (1927)
* ''
The Bordellos of Algiers'' (1927) – Portier
* ''
The Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...
'' (1927) – Ansorge
* ''
Frühere Verhältnisse'' (1927)
* ''
Gehetzte Frauen'' (1927)
* ''
The Curse of Vererbung'' (1927) – Portier
* ''
At the Edge of the World'' (1927)
* ''
Der Mann ohne Kopf'' (1927) – Der Schreckliche
* ''
Petronella – Das Geheimnis der Berge'' (1927) – Der alte Amros
* ''
Only a Viennese Woman Kisses Like That
''Only a Viennese Woman Kisses Like That'' (german: So küsst nur eine Wienerin) is a 1928 German silent film directed by Arthur Bergen and starring Werner Fuetterer, Grete Graal, and Erna Morena.Kasten p. 116
It was made at the Emelka Studios ...
'' (1928) – Der Manager
* ''
Alraune
''Alraune'' (German for ) is a novel by German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published in 1911. It is also the name of the female lead character. The book originally featured illustrations by Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald. Legend
The basis of the story o ...
'' (1928) – Der Mörder
* ''
Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
* Luther (give ...
'' (1928) – Ein Krüppel
* ''
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Spione
''Spione'' (English title: ''Spies'', under which title it was released in the United States) is a 1928 German silent espionage thriller directed by Fritz Lang and co-written with his wife, Thea von Harbou, who also wrote a novel of the sam ...
'' (1928) – Locomotive Engineer (uncredited)
* ''
Man Against Man'' (1928) – Zamok
* ''
The Hangman'' (1928)
* ''
Volga Volga'' (1928)
* ''
Anastasia, die falsche Zarentochter'' (1928)
* ''
Somnambul'' (1929) – Der Wirt
* ''
Taxi at Midnight
''Taxi at Midnight'' (German: ''Die Mitternachtstaxe'') is a 1929 German silent thriller film directed by Harry Piel and starring Piel, Betty Bird and Philipp Manning.Prawer p.83 It was shot at the Staaken and Grunewald Studios in Berlin. The f ...
'' (1929) – Dritter Wachtmeister
* ''
Men Without Work
''Men Without Work'' (german: Männer ohne Beruf) is a 1929 German silent action film directed by and starring Harry Piel. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin and on location in Marseille.
The film's sets were designed by the art di ...
'' (1929) – Odysseus – der 'Künstler
* ''
Andreas Hofer
Andreas Hofer (22 November 1767 – 20 February 1810) was a Tyrolean innkeeper and drover, who in 1809 became the leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against the Napoleonic and Bavarian invasion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subs ...
'' (1929) – Franz Raffl – ein Bauer
* ''
Atlantik'' (1929) – Wendt, Thomas' servant
* ''
The Woman Without Nerves'' (1930) – Sekretär
* ''Fundvogel'' (1930) – Poacher
* ''
Rag Ball
''Rag Ball'' (german: Lumpenball) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Heinz Wolff and starring Harry Frank, Irene Ambrus, and Kurt Lilien. The title refers to a costume ball in which the guests turn up in tatters and rags.
The film's ...
'' (1930)
* ''
The Land of Smiles
''The Land of Smiles'' (German: ') is a 1929 romantic operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár. The German language libretto was by and Fritz Löhner-Beda. The performance duration is about 100 minutes.
This was one of Lehár's later works, and ...
'' (1930) – Tschang in der Operette
* ''
The Flute Concert of Sanssouci
''The Flute Concert of Sanssouci'' (german: Das Flötenkonzert von Sans-souci) is a 1930 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Otto Gebühr. It was part of the popular cycle of Prussian films.Hoffmann p. 44 It was made at th ...
'' (1930) – Zieten
* ''
Danton
Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...
'' (1931) – Ankläger
* ''
Stürmisch die Nacht'' (1931)
* ''
M'' (1931) – Blind Panhandler
* ''
The First Right of the Child
''The First Right of the Child'' (german: Das erste Recht des Kindes) is a 1932 German drama film directed by Fritz Wendhausen and starring Hertha Thiele, Eduard Wesener and Helene Fehdmer.
The film's sets were designed by the art director E ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Death Over Shanghai'' (1932) – Lutsin – Praxas Diener
* ''
F.P.1 antwortet nicht'' (1932) – Maschinist
* ''
The Flower of Hawaii'' (1933) – Oberpriester von Hawaii
* ''
Jumping Into the Abyss
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and o ...
'' (1933) – Fotograf
* ''
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
''The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'' (german: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse), also called ''The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse'', is a 1933 German crime-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film ''Dr. Mabuse the Gambl ...
'' (1933) – Baums Diener / Baum's Servant (final film role)
References
External links
*
*
*
Photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Georg
1879 births
1941 deaths
People from Śmigiel
German Jews who died in the Holocaust
Jewish German male actors
German male film actors
German male silent film actors
German male stage actors
People from the Province of Posen
People who died in the Łódź Ghetto
German civilians killed in World War II
19th-century German male actors
20th-century German male actors