Julius Gellner (born 25 April 1899, in
Saaz Saaz may refer to:
*Saaz, the former German name of Žatec, a town in the Czech Republic
**Saaz hops, a hop variety used in production of pilsener style beer
**DSV Saaz, a former football club in Žatec
* ''Saaz'' (film), a 1998 Indian film
* Saaz ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
; died 24 October 1983, in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
), was one of the most famous German-speaking
theatre directors
A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
of the 1920s.
Between 1924 and 1933, he was superintendent ''(Oberspielleiter)'' and vice-director of the
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 ...
theater "
Münchner Kammerspiele im Schauspielhaus". He was the uncle of the British
philosopher and
social scientist
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of socie ...
Ernest Gellner
Ernest André Gellner FRAI (9 December 1925 – 5 November 1995) was a British- Czech philosopher and social anthropologist described by ''The Daily Telegraph'', when he died, as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals, and by ''The ...
.
Biography
Julius Gellner was the ninth child of Anna (née Löbl) and Max Gellner. The family later moved from Saaz to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, where Julius apprenticed as a bank clerk. His strong affinity for acting became apparent during this time after he joined an
amateur theatre
Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...
group.
Once he had accumulated enough savings to jump into the theatre world, he moved to
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
in 1918. After some initial difficulties, he managed to get a position as an actor and an opportunity to prove himself on the stage. In the course of his nascent acting career, he also took positions in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
. In Düsseldorf he was discovered by the director of the Munich Kammerspiele,
Otto Falckenberg
Otto Falckenberg (5 October 1873 in Koblenz25 December 1947 in Munich) was a German theatre director, manager and writer. In April 1901, he co-founded '' Die Elf Scharfrichter'', the first political ''kabarett'' (a form of cabaret which develope ...
, who took him to
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 ...
in 1921.
References
1899 births
1983 deaths
People from Žatec
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Czech Jews
Austrian theatre directors
German-language writers
Austro-Hungarian Jews
Austrian expatriates in Germany
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