Käthe Braun (11 November 1913 – 9 September 1994) was a German stage and film actress. She was married to director

Falk Harnack 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, the partisans in Greece. Harnack was from a fam ...

and acted in several of his films.

Career

Katharina Braun was born in

Wasserburg am Inn Wasserburg am Inn (Central Bavarian: ''Wassabuag am Inn'') is a town in Rosenheim district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. The historic centre is a peninsula formed by the meandering river Inn. Many Medieval structures remain intact, giving the city ...

. After studying acting privately with Magda Lena 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 ...

, she had her first theater engagement 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 lan ...

n state theater, Cuvilliés-Theater. In 1938, she began working at the

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- ...

Schauspielhaus and in 1941, at the city theater in Strasbourg, staying there until Goebbels closed all the theaters in August 1944. After

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she returned to Munich and, from 1947 to 1951, worked periodically at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. She also played major roles in

East German 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 ...

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 ...

productions, such as Stine Teetjen, the wife in '' Das Beil von Wandsbek'', adapted from the 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 ...

and directed by her husband.Falk Harnack was a former member of the German Resistance who had been involved with the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

and the Red Orchestra. Braun also became known for her role as the mother in several screen adaptations of

Ludwig Thoma Ludwig Thoma (; 21 January 1867 in Oberammergau – 26 August 1921 in Tegernsee) was a German author, publisher and editor, who gained popularity through his partially exaggerated description of everyday Bavarian life. After graduation from ...

's five-part series of ''Scoundrel Stories'' (''Lausbubengeschichten''). In 1952, her husband's first film was banned, and he ran into trouble with the

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

: the couple 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 the west. Braun began working at the

Schiller Theater The Schiller Theater is a theatre building in Berlin, Germany. It is located in the central Charlottenburg district at Bismarckstraße 110, near Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Opened in 1907, the building served as a second venue for the Prussian State ...

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 mi ...

, as well as at the Schlossparktheater and elsewhere in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. Among her roles were the lead in ''

Das Käthchen von Heilbronn ' (''Katie of Heilbronn or The Trial by Fire'') (1807–1808) is a "great historical knightly play" (German: ') in five acts by the German playwright Heinrich von Kleist. The action of the drama takes place in Swabia during the Middle Ages. Perf ...

'', Annchen in Max Halbe's ''Jugend'', Rautendelein in

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

's ''Die versunkene Glocke'', Electra in Eugene O’Neill's ''

Mourning Becomes Electra ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Baker ...

'', Gretchen in ''

Goethe's Faust ''Faust'' is a tragic play in two parts by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, usually known in English as '' Faust, Part One'' and ''Faust, Part Two''. Nearly all of Part One and the majority of Part Two are written in rhymed verse. Although rarely s ...

'', the lead in '' Saint Joan'', and several roles in German translations of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

;

Hermia Hermia is a fictional character from Shakespeare's play, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. She is a girl of ancient Athens named for Hermes, the Greek god of trade. Overview Hermia is caught in a romantic entanglement where she loves one man, Lysan ...

and Titania in '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'',

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...

in '' Othello'',

Viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' and

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. Käthe Braun-Harnack died in Berlin in 1994 at the age of 80. In addition to her man, who died three years earlier, she was buried in the Zehlendorf cemetery.

Filmography

* '' The Three Around Christine'' (1936) - Bärble * ''Semmelweis – Retter der Mütter'' (1950) - Marie Lanthaler * '' Das Beil von Wandsbek'' (1951) - Stine Teetjen * ''

Before God and Man ''Before God and Man'' (German: ''Vor Gott und den Menschen'') is a 1955 West German drama film directed by Erich Engel and starring Viktor de Kowa, Antje Weisgerber and Hans Söhnker. Elsaesser & Wedel p.81 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios i ...

'' (1955) - Katharina * ''Roman einer Siebzehnjährigen'' (1955) * '' Anastasia: The Czar's Last Daughter'' (1956) - Frau von Rathleff-Keilmann * ' (1956) - Frau Henschel * '' The Night of the Storm'' (1957) - Beate Hoberg * ''Ein wahrer Held'' (1961) - Violet * ''Die Laokoon-Gruppe'' (1963) - Mutter * ''Mein Bruder Alf'' (1963) - Ellen Borlay * ' (1964) - Theres Thoma * '' Aunt Frieda'' (1965) - Mutter Thoma * '' Hocuspocus'' (1966) - Frau Engstrand * ''

Onkel Filser – Allerneueste Lausbubengeschichten ''Onkel Filser – Allerneueste Lausbubengeschichten'' is a 1966 West German comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Michl Lang, Hans Kraus and Fritz Tillmann. It was based on a novel by Ludwig Thoma and is the fifth in series of f ...

'' (1966) - Therese Thoma * ''Unwiederbringlich'' (1968) - Julie von Dobschütz * ''Ludwig auf Freiersfüßen'' (1969) - Therese Thoma * ''Einladung ins Schloß oder Die Kunst das Spiel zu spielen'' (1970) - Mademoiselle Capulat * ''Ein Fall für Herrn Schmidt'' (1971) - Frau Schurek * ''Der Verfolger, Rolle der Oberin'' (1974)

Television

* '' Das Kriminalmuseum'' episode: ''Die Postanweisung'' (1968)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Kathe 20th-century German actresses German stage actresses German film actresses People from Wasserburg am Inn