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Kurt Gerron (11 May 1897 – 28 October 1944) was a German
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 ...
actor and film director. He and his wife, Olga were murdered in
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...
.


Life

Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, he studied medicine before being called up for military service in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. After being seriously wounded, he was qualified as a military doctor in the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
, despite having been only in his second year at university. After the war Gerron turned to a stage career, becoming a theatre actor under director
Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pr ...
in 1920. He appeared in secondary roles in several
silent film 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, w ...
s and began directing film shorts in 1926. Gerron's popular cinema breakthrough came with '' The Blue Angel'' (''Der Blaue Engel'', 1930) opposite
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
. Two years before, Gerron originated the role of "Tiger" Brown in the 1928 premiere production of ''
The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...
'' (''Die Dreigroschenoper'') at the Berlin
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm The ''Theater am Schiffbauerdamm'' () is a theatre building at the ''Schiffbauerdamm'' riverside in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, opened on 19 November 1892. Since 1954, it has been home to the Berliner Ensemble theatre company, found ...
, in which he also performed the first public performance of the song, " Mack the Knife". With the show's international success, Gerron's name and recorded voice became well known across Europe.


Under the Nazis

After the 1933 seizure of power by the Nazis (known today as the ''
Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...
''), Gerron left
Nazi Germany 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 ...
with his wife and parents, traveling first to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
and later to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. He continued work there as an actor at the
Stadsschouwburg The Stadsschouwburg (; Dutch: ''Municipal Theatre'') of Amsterdam is the name of a theatre building at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building is in the neo-Renaissance style dating back to 1894, and is the former home of the N ...
and directed several movies. Several times he was offered employment in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
through the agency of Peter Lorre and
Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an Austrian-American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the silent to the sound era, during which he worked with most of the major ...
, but Gerron refused to leave Europe. After 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 previo ...
occupied the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Gerron and his parents were first interned in the transit camp at
Westerbork Camp Westerbork ( nl, Kamp Westerbork, german: Durchgangslager Westerbork, Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk'' ), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, d ...
. His parents were deported on May 5th 1943 and murdered in Sobibor. Gerron and his wife were later sent to the
Theresienstadt concentration camp Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...
. There he was forced by the SS to stage the cabaret review, ''Karussell,'' in which he reprised Mack the Knife, as well as compositions by
Martin Roman Martin Roman (23 April 1910 – 12 May 1996) was a German jazz pianist. At the time of the Reichstag fire in February 1933, Martin was stopped by SS men at the entrance to the huge Vaterland emporium in Berlin, where his band, the Marek Weber Band ...
and other imprisoned musicians and artists. In 1944, Gerron was coerced into directing a
Nazi propaganda The propaganda used by the German Nazi Party in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's dictatorship of Germany from 1933 to 1945 was a crucial instrument for acquiring and maintaining power, and for the implementation of Nazi polici ...
film intended to be viewed in "neutral" nations such as Switzerland, Sweden, and Ireland, for example, showing how "humane" conditions were at
Theresienstadt Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...
. Once filming was finished, Gerron and members of the Jazz pianist
Martin Roman Martin Roman (23 April 1910 – 12 May 1996) was a German jazz pianist. At the time of the Reichstag fire in February 1933, Martin was stopped by SS men at the entrance to the huge Vaterland emporium in Berlin, where his band, the Marek Weber Band ...
's
Ghetto Swingers The Ghetto Swingers were a jazz band organised in the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt. The original amateur Czech band playing in the Café of the Ghetto was led by Eric Vogel and Pavel Libensky. Vogel petitioned the Kommandant on Janua ...
were deported on the camp's final train transport to
Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...
, on 28 October. Gerron and his wife were murdered in the gas chamber immediately upon arrival on 30 October 1944, along with the film's entire performing entourage (except for Roman and guitarist Coco Schumann). The next day, Reichsführer SS
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
ordered the closure of the gas chambers. All known complete prints of Gerron's final film, which was to have been called '' Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet'' (''Terezin: A Documentary Film of the Jewish Resettlement''), and which is also referred to as ''Der Führer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt'' (''The Führer Gives the Jews a City''), were destroyed in 1945. Twenty minutes of footage were discovered in
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
in the mid-1960s, and today the film exists only in fragmentary form. On Friday June 17 2022 a Stolperstein for Kurt Gerron and one for his wife, Olga Gerson were installed at Paulsborner Strasse 77, Berlin, their last residence in Germany.


Selected filmography

* '' The Haunting of Castle Kitay'' (1920) *''
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 Hollaende ...
'' (1925) * ''
Semi-Silk ''Semi-Silk'' (german: Halbseide) is a 1925 German silent film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Bernd Aldor, Mary Parker and Valeska Stock.Bock & Bergfelder p. 155 The film's art direction was by Heinrich Richter. Cast * Bernd Aldor as ...
'' (1925) * '' Upstairs and Downstairs'' (1925) * '' Oh Those Glorious Old Student Days'' (1925) * '' White Slave Traffic'' (1926) * ''
The Three Mannequins ''The Three Mannequins'' (german: Die drei Mannequins) is a 1926 German silent film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Hans Albers, Anton Pointner, and Paul Graetz. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by t ...
'' (1926) * ''
Annemarie and Her Cavalryman ''Annemarie and Her Cavalryman'' (german: Annemarie und ihr Ulan) is a 1926 German silent film directed by Erich Eriksen and starring Colette Brettel, Sig Arno, and Hans Junkermann Hennes "Hans" Junkermann (6 May 1934 – 11 April 2022) wa ...
'' (1926) * ''
Love's Joys and Woes ''Love's Joys and Woes'' (german: Der Liebe Lust und Leid) is a 1926 German silent comedy film and directed by Kurt Gerron and Heinz Schall and starring Charlotte Susa, Margarete Kupfer and Hilde Maroff.Bock & Bergfelder p. 155 The film's art ...
'' (1926) * '' Vienna - Berlin'' (1926) * ''
His Greatest Bluff ''His Greatest Bluff'' (German: ''Sein größter Bluff'') is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Henrik Galeen and Harry Piel and starring Piel, Toni Tetzlaff and Lotte Lorring. Its title is sometimes translated as ''His Biggest Bluff ...
'' (1927) * ''
Marie's Soldier ''Marie's Soldier'' (german: Der Soldat der Marie, link=no) is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Erich Schönfelder and starring Xenia Desni, Harry Liedtke and Grit Haid. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios and the backlot of the ...
'' (1927) * '' The Bordello in Rio'' (1927) * ''
Dancing Vienna ''Dancing Vienna'' (German: ''Das tanzende Wien'') is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Lya Mara, Ben Lyon and Alfred Abel. The film's art direction was by Andrej Andrejew, Ferdinand Bellan and Erich Kett ...
'' (1927) * ''
The Most Beautiful Legs of Berlin ''The Most Beautiful Legs of Berlin'' (German: ''Die schönsten Beine von Berlin'') is a 1927 German silent film directed by Willi Wolff and starring Ellen Richter, Dina Gralla and Kurt Gerron. The film's sets were designed by the art director E ...
'' (1927) * '' Benno Stehkragen'' (1927) * '' Always Be True and Faithful'' (1927) * ''
Queen of the Boulevards ''Queen of the Boulevards'' (German: ''Glanz und Elend der Kurtisanen'') is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Paul Wegener, Andrée Lafayette and Werner Fuetterer.Bock & Bergfelder p.155 It is based on the nov ...
'' (1927) * '' Endangered Girls'' (1927) * ''
A Crazy Night ''A Crazy Night'' (german: Eine tolle Nacht) is a 1927 German silent film, silent comedy film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Ossi Oswalda, Harry Liedtke and Henry Bender.Bock & Bergfelder p. 353 It was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin. ...
'' (1927) * '' A Serious Case'' (1927) * '' The Lady with the Tiger Skin'' (1927) * '' Break-in'' (1927) * '' The Tragedy of a Lost Soul'' (1927) * ''
The White Spider ''The White Spider'' (1959; with chapters added in 1964; original title: ''Die Weisse Spinne'') is a non-fiction book by Heinrich Harrer that describes the first successful ascent of the infamous north face (''Nordwand'') of the Eiger, a mounta ...
'' (1927) * ''
Assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
'' (1927) * '' The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) * ''
The Duty to Remain Silent ''The Duty to Remain Silent'' (German: ''Die Pflicht zu schweigen'') is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Carl Wilhelm and starring Marcella Albani, Vivian Gibson, Angelo Ferrari. It was based on a novel by Friedrich Werner van Oestér ...
'' (1928) * ''
Casanova's Legacy ''Casanova's Legacy'' (German: ''Casanovas Erbe'') is a 1928 German silent film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Andrée Lafayette, Maly Delschaft and Elizza La Porta.Bock & Bergfelder p.156 The film's sets were designed by the art direct ...
'' (1928) * ''
Yacht of the Seven Sins ''Yacht of the Seven Sins'' (German: ''Die Yacht der sieben Sünden'') is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Jacob Fleck and Luise Fleck and starring Brigitte Helm, John Stuart and Rina Marsa.Ganeva p.133 The film's art direction wa ...
'' (1928) * ''
Mariett Dances Today ''Mariett Dances Today'' (German: ''Heut tanzt Mariett'') is a 1928 German silent romance film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Lya Mara, Fred Louis Lerch and Harry Halm.Nelmes & Selbo It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin and ...
'' (1928) * ''
Life's Circus ''Life's Circus'' (German: ''Manege'') is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Max Reichmann and starring Raimondo Van Riel, Ernst Van Duren and Kurt Gerron.Bock & Bergfelder p.156 It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. The film ...
'' (1928) * '' Under Suspicion'' (1928) * '' Immorality'' (1928) *'' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929) * '' Revolt in the Batchelor's House'' (1929) * ''
We Stick Together Through Thick and Thin ''We Stick Together Through Thick and Thin'' (German: ''Wir halten fest und treu zusammen'') is a 1929 German silent comedy film directed by Herbert Nossen and starring Sig Arno, Kurt Gerron and Ernst Karchow. It was one of two films starring ...
'' (1929) *'' Diary of a Lost Girl'' (1929) * ''
Daughter of the Regiment A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...
'' (1929) *''
People on Sunday ''People on Sunday'' (german: Menschen am Sonntag) is a 1930 German silent drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer from a screenplay by Robert and Curt Siodmak. The film follows a group of residents of Berlin on a summer's day du ...
'' (1930) * '' Burglars'' (1930) * ''
Fairground People ''Fairground People'' (german: Die vom Rummelplatz) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Anny Ondra, Sig Arno and Margarete Kupfer. The film was made shortly after the sound film, sound revolution, which had damaged On ...
'' (1930) * ''
Dolly Gets Ahead ''Dolly Gets Ahead'' (german: Dolly macht Karriere) is a 1930 German musical film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Dolly Haas, Oskar Karlweis, and Grete Natzler. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were design ...
'' (1930) * ''
Love in the Ring ''Love in the Ring'' (german: Liebe im Ring) is a 1930 German sports film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Max Schmeling, Renate Müller, and Olga Tschechowa.Waldman p. 160 Schmeling was a leading German boxer of the 1930s, and the fi ...
'' (1930) *'' The Blue Angel'' (1930) * '' The Three from the Filling Station'' (1930) * '' Bombs on Monte Carlo'' (1931) * '' My Wife, the Impostor'' (1931) * '' Madame Pompadour'' (1931) * '' Her Majesty the Barmaid'' (1931) * ''
A Night at the Grand Hotel ''A Night at the Grand Hotel'' (german: Eine Nacht im Grandhotel) is a 1931 German drama film directed by Max Neufeld and starring Mártha Eggerth, Ulrich Bettac, and Kurt Gerron.Bock & Bergfelder p. 156 It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios ...
'' (1931) * '' Salto Mortale'' (1931) * '' Road to Rio'' (1931) * ''
No Money Needed ''No Money Needed'' (german: Man braucht kein Geld) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Hedy Lamarr, Heinz Rühmann, and Hans Moser. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art di ...
'' (1932) * ''
The White Demon ''The White Demon'' (German: ''Der weiße Dämon'') is a 1932 German drama film directed by Kurt Gerron and starring Hans Albers, Gerda Maurus and Peter Lorre.Kreimeier pp. 198–199 The film is also known by the alternative title of ''Dope''. Th ...
'' (1932) * '' Two in a Car'' (1932) * ''
Things Are Getting Better Already ''Things Are Getting Better Already'' (German: ''Es wird schon wieder besser'') is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Kurt Gerron and starring Dolly Haas, Heinz Rühmann and Paul Otto.Waldman p.45 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Ber ...
'' (1932) * ''
Narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiate ...
'' (1932) * ''
A Mad Idea ''A Mad Idea'' or ''A Crazy Idea'' (german: Ein toller Einfall) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Kurt Gerron and starring Willy Fritsch, Dorothea Wieck and Rosy Barsony.Waldman p. 45 It was made by UFA, Germany's biggest studio. It was ...
'' (1932) * '' Today Is the Day'' (1933) * ''
Merijntje Gijzens Jeugd '' Merijntje Gijzens Jeugd '' is a 1936 Dutch drama film directed by Kurt Gerron after the popular novel of the same title by A.M. de Jong. Cast *Marcel Krols ... Merijntje Gijzen *Piet Bron ... Goort Perdams, de Kruik *Mimi Boesnach ... ...
'' (Netherlands, 1936) * '' The Three Wishes'' (Netherlands, 1937) * '' The Three Wishes'' (Italy, 1937)


Documentaries about Gerron

Gerron is the subject of three documentary films, '' Prisoner of Paradise'' (PBS), ''Kurt Gerrons Karussell'', and '' Tracks to Terezín'', which features Holocaust survivor Herbert Thomas Mandl talking about Kurt Gerron as the director of the film '' Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet''. The narrator in ''Kurt Gerrons Karussell'', which stars
Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...
, is
Roy Kift Roy Kift (born 30 January 1943) in Bideford, Devon, is an English writer. Life Roy Kift read French and Romance studies at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, graduating with a BA in 1964. Between 1965 and 1968 he followed an acting cours ...
, who has also written a play on Gerron's time in Theresienstadt entitled ''Camp Comedy''.Roy-Kift.com - Willkommen!
at www.roy-kift.com The play is published in ''The Theatre of the Holocaust'', edited by Professor Robert Skloot and published by the
University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic community; works of fiction, memoir and ...
.


References

"Prisoner of Paradise" by PBS, 2003, 100 mins, not rated. Fictional biography by Charles Lewinsky (Swiss, in German) ''Gerron'', 2011, French translation ''Retour indésirable'', Grasset, 2013.


External links

*
Photographs of Kurt Gerron

Availability for educational use of "The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerron, Kurt 1897 births 1944 deaths People from Mitte German male stage actors German male film actors German male silent film actors Jewish German male actors German people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp German civilians killed in World War II Theresienstadt Ghetto prisoners 20th-century German male actors Male actors from Berlin People killed by gas chamber by Nazi Germany Film directors from Berlin German Jews who died in the Holocaust Jewish writers Ghetto Swingers members German people executed in Nazi concentration camps German Jewish military personnel of World War I