Rolf Loer (born Lawrence F. Koehler; 19 January 1892 – 12 October 1964) was an American

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

of the

silent era 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, wh ...

whose career was most prominent in German cinema. He played the character of Phantomas in a series of films, replacing

Erich Kaiser-Titz Heinrich Felix Erich Kaiser-Titz (7 October 1875 – 22 November 1928) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * ''Tales of Hoffmann'' (1916) * '' His Coquettish Wife'' (1916) * ''The Knitting Needles'' (1916) * '' The Night Talk ...

who had previously played the role. Loer was also a violinist who, later in his career, performed with the

Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

Origins

He was born January 19, 1892, in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

as Lawrence F. Koehler to German immigrant parents Friedrich Ernst Georg Koehler (1868-1926), a musician and conductor, and the former Magdalena Obert (1865-1957). His brother was the composer C. Franz Koehler (1896-1980). Showing promise in the violin, his father sent him to Germany to study at the

Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory (german: Klindworth-Scharwenka-Konservatorium) was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades (until 1960) was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed f ...

under the guidance of Arrigio Serato in 1909. He remained there to pursue his studies through the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Death

He returned to the United States prior to the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. He first played as violinist at the

, then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he gave private lessons."Violin Lessons to be Given in New Pfalz", ''New Pfalz Independent & Times'', Sep. 9, 1953, p. 6 He died in Jackson Heights,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on October 12, 1964. He is buried at the

Flushing Cemetery Flushing Cemetery is a cemetery in Flushing in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. History Flushing Cemetery has several predecessors. In the year 1789 (64 years before the cemetery was founded), George Washington had crossed th ...

Selected filmography

* ''

The Lady in the Car ''The Lady in the Car'' (German: ''Die Dame im Auto'') is a 1919 German silent crime film directed by Adolf Gärtner.Bock & Bergfelder p.167 It was one of a series of films featuring Rolf Loer as Phantomas. Cast In alphabetical order * Rolf L ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Double Face ''The Double Face'' (german: Das Doppelgesicht) is a 1920 German silent film directed by Mutz Greenbaum Mutz Greenbaum (3 February 1896 – 5 July 1968), sometimes credited as Max Greene or Max Greenbaum, was a German film cinematographer. ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Man in the Fog ''The Man in the Fog'' (German: ''Der Mann im Nebel'') is a 1920 German silent film of the crime genre directed by Mutz Greenbaum and starring Victor Colani, Rolf Loer and Hans Mierendorff.Bock & Bergfelder p.167 Cast * Victor Colani as Mann im ...

'' (1920) * ''

Professor Larousse ''Professor Larousse'' is a 1920 German silent crime film directed by Mutz Greenbaum and starring Victor Colani, Erwin Fichtner and Erich Kaiser-Titz.Bock & Bergfelder p.167 Cast In alphabetical order * Victor Colani * Erwin Fichtner * Erich ...

'' (1920) * ''

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 ...

'' (1925)

References

Bibliography

* Soister, John T. ''Conrad Veidt on Screen: A Comprehensive Illustrated Filmography''. McFarland, 2002.

External links

* * Rolf Loer at Find-a-Grav

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loer, Rolf 1892 births 1964 deaths American expatriates in Germany American classical violinists German classical violinists American people of German descent Burials at Flushing Cemetery 20th-century American male musicians