Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

stage and film actor,

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic s ...

singer, director, narrator, and comic poet.

Life

He was born the son of a farmer and engineer in Hohkirch near

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, :de:Ostlausitzer Mundart, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and ...

(present-day

Przesieczany Przesieczany is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zgorzelec, within Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately north-east of Zgorzelec, and west of t ...

in Poland), from where his family moved to Seifersdorf near

Dippoldiswalde Dippoldiswalde ( Saxon: ''Dipps'') is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district. It is situated 23 km east of Freiberg, and 18 km south of Dresden. The town is situated on the Weisseritz railway, ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

in 1908 and to

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

in 1913. De Kowa joined a

cadet corps A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes. ...

before he began occupational training as a graphic designer. Having attended drama classes with

Erich Ponto Erich Johannes Bruno Ponto (14 December 1884 – 14 February 1957) was a German film and stage actor. Career Erich Ponto was born in Lübeck as the son of a merchant. After his family had moved to Hamburg- Eimsbüttel, he attended the gymnasium ...

, he gave his acting debut at the

Staatstheater Dresden The Staatsschauspiel Dresden (State Playhouse Dresden) is a theatre in Dresden. It is maintained by the Free State of Saxony, hence its name. It consists of a main auditorium, the ' (play house), and a studio theatre, the '. It was created in 19 ...

in 1922. After appearances in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, de Kowa entered the stages of the

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The Vol ...

and the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, as well as of the Prussian State Theatre under

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...

. He had a first small film appearance in

Nils Olaf Chrisander Nils Olaf Chrisander (born Waldemar Olaf Chrisander, 14 February 1884 – 5 June 1947) was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth century. Biography Chrisander's first screen appearances as an actor were in German a ...

's ''The Heart Thief'' in 1927 and subsequently became one of the leading comic actors of the

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

film industry. During the

Third Reich 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 ...

he joined the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

, directing the

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

movie ''Kopf hoch, Johannes!'' in 1941. The film idealized the education of the German youth in

National Political Institutes of Education National Political Institutes of Education (german: Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten; officially abbreviated NPEA, commonly abbreviated Napola for ''Nationalpolitische Lehranstalt'' meaning National Political Teaching Institute) were ...

, which earned de Kowa an entry on the

Gottbegnadeten list The ''Gottbegnadeten-Liste'' ("God-gifted list" or "Important Artist Exempt List") was a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture. The list was assembled in September 1944 by Joseph Goebbels, the head of the Ministry of Publi ...

to evade his

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 previous ...

conscription, though Minister

Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

was disillusioned with his directing. Despite his involvement into Nazi cinema, de Kowa's film and theatre career quickly proceeded after the war. In 1945 he became director of the Berlin Tribüne theatre and an ensemble member of the Vienna

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...

from 1956 to 1962. As chairman of the Arts Union, he was also a board director of the

Confederation of German Trade Unions The German Trade Union Confederation (german: Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund; DGB) is an umbrella organisation (sometimes known as a national trade union center) for eight German trade unions, in total representing more than 6 million people ...

(DGB). In 1964 he starred in the TV series ''

Slim Callaghan Intervenes ''Slim Callaghan Intervenes'' (German: ''Slim Callaghan greift ein'') is a 1964 West German crime television series broadcast on ZDF in eight episodes. The programme was based on the series of novels by British writer Peter Cheyney featuring the ...

'' as

Peter Cheyney Reginald Evelyn Peter Southouse-Cheyney (22 February 1896 – 26 June 1951) was a British crime fiction writer who flourished between 1936 and 1951. Cheyney is perhaps best known for his short stories and novels about agent/detective Lemmy Ca ...

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Slim Callaghan Slim Callaghan is a fictional London-based private detective created by the writer Peter Cheyney. Like another of Cheyney's characters, the FBI agent Lemmy Caution, he was constructed as a British response to the more hardboiled detectives of Amer ...

Personal life

First married to actress

Ursula Grabley Ursula Grabley (8 December 1908 – 3 April 1977) was a German actress. She appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1929 and 1977. Selected filmography * '' Katharina Knie'' (1929) * '' The Concert'' (1931) * '' That's ...

(1908–1977) in 1926, de Kowa was remarried in 1941 to Japanese singer and actress Michiko Tanaka (1909–1988). Both are buried in

Friedhof Heerstraße The Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery is located at Trakehnerallee 1 (''Trakehner avenue No.1''), district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin, Germany, to the east of the Olympiastadion. It covers an area of 149,650 square meters. The c ...

, in an Ehrengrab donated by the City of Berlin. Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F034157-0022, Bonn, Bundeskanzler Brandt empfängt Schauspieler

Selected filmography

* '' Katharina Knie'' (1929) - Lorenz Knie * '' Pension Schöller'' (1930) - Bernhardy * ''

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

'' (1931) - Großfürst Michael * ' (1931) - Victor Ronai * ''

The True Jacob ''The True Jacob'' (german: Der wahre Jakob) is a 1960 West German comedy film directed by Rudolf Schündler and starring Willy Millowitsch, Renate Ewert and Jane Tilden.Goble p.1008 It is a remake of a German film from 1931. Cast * Willy Millow ...

'' (1931) - James * '' The Other Side'' (1931) - Leutnant Hibbert * '' Tannenberg'' (1932) * ''

The Pride of Company Three ''The Pride of Company Three'' (German: ''Der Stolz der 3. Kompanie'') is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Fred Sauer and starring Heinz Rühmann, Anton Walbrook and Eugen Burg. It premiered on 4 January 1932.Grange p.379 It was shot at the ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Invisible Front ''The Invisible Front'' (german: Die unsichtbare Front) is a 1932 German spy thriller film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Trude von Molo, Karl Ludwig Diehl, Veit Harlan and Paul Hörbiger. The story was written by Robert A. Stemmle, ...

'' (1932) * '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1933) * ''

Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

'' (1933) * '' The Castle in the South'' (1933) * ''

Girls of Today ''Girls of Today'' ( it, Ragazze d'oggi) is a 1955 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Marisa Allasio. Cast * Marisa Allasio as Anna Bardellotti *Lili Cerasoli as Sofia Bardellotti *Paolo Stoppa as Giuseppe Bardellotti ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Marathon Runner ''The Marathon Runner'' (german: Der Läufer von Marathon) is a 1933 German sports film directed by Ewald André Dupont and starring Brigitte Helm, Hans Brausewetter and Ursula Grabley. It was based on a 1928 novel by Werner Scheff, adapted by ...

'' (1933) * '' Tell Me Who You Are'' (1933) * '' A Song Goes Round the World'' (1933) * ''

Pappi In Asteraceae, the pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual floret, that surrounds the base of the corolla tube in flower. It functions as a wind-dispersal mechanism for the seeds. The term is sometimes used for similar s ...

'' (1934) * ''

What Am I Without You ''What Am I Without You'' (german: Was bin ich ohne Dich) is a 1934 German musical comedy film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Betty Bird, and Olga Chekhova. The film's sets were designed by the art director ...

'' (1934) * ''

Decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Young Baron Neuhaus ''The Young Baron Neuhaus'' (German: ''Der junge Baron Neuhaus'') is a 1934 German historical drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Viktor de Kowa, Käthe von Nagy and Christl Mardayn. Produced and distributed by UFA, it was shot at ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Grand Duke's Finances ''The Grand Duke's Finances'' (german: Die Finanzen des Großherzogs) is a 1924 silent German comedy film directed by F. W. Murnau. Plot The Grand Duke of Abacco is heir to a small and heavily indebted Mediterranean island. The Grand Duke is ...

'' (1934) * ''

My Life for Maria Isabella ''My Life for Maria Isabella'' (German: ''Mein Leben für Maria Isabell'') is a 1935 German drama film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Viktor de Kowa, Maria Andergast and Peter Voß. It is a military drama, the Maria Isabella of the title ...

'' (1935) * ''

Game on Board ''Game on Board'' (german: Spiel an Bord) is a 1936 German comedy crime film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Viktor de Kowa, Susi Lanner and Alfred Abel.Bock & Bergfelder p. 443 The film's sets were designed by the art director Erich ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Divine Jetta ''The Divine Jetta'' (german: Die göttliche Jette) is a 1937 German musical comedy film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Grethe Weiser, Viktor de Kowa, and Marina von Ditmar Marina von Ditmar (30 October 1914 – 3 September 2014) was ...

'' (1937) * ''

Don't Promise Me Anything ''Don't Promise Me Anything'' (german: Versprich mir nichts!) is a 1937 German comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Luise Ullrich, Viktor de Kowa and Heinrich George. It was partly shot at the Grunewald Studios in Berlin.The f ...

'' (1937) * '' I Love You'' (1938) * '' Wibbel the Tailor'' (1939) * ''

We Make Music ''We Make Music'' (german: Wir machen Musik) is a 1942 German musical comedy film directed by Helmut Käutner, starring Ilse Werner, Viktor de Kowa and Edith Oß. Plot It is a revue film, loosely based on the stage work ''Karl III. und Anna vo ...

'' (1942) * '' The Thing About Styx'' (1942) * '' Peter Voss, Thief of Millions'' (1946) * '' Between Yesterday and Tomorrow'' (1947) * ''

Melody of Fate ''Melody of Fate'' (german: Melodie des Schicksals) is a 1950 West German drama film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Brigitte Horney, Viktor de Kowa and Mathias Wieman.Bock & Bergfelder p.150 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berli ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Beautiful Galatea ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1950) * ''

Scandal at the Embassy ''Scandal at the Embassy'' (german: Skandal in der Botschaft) is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Erik Ode and starring Viktor de Kowa, Jeanette Schultze and Michiko Tanaka.Bock & Bergfelder p. 33 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Blue Star of the South ''The Blue Star of the South'' (German: ''Der blaue Stern des Südens'') is a 1951 Austrian comedy film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Viktor de Kowa, Gustav Knuth and Gretl Schörg.Fritsche p.241 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Prince of Pappenheim ''The Prince of Pappenheim'' (German: ''Der Fürst von Pappenheim'') is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Mona Maris, Curt Bois and Dina Gralla. Bois' character of an ambitious young man was closely mode ...

'' (1952) * '' A Love Story'' (1954) * ''

Des Teufels General ''The Devil's General'' (german: Des Teufels General) is a 1955 black and white West German film based on the play of the same title by Carl Zuckmayer. The film features Curd Jürgens as General Harras, Marianne Koch, Viktor de Kowa, Karl John ...

'' (1955) - SS- Gruppenführer Schmidt-Lausitz * ''Der Himmel ist nie ausverkauft'' (1955) - Professor Behrens * ''Vor Gott und den Menschen'' (1955) - Martin * '' Music in the Blood'' (1955) - Kurt Widmann * ''

The Girl from Flanders ''The Girl from Flanders'' (german: Ein Mädchen aus Flandern) is a 1956 romantic drama film directed by Helmut Käutner starring Nicole Berger, Maximilian Schell, and Viktor de Kowa. It is an adaption of the novel '' Engele von Löwen'' (Ange ...

'' (1956) - Monsieur le Curé Simon / Dr.Simon * ' (1956) * ''

Scampolo ''Scampolo'' is a 1958 German film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Romy Schneider, Paul Hubschmid, and Georg Thomalla. Schneider plays the title role. Plot Scampolo is a young, poor girl who lives on the island of Ischia. She falls ...

'' (1958) - Minister * ' (1958) - Theo * '' Bombs on Monte Carlo'' (1960) - Minister * ''

Final Accord ''Final Accord'' or ''Final Chord'' (German: ''Schlußakkord'') is a 1960 drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Christian Marquand, Eleonora Rossi Drago and Viktor de Kowa. It was made as a co-production between France, Italy a ...

'' (1960) - Alexander von Berkin * ''

The Forger of London ''The Forger of London'' (german: Der Fälscher von London) is a 1961 West German crime film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Karin Dor, Hellmut Lange and Siegfried Lowitz.Bergfelder p. 254 It is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 1927 nove ...

'' (1961) - Dr. Donald Wells * ' (1961) - Loos * '' The House in Montevideo'' (1963) - Anwalt * ''

Encounter in Salzburg ''Encounter in Salzburg'' (german: Begegnung in Salzburg) is a 1964 French-West German drama film directed by Max Friedmann and starring Curd Jürgens, Nadia Gray and Viktor de Kowa.Goble p.231 A rich man visits the Salzburg Festival, watches ' ...

'' (1964) - Bernhard von Wangen * ''

Winnetou and Old Firehand ''Winnetou and Old Firehand'' (german: Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand) is a 1966 western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Pierre Brice, Rod Cameron, and Marie Versini. It was made as a co-production between West Germany and ...

'' (1966) - Robert Ravenhurst

References

External links

* *
Viktor de Kowa
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Kowa, Viktor de 1904 births 1973 deaths People from the Province of Silesia German male film actors German male stage actors German film directors People from Zgorzelec County 20th-century German male singers German theatre directors Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German male actors 20th-century German poets German male poets 20th-century German male writers