Ernst Deutsch, also known as Ernest Dorian (16 September 1890 – 22 March 1969), was a

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 ...

Austrian actor. In 1916, his performance as the protagonist in the world première of

Walter Hasenclever Walter Georg Alfred Hasenclever (8 July 1890 – 22 June 1940) was a German Expressionist poet and playwright. His works were banned when the Nazis came to power and he went into exile in France. There he was imprisoned as a "foreign enemy". H ...

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

play '' The Son'' in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

was praised. Deutsch also played the

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

Famulus in Paul Wegener's '' The Golem: How He Came into the World'' in 1920. He is known by English-speaking audiences for his role as Baron Kurtz in

Carol Reed Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), ''The Third Man'' (1949), and ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded the ...

's 1949 ''

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

'', ''

The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten ...

''.

Family

Deutsch was the son of Prague-based Jewish merchant Ludwig Kraus and his wife, Louise. He married childhood friend Anuschka Fuchsova (daughter of Prague industrialist Arthur Fuchs) in 1922. Anuschka's cousin, Herbert Fuchs of Robettin, was the brother-in-law of author

Franz Werfel Franz Viktor Werfel (; 10 September 1890 – 26 August 1945) was an Austrian- Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet whose career spanned World War I, the Interwar period, and World War II. He is primarily known as the author of ''The For ...

Life and career

Deutsch grew up in Prague, and attended high school. He was a skilled tennis player, ranking seventh on the Austro-Hungarian tennis list. After high school, Deutsch served in the army. He was a childhood friend of Franz Werfel. In 1914, Deutsch made his stage debut for

Berthold Viertel Berthold Viertel (28 June 1885 – 24 September 1953) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director, known for his work in Germany, the UK and the US. Early career Viertel was born in Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later ...

at the People's Theatre in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. After a short season in Prague, Edgar Licho hired him for the Albert Theatre in

, where he moved in 1916. In Dresden, Deutsch played Franz Moor in Schiller's ''The Robbers'' and Moritz Stiefel in Frank Wedekind's ''Spring Awakening''. His performance in the title role of Hasenclever's ''The Son'', which premiered on 8 October 1916, established him as an Expressionist actor; he also appeared in the play in 1918 and 1923. In 1917, Deutsch went to the Volksbühne in Berlin. He appeared until 1933 on a number of stages in the city, gave guest performances in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

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 ...

and Vienna, and participated in a tour of South America. Beginning in 1916, Deutsch appeared in 42

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. In April 1933, he left Germany due to

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. Deutsch returned to Vienna and Prague, gave guest performances in Zurich,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and (in 1936)

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 ...

where he appeared in Charles Bennett's play '' Page From a Diary'' in the West End. In 1938 he emigrated 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 ...

and played briefly on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1939 before moving to Hollywood, where he became an American citizen. Beginning 1942 he appeared as Ernest Dorian in Hollywood films, primarily as Nazis and German officers. ErnstDeutschTheatre01

After a 1946 stay in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Deutsch returned to Vienna via Paris the following year. In Vienna, he became a member of the Burgtheater. At the National Theatre Deutsch appeared in ''The Helpers of God'', about Red Cross founder Henri Dunant, in 1948. Three years later he moved back to Berlin, appearing at the Schiller and Schlossparktheater. Deutsch also toured in Germany and abroad. Deutsch's film roles included Baron Kurtz in Carol Reed's ''film noir'', ''

'', starring

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

and

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

. He received the Volpi Cup as Best Actor at the

9th Venice International Film Festival The 9th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 19 August to 4 September 1948. Jury * Luigi Chiarini * Mario Gromo * Guido Aristarco * Alberto Consiglio * Arturo Lanocita * Vinicio Marinucci * Mario Melloni * Gi ...

in 1948

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

for his performance in '' Der Prozeß''. Deutsch's performances in the title role of

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the develop ...

's ''

Nathan the Wise ''Nathan the Wise'' (original German title: ', ) is a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing from 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. It was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsch ...

'' and as Shylock in Shakespeare's ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' were critically praised. He played Nathan for more than 2,000 performances, and traveled with productions throughout Europe. Deutsch died on 22 March 1969 in Berlin, and is buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Berlin highway. For the fourth anniversary of his death in 1973,

Friedrich Schütter Friedrich Schütter (1921–1995) was a German film and television actor. He was the German dubbing voice of Lorne Greene. Selected filmography * ''Operation Sleeping Bag'' (1955) * ''The Heart of St. Pauli'' (1957) * ''Doctor Crippen Lives'' ...

's former Junges Theater in the Uhlenhorst quarter of

was renamed after Deutsch (who had staged a performance of ''Nathan The Wise'' there shortly before his death).

Filmography

* ''Die Rache der Toten'' (1916) – Schreiber, Ferenc * ''Die zweite Frau'' (1917) – Jesuit * ''Apokalypse'' (1918) * ''Pique Dame'' (1918) – Graf St-. Germain * ''Irrungen'' (1919) – Franz, Arbeiter * '' The Geisha and the Samurai'' (1919) * ''Die Frau im Käfig'' (1919) * ''

Blonde Poison ''Blonde Poison'' (german: Blondes Gift) is a 1919 German silent drama film directed by Hubert Moest and starring Hedda Vernon, Paul Hartmann, and Olga Engl.Bock & Bergfelder p. 433 The film's sets were designed by the art director Karl Machu ...

'' (1919) – Rolf Röm (Enkel) * '' The Galley Slave'' (2 parts) (1919) – Galeerensträfling * ''Fluch der Vergangenheit'' (1919) * ''Vom Schicksal erdrosselt'' (1919) – Ernst Dutton * ''Die Tochter des Henkers'' (1919) * ''

The Monastery of Sendomir ''The Monastery of Sendomir'' ( sv, Klostret i Sendomir) is a 1920 Swedish drama film directed by Victor Sjöström, based on an 1828 short story by Franz Grillparzer. It has also been released in the UK as ''The Secret of the Monastery''. A G ...

'' (1919) * ''Aladdin und die Wunderlampe'' (1919) * ''

Hate Hatred is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Hatred is s ...

'' (1920) * ''

From Morn to Midnight ''From Morn to Midnight'' (german: Von morgens bis mitternachts) is a 1920 German silent expressionist film directed by Karlheinz Martin based on the 1912 play '' From Morning to Midnight'' by Georg Kaiser. It is one of the most radical films ...

'' (1920) – Kassierer * ''

Monika Vogelsang ''Monika Vogelsang'' is a 1920 German silent historical drama film directed by Rudolf Biebrach and starring Henny Porten, Paul Hartmann and Ernst Deutsch.Bock & Bergfelder p.372 The film's sets were designed by the art director Emil Hasler an ...

'' (1920) – Johannes Walterspiel * ''Gerechtigkeit'' (1920) * ''

Blackmailed Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' (1920) * '' The Hunt for Death'' (1920) * '' The Golem: How He Came into the World'' (1920) – Der Rabbi Famulus * '' Judith Trachtenberg'' (1920) – Judith's Brother * ''Fiebernächte'' (1920) * ''Ferreol'' (1920) * ''Der gelbe Tod'' (2 parts) (1920) * ''

The Women House of Brescia ''The Women House of Brescia'' (german: Das Frauenhaus von Brescia) is a 1920 German-language silent film directed by Hubert Moest. The film's alternative name was ''The House of Pillory''. The film was considered highly controversial for the d ...

'' (1920) * '' Hannerl and Her Lovers'' (1921) – Priester * ''

Burning Country ''Burning Country'' (german: Brennendes Land) is a 1921 German silent adventure film directed by Heinz Herald and starring Marie Wismar, Ernst Deutsch, and Kurt Vespermann. It premiered in Berlin on 10 March 1921.Grange p. 88 Cast * Marie W ...

'' (1921) – Vikar Benedikt * ''

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

'' (1921) * ''Die Dame und der Landstreicher'' (1922) * '' Duke Ferrante's End'' (1922) – Orlando * ''Sein ist das Gericht'' (1922) * ''Liebe kann man nicht kaufen'' (1922) * ''Der Kampf ums Ich'' (1922) * ''Der alte Gospodar'' (1922) – Zdenko & Wolfgan * '' The Pagoda'' (1923) * ''

The Burning Secret ''The Burning Secret'' (german: Brennendes Geheimnis) is a 1933 Austrian-German drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Alfred Abel, Hilde Wagener and Hans Joachim Schaufuß. It was based on the novella of the same title by Stefan ...

'' (1923) * '' The Ancient Law'' (1923) – Baruch, sein Sohn * '' Debit and Credit'' (1924) – Bernhard * '' Dagfin'' (1926) – Assairan, ein Armenier * '' The Bordello in Rio'' (1927) – Plüsch (Popescu) * ''

Two Under the Stars ''Two Under the Stars'' (German: ''Zwei unterm Himmelszelt'') is a 1927 German silent film directed by Johannes Guter and Ernst Wolff and starring Margarete Schlegel, Ernst Deutsch and Jean Angelo Jean Angelo (born Jean-Jacques Barthélémy, ...

'' (1927) – Pierre Marescot, Eintänzer * ''

Artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

'' (1928) – Der Illusionist Maranoff * '' The Prisoner of Corbal'' (1936) – The Fugitive * ''

Nurse Edith Cavell ''Nurse Edith Cavell'' is a 1939 American film directed by British director Herbert Wilcox about Edith Cavell. The film was nominated at the 1939 Oscars for Best Original Score. Plot The story follows the broadly true story of Edith Cavell w ...

'' (1939) – Dr. Schroeder, Public Prosecutor * ''

The Man I Married ''The Man I Married'' (alternative title ''I Married a Nazi'') is an American 1940 drama film starring Joan Bennett, Francis Lederer, Lloyd Nolan and Anna Sten. Plot A successful, and yet naive American woman, art critic Carol Cabbott (Joan Benn ...

'' (1940) – Otto * ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some s ...

'' (1940) – Baron von Reiber (uncredited) * '' So Ends Our Night'' (1941) – Dr. Behr * '' Prisoner of Japan'' (1942) – Matsuru * '' Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen'' (1942) – Dr. Morse, Lido Club Physician * '' Reunion in France'' (1942) – Captain * ''

The Moon Is Down ''The Moon Is Down'' is a novel by American writer John Steinbeck. Fashioned for adaptation for the theatre and for which Steinbeck received the Norwegian King Haakon VII Freedom Cross, it was published by Viking Press in March 1942. The story ...

'' (1943) – Maj. Hunter * ''

Night Plane from Chungking ''Night Plane from Chungking'' (also known as ''China Pass'' and ''Sky Over China'') is a 1943 American war film released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Ralph Murphy, and produced by Michael Kraike and Walter MacEwen from a screenplay by Les ...

'' (1943) – Major Brissac * '' Isle of the Dead'' (1945) – Dr. Drossos * '' The Trial'' (1948) – Scharf, Tempeldiener * ''

'' (1949) – 'Baron' Kurtz * ' (1951) – Abel de Yonkh * ''

When the Heath Dreams at Night ''When the Heath Dreams at Night'' (german: Wenn abends die Heide träumt) is a 1952 West German drama film directed by Paul Martin and starring Rudolf Prack, Viktor Staal and Margot Trooger.Spicer p. 460 It was shot in the Göttingen Studios an ...

'' (1952) * ''Nathan der Weise'' (1955, TV film) – Nathan * ''Jedermann'' (1958, TV film) * '' Sebastian Kneipp'' (1958) –

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

* ''Ein Mädchen vom Lande'' (1961, TV film) – Frank Elgin * ''Vor Sonnenuntergang'' (1962, TV film) – Matthias Clausen * ''In der Strafkolonie'' (1963, TV film) – Der Reisende * ''Der Fall Bohr'' (1966, TV film) – Peter von Bohr (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* . * * * * *

External links

*
Photographs of Ernst Deutsch
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsch, Ernst 1890 births 1969 deaths German male stage actors German male film actors German male silent film actors German male television actors German people of Jewish descent Jewish German male actors Volpi Cup for Best Actor winners 20th-century German male actors Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German expatriate male actors in the United States