Robert Thoeren (1903–1957) was a German screenwriter and

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 (), li ...

. Thoeren was born in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After 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 ...

the German-speaking Thoeren emigrated to Germany where he became a theatre and film actor. Thoeren appeared in

leading role A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typic ...

s in several German-language films made by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

at the

Joinville Studios The Joinville Studios were a film studio in Paris which operated between 1910 and 1987. They were one of the leading French studios, with major companies such as Pathé and Gaumont making films there. A second studio was added to the original ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. Thoeren went into exile following the

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 ...

rise to power in 1933, first in France and later in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Thoeren had already ceased acting and begun writing screenplays for films and became a top writer in the United States working with leading directors including Joseph Losey and

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

. Thoeren returned to Germany after 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 opposi ...

and continued his career as a screenwriter. His story idea for the 1935 French film ''

Fanfare of Love ''Fanfare of Love'' (French: ''Fanfare d'amour'') is a 1935 French comedy film directed by Richard Pottier and starring Fernand Gravey, Betty Stockfeld and Julien Carette.Ginsberg & Mensch p.403 The film's art direction was by Max Heilbronner. Th ...

'' and its 1951 German remake '' Fanfares of Love'' was used as the basis for

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

's '' Some Like It Hot'' released in 1959, two years after his death.Gemunden p.110-111 He married the German actress

Erica Beer Erica Beer (19 January 1925 – 27 December 2013) was a German film actress. She was born in Munich. Selected filmography * ''Captive Soul'' (1952) * ''The Last Waltz'' (1953) * ''Heartbroken on the Moselle'' (1953) * ''They Were So Young'' ( ...

in 1957, but died in the same year in a car crash.

Selected filmography

Actor

* '' Tropical Nights'' (1931) * '' Woman in the Jungle'' (1931) * '' The Squeaker'' (1931) * '' That's All That Matters'' (1931)

Screenwriter

* ''

Les yeux noirs Les Yeux Noirs is the name of a French band combining elements of jazz manouche and other Romani music, Yiddish, and Klezmer music. The group was founded by two brothers, Eric and Olivier Slabiak, who both play violin. Other members of the band ...

'' (1935) * ''

Hotel Imperial The Hotel Imperial, also known as The Imperial, is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is located on the Vienna Ring Road (''Ringstraße'') at Kärntner Ring 16, in the Innere Stadt district. Description The Hotel Imperial's faça ...

'' (1939) * ''

Rage in Heaven ''Rage in Heaven'' is a 1941 American psychological thriller film noir about the destructive power of jealousy. It was directed by W.S. Van Dyke and based on the 1932 novel by James Hilton. It features Robert Montgomery, Ingrid Bergman, and Geo ...

'' (1941) * '' Summer Storm'' (1944) * '' Mrs. Parkington'' (1944) * ''

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

'' (1947) * ''

An Act of Murder ''An Act of Murder'' (also known as ''Live Today for Tomorrow'' and ''I Stand Accused'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Michael Gordon and starring Fredric March, Edmond O'Brien, Florence Eldridge, and Geraldine Brooks. It was ent ...

'' (1948) * '' The Fighting O'Flynn'' (1949) * '' My Daughter Joy'' (1950) * ''

September Affair ''September Affair'' is a 1950 American romantic drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Joan Fontaine, Joseph Cotten, and Jessica Tandy. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis. Plot Marianne "Manina" Stuart (Joan Fontaine), a prominent c ...

'' (1950) * '' Fanfares of Love'' (1951) * '' The Prowler'' (1951) * ''

Bandits of the Autobahn ''Bandits of the Autobahn'' (german: Banditen der Autobahn) is a 1955 West German crime film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Eva Ingeborg Scholz, Hans Christian Blech and Paul Hörbiger.Generic Histories of German Cinema: Genre and I ...

'' (1955) * ''

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

'' (1955) * '' Between Time and Eternity'' (1956) * '' Confessions of Felix Krull'' (1957) * ' (1958) * '' A Woman Who Knows What She Wants'' (1958) * '' Some Like It Hot'' (1959)

References

Bibliography

* Gemunden, Gerd. ''A Foreign Affair: Billy Wilder's American Films''. Berghahn Books, 2008. * Phillips, Gene D. ''Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder''. University Press of Kentucky, 2010.

External links

* 1903 births 1957 deaths Actors from Brno People from the Margraviate of Moravia Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France German male screenwriters German male film actors 20th-century German male actors German male writers Film people from Brno Moravian-German people 20th-century German screenwriters {{Germany-film-bio-stub