Käthe Haack (born Käte Lisbeth Minna Sophie Isolde Haack;
11 August 1897 – 5 May 1986) was a German stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 200 films and 30 television productions between 1915 and 1985.
Life and career
Käte Lisbeth Minna Sophie Isolde Haack was born in Berlin on 11 August 1897. After finishing school education, Haack had her first engagement as an actress in
Göttingen
Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...
. Since 1915, she regularly appeared in Berlin theatres like
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 ...
,
Volksbühne and
Deutsches Theater. Between 1934 and 1945, she worked at the
Konzerthaus Berlin
The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated fro ...
under direction of
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 ...
. She also appeared in the original production of ''
The Captain of Köpenick''. Haack remained in demand as a stage actress for the rest of her life, for example as Mrs. Higgins in ''
My Fair Lady
''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...
'' during the 1960s.
Haack started her film career as early as 1915 with the
Max Mack's silent film ''Der Katzensteg''.
She was initially cast as Lola-Lola in the film ''
The Blue Angel
''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert ...
'' (1930) and her contract was signed, but she was ultimately replaced by
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 . (, ; ...
. She mostly played love interests during the silent era, later she successfully transitioned to character roles as a mother, wife, grandmother or wealthy lady. Among her best-known film roles is Baronin Münchhausen in ''
Münchhausen'' (1943), an expensive film adaption about
Baron Munchausen
Baron Munchausen (; ) is a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in his 1785 book '' Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia''. The character is loosely based on a real ...
starring
Hans Albers
Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.
Early life
...
. She also appeared in ''
Emil and the Detectives
''Emil and the Detectives'' () is a 1929 novel set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. It was Kästner's first major success and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. T ...
'' (1931), ''
No Greater Love The term no greater love is derived from a well-known verse of the New Testament (John 15): "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". This specific excerpt may refer to:
Books, films and TV
* ''No Greater ...
'' (1952) and ''
The Last Pedestrian
''The Last Pedestrian'' (german: Der letzte Fussgänger) is a 1960 West German comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Heinz Erhardt, Christine Kaufmann and Käthe Haack. It was shot at the Göttingen Studios. The film's set's w ...
'' (1960). Haack played her last role in the television series ''
Ein Heim für Tiere'' in 1985, 70 years after her film career had started.
She was married to actor
Heinrich Schroth
Heinrich August Franz Schroth (23 March 1871 – 14 January 1945) was a German stage and film actor.
Career
Schroth was born in Pirmasens, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He made his acting debut at the Sigmaringen Royal Theatre in 1890. In 1894 ...
from 1922 until his death in 1945. They had one child together, actress
Hannelore Schroth
Hannelore Emilie Käte Grete Schroth (; 10 January 1922 – 7 July 1987) was a German film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned over five decades.
Career
Born in Berlin in 1922, she was the daughter of popular stage and film actor ...
, who was born in 1922.

Käthe Haack died in Berlin in May 1986 at the age of 88. The burial took place at the state-owned
Friedhof Heerstraße in today's district of
Berlin-Westend. The daughter Hannelore Schroth was already buried at her side the following year, as was later her son from her third marriage, Christoph Kantapper Köster (1953-2012). By decision of the Berlin Senate, the final resting place of Käthe Haack (grave location: 16-J-27) has been dedicated as an honorary grave of the State of Berlin since 2018. The dedication is valid for the usual period of twenty years, but can be extended afterwards.
Selected filmography
* ''
The Knitting Needles'' (1916)
* ''
Dr. Hart's Diary'' (1917)
* ''
Wedding in the Eccentric Club
''Wedding in the Eccentric Club'' (German: ''Die Hochzeit im Excentricclub'') is a 1917 German silent crime action film directed by Joe May and starring Harry Liedtke, Käthe Haack and Bruno Kastner.Thomas p.54 It was part of the long-running seri ...
'' (1917)
* ''
The Rat The Rat may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Rat'' (play), a 1924 play written by Ivor Novello and Constance Collier
* ''The Rat'' (1925 film), a film by Ivor Novello based on his play of the same name
* ''The Rat'' (1937 film), another ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Your Big Secret'' (1918)
* ''
The Son of Hannibal'' (1918)
* ''
Lorenzo Burghardt
''Lorenzo Burghardt'' is a 1918 German silent film directed by William Wauer and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Käthe Haack.Grange p.10
Cast
* Albert Bassermann
* Elsa Bassermann
* Emilie Croll
* Käthe Haack
* Paul Rehkopf
Pa ...
'' (1918)
* ''
The Gambler'' (1919)
* ''
Algol
ALGOL (; short for "Algorithmic Language") is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in 1958. ALGOL heavily influenced many other languages and was the standard method for algorithm description used by th ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Demon Blood
''Demon Blood'' (German: ''Dämon Blut'') is a 1920 German silent film directed by Fred Sauer.Giesen p.36
Cast
In alphabetical order
* Emil Biron
* Ernst Dernburg
* Käthe Haack
* Aenderly Lebius
* Nien Soen Ling
* Frederic Nay
* Heinrich Pee ...
'' (1920)
* ''
The Yellow Diplomat'' (1920)
* ''
The Drums of Asia
''The Drums of Asia'' (german: Die Trommeln Asiens) is a 1921 German silent film directed by Uwe Jens Krafft and starring Rudolf Lettinger, Käthe Haack and Arnold Marlé.Thompson p. 146
It was shot at the Emelka Studios in Munich. The film's se ...
'' (1921)
* ''
The Love Nest'' (1922)
* ''
Youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...
'' (1922)
* ''
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
'' (1923)
* ''
The Sensational Trial'' (1923)
* ''
My Leopold'' (1924)
* ''
Hedda Gabler
''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Leap Into Life
''Leap Into Life'' (german: Der Sprung ins Leben) is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Xenia Desni, Walter Rilla and Paul Heidemann. It features one the earliest film appearances of the future star Marlene ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Living Buddhas'' (1925)
* ''
The Marriage Swindler
''The Marriage Swindler'' (german: Heiratsschwindler) is a 1938 German drama film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Eduard von Winterstein, Viktoria von Ballasko and Kurt Waitzmann. It is sometimes known by the alternative title ''Die rote ...
'' (1925)
* ''
Children of No Importance
''Children of No Importance'' or ''The Illegitimate'' (German: ''Die Unehelichen'') is a 1926 German silent drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Bernhard Goetzke, Margarete Kupfer and Elsa Wagner. It was part of the series of En ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Wrath of the Seas'' (1926)
* ''
People to Each Other
''People to Each Other'' (german: Menschen untereinander) is a 1926 German silent film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Alfred Abel, Aud Egede-Nissen, and Eduard Rothauser. The film's art direction was by Otto Moldenhauer
Otto Molden ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Sister Veronika
''Sister Veronika'' (german: Schwester Veronika) is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Aud Egede-Nissen, Paul Richter, and Hilde Maroff. The film's art direction was by Otto Moldenhauer
Otto Moldenhauer ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Benno Stehkragen'' (1927)
* ''
The Catwalk'' (1927)
* ''
Under the Lantern'' (1928)
* ''
Scandalous Eva'' (1930)
* ''
Alraune'' (1930)
* ''
Berlin-Alexanderplatz'' (1931)
* ''
The Captain from Köpenick'' (1931)
* ''
Emil and the Detectives
''Emil and the Detectives'' () is a 1929 novel set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. It was Kästner's first major success and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. T ...
'' (1931)
* ''
Tannenberg'' (1932)
* ''
Night Convoy'' (1932)
* ''
The Beautiful Adventure'' (1932)
* ''
Quick'' (1932)
* ''
Love Must Be Understood
''Love Must Be Understood'' (german: Liebe muss verstanden sein) is a 1933 German musical comedy film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Rosy Barsony, Georg Alexander, and Wolf Albach-Retty. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin
...
'' (1933)
* ''
The Gentleman from Maxim's'' (1933)
* ''
Dream of the Rhine
''Dream of the Rhine'' (german: Der Traum vom Rhein) is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Eduard Wesener, Käthe Haack, and Hugo Fischer-Köppe.Waldman p. 83 It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin and o ...
'' (1933)
* ''
The Black Whale'' (1934)
* ''
Police Report'' (1934)
* ''
Hearts are Trumps'' (1934)
* ''
The Four Musketeers'' (1934)
* ''
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
'' (1934)
* ''
Pygmalion'' (1935)
* ''
Miracle of Flight'' (1935)
* ''
The Schimeck Family
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' (1935)
* ''
Thunder, Lightning and Sunshine'' (1936)
* ''
Family Parade'' (1936)
* ''
A Woman of No Importance
''A Woman of No Importance'' by Oscar Wilde is "a new and original play of modern life", in four acts, first given on 19 April 1893 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Like Wilde's other society plays, it satirises English upper-class society. It ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Ruler
''The Ruler'' (German: ''Der Herrscher'') is a 1937 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Gerhart Hauptmann. Erwin Leiser calls it a propagandistic demonstration of the Führerprinzip of Na ...
'' (1937)
* ''
The Deruga Case
''Der Fall Deruga'' (''The Deruga Case'') is a novel by Ricarda Huch first published in German in 1917 about a physician charged with killing his ex-wife. An early courtroom drama, it depicts a trial by jury in which the defendant is reluctant, if ...
'' (1938)
* ''
The False Step'' (1939)
* ''
Two in a Big City
''Two in a Big City'' (german: Zwei in einer großen Stadt) is a 1942 German romantic comedy film directed by Volker von Collande and starring Claude Farell, Karl John and Marianne Simson. A German soldier on leave in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Münchhausen'' (1943)
* ''
Wild Bird'' (1943)
* ''
Sophienlund
''Sophienlund'' is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Heinz Rühmann and starring Harry Liedtke, Käthe Haack and Hannelore Schroth. It was based on a play of the same title by Helmut Weiss and Fritz von Woedtke.Goble p.494 It was shot at the ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Love Letters'' (1944)
* ''
And If We Should Meet Again'' (1947)
* ''
Dangerous Guests'' (1949)
* ''
An Everyday Story'' (1948)
* ''
Keepers of the Night'' (1949)
* ''
The Great Mandarin'' (1949)
* ''
The Appeal to Conscience
''The Appeal to Conscience'' (german: Ruf an das Gewissen) is a 1949 German mystery film directed by Karl Anton and starring Karl Ludwig Diehl, Werner Hinz and Gustav Diessl.Davidson & Hake p. 61 It was originally shot in 1944, but remained uncomp ...
'' (1949)
* ''
The Beaver Coat'' (1949)
* ''
Gabriela'' (1950)
* ''
The Girl from the South Seas
''The Girl from the South Seas'' (german: Das Mädchen aus der Südsee) is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Hans Müller and starring Angelika Hauff, Madelon Truß and Hardy Krüger.Bock & Bergfelder p.268
The film's sets were desi ...
'' (1950)
* ''
Unknown Sender'' (1950)
* ''
Furioso'' (1950)
* ''
Queen of the Night'' (1951)
* ''
Maya of the Seven Veils'' (1951)
* ''
When the Evening Bells Ring'' (1951)
* ''
My Friend the Thief'' (1951)
* ''
No Greater Love The term no greater love is derived from a well-known verse of the New Testament (John 15): "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". This specific excerpt may refer to:
Books, films and TV
* ''No Greater ...
'' (1952)
* ''
The Smugglers' Banquet
''The Smugglers' Banquet'' (french: Le Banquet des fraudeurs) is a 1952 Belgian crime film directed by Henri Storck. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Cast
In alphabetical order
* Marguerite Daulboys
* Yves Deniaud – Van Mo ...
'' (1952)
* ''
Shooting Stars'' (1952)
* ''
Homesick for You'' (1952)
* ''
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 mod ...
'' (1952)
* ''
The Day Before the Wedding'' (1952)
* ''
I'm Waiting for You'' (1952)
* ''
We'll Talk About Love Later
''We'll Talk About Love Later'' (german: Von Liebe reden wir später) is a 1953 West German comedy film directed by Karl Anton and starring Gustav Fröhlich, Maria Holst and Liselotte Pulver.Bock & Bergfelder p. 340
It was shot at the Tempelhof S ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Everything for Father
''Everything for Father'' (german: Alles für Papa) is a 1953 West German comedy film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Johanna Matz, Curd Jürgens, and Peer Schmidt. It was shot at the Göttingen Studios. The film's sets were designed by the a ...
'' (1953)
* ''
Rose-Girl Resli'' (1954)
* ''
The Great Lola'' (1954)
* ''
The Seven Dresses of Katrin'' (1954)
* ''
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Homesick for Germany'' (1954)
* ''
The Country Schoolmaster'' (1954)
* ''
I'll See You at Lake Constance
''I'll See You at Lake Constance'' (german: Auf Wiedersehn am Bodensee) is a 1956 West German comedy film directed by Hans Albin and starring Gretl Schörg, Lonny Kellner and Erwin Strahl.Parish p.245 The film was shot in Agfacolor. It is set i ...
'' (1956)
* ''
Like Once Lili Marleen
''Like Once Lili Marleen'' (German: ''...wie einst Lili Marleen'') is a 1956 West German romantic drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Adrian Hoven, Marianne Hold and Claus Holm.Lehrke p.128 The title refers to the popular wartime ...
'' (1956)
* ''
The Big Chance'' (1957)
* ''
Adorable Arabella
''Adorable Arabella'' (German: ''Bezaubernde Arabella'') is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Johanna von Koczian, Carlos Thompson and Hilde Hildebrand. It is an adaptation of the 1949 novel ''Arabella'' ...
'' (1959)
* ''
The Last Pedestrian
''The Last Pedestrian'' (german: Der letzte Fussgänger) is a 1960 West German comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Heinz Erhardt, Christine Kaufmann and Käthe Haack. It was shot at the Göttingen Studios. The film's set's w ...
'' (1960)
* ''
Death and Diamonds
''The Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers'' is a detective fiction series of books published by Aladdin Paperbacks (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), which replaced The Hardy Boys Digest paperbacks in early 2005. All the books in the series have be ...
'' (1968)
* ''
Our Doctor is the Best'' (1969)
* ''
The Pedestrian
"The Pedestrian" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in the August 7, 1951 issue of '' The Reporter'' by The Fortnightly Publishing Company. It is included in the collection ...
'' (1973)
* ''
Grete Minde'' (1977)
* ''
Iron Gustav
''Iron Gustav'' (German: ''Der eiserne Gustav'') is a 1958 West German comedy film directed by George Hurdalek and starring Heinz Rühmann, Lucie Mannheim and Karin Baal.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 308. It is based on the real story of cab driver Gusta ...
'' (1979)
References
External links
*
*
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haack, Kathe
1897 births
1986 deaths
Actresses from Berlin
20th-century German actresses
German stage actresses
German film actresses
German silent film actresses