Falk Harnack (2 March 1913 – 3 September 1991) was a German director and screenwriter. During Germany's Nazi era, he was also active with the German Resistance and toward the end of World War II, the partisans in Greece. Harnack was from a family of scholars, artists and scientists, several of whom were active in the anti-Nazi Resistance and paid with their lives.

Early years

Falk Erich Walter Harnack was the younger son of painter Clara Harnack (née Reichau) and literary historian Otto Harnack; a nephew of theologian

Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...

and Erich Harnack, professor of

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

and chemistry; the grandson of theologian

Theodosius Harnack Theodosius Andreas Harnack (russian: Феодосий Карлович Гарнак, translit=Feodosij Karlovič Garnak; , St. Petersburg – , Dorpat (now )) was a Baltic German theologian. A professor of Divinity, he started his career as a P ...

and the younger brother of

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and German Resistance fighter

Arvid Harnack Arvid Harnack (; 24 May 1901 in Darmstadt – 22 December 1942 in Berlin) was a German jurist, Marxist economist, Communist, and German resistance fighter in Nazi Germany. Harnack came from an intellectual family and was originally a humanist. H ...

. He was also a cousin of theologian

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world hav ...

and Ernst von Harnack, who, like his brother and sister-in-law,

Mildred Harnack Mildred Elizabeth Harnack ( Fish; September 16, 1902 – February 16, 1943) was an American literary historian, translator, and member of the German resistance against the Nazi regime. After marrying Arvid Harnack, she moved to Germany in 1929, ...

, also became victims of 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 ...

.Mildred Harnack: Cast of characters
Traces.org. Retrieved February 19, 2012Others close to Harnack who were executed by the SS were his cousin Klaus Bonhoeffer and

Hans von Dohnanyi Hans von Dohnanyi (; originally ''Johann von Dohnányi'' ; 1 January 1902 – 8 or 9 April 1945) was a German jurist. He used his position in the Abwehr to help Jews escape Germany, worked with German resistance against the Nazi régime, ...

, who was Klaus' and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's brother-in-law. He never got to know his father, who committed suicide in 1914. Through his older brother, Harnack early learned about

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

, through which he came into contact with people who later became members of the Red Orchestra. These acquaintances made a big impression on him, so that he recoiled from Nazi

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 ...

. After going to school in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, he continued his education near

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

, where he received his

abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen yea ...

in 1932. In 1933, he began attending university, first in Berlin and after 1934, in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

,Gottfried Hamacher, Andre Lohmar, Herbert Mayer and Günter Wehner
''Gegen Hitler: Deutsche in der Resistance, in den Streitkräften der Antihitlerkoalition und der Bewegung "Freies Deutschland"''
Dietz, Berlin (March 2005), p. 76. where in May, he took part in disseminating fliers against the

National Socialist German Students' League The National Socialist German Students' Union ( German: ''Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund'', abbreviated NSDStB) was founded in 1926 as a division of the Nazi Party with the mission of integrating University-level education and ac ...

. He received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

with a dissertation on Karl BleibtreuFalk Harnack biography
Filmreporter.de. Retrieved February 19, 2012 in 1936 and the following year, began working at the

Nationaltheater Weimar The (DNT) is a German theatre and musical organisation based in Weimar. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical (German National Theatre, now solely based in Weimar) and the symphony orchestra known as the . It has a total of s ...

and the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

theater in

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region bet ...

. He worked there as a director until 1940, when he was drafted into the Wehrmacht.

War years

In 1942,

Hans Scholl Hans Fritz Scholl (; 22 September 1918 – 22 February 1943) was, along with Alexander Schmorell, one of the two founding members of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. The principal author of the resistance movement's l ...

Alexander Schmorell Alexander Schmorell (; russian: Александр Гугович Шморель, translit=Aleksandr Gugovich Shmorel', ; 16 September 1917 – 13 July 1943) was a Russian- German student at Munich University who, with five others, formed a resis ...

and other members of the Munich Resistance group the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the University of Munich: Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmor ...

got in touch with Harnack through

Lilo Ramdohr Lieselotte ″Lilo″ Fürst-Ramdohr (11 October 1913 – 13 May 2013) was a member of the Munich branch of the student resistance group White Rose (''Weiße Rose'') in Nazi Germany. She was born in Aschersleben. Early life Ramdohr was a descen ...

, a mutual friend who had gone to school with Harnack. Through him, they hoped to build a relationship with the Berlin Resistance members involved with Harnack's brother, Arvid,»Keine Träne, aufrecht«
''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History T ...

'' (November 24, 2009). Retrieved March 2, 2012

Harro Schulze-Boysen Heinz Harro Max Wilhelm Georg Schulze-Boysen (; Schulze, 2 September 1909 – 22 December 1942) was a left-wing German publicist and Luftwaffe officer during World War II. As a young man, Schulze-Boysen grew up in prosperous family with two sib ...

and others. Harnack put them in touch with his cousins,

Klaus Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus *Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseba ...

and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. That same year, the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organis ...

intercepted communications revealing the existence of the Red Orchestra and leading to numerous arrests. Many of those arrested were later executed, including Harnack's brother on 22 December 1942, and on 16 February 1943 his sister-in-law,

, an American citizen. During this period, Ramdohr was engaged to Falk Harnack, which Arvid mentioned in his farewell letter to his family, written hours before his execution. Though Harnack's brother had just been executed, he went to Munich to meet with

Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

and Hans Scholl on 3 February 1943. He and Hans Scholl agreed to meet again on 25 February but Harnack waited in vain; Scholl had already been arrested and executed, along with his sister. Thirteen other members of the White Rose were taken into custody, including

Kurt Huber Kurt Huber (24 October 1893 – 13 July 1943) was a university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose. For his involvement he was imprisoned and guillotined. Early life Huber was born in Chur, Switzerland, to Ge ...

Willi Graf Wilhelm Graf (better known as Willi Graf) (2 January 1918 – 12 October 1943) was a member of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) resistance group in Nazi Germany. The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th centu ...

and Harnack. Of the lot, Harnack was the only one acquitted; the others were found guilty and condemned to death, some executed the same day they were tried at the Volksgerichtshof, the civilian "People's Court". On 19 April 1943, Harnack was acquitted because of a lack of evidence and "unique special circumstances". In August 1943 he was removed from service to the Wehrmacht and transferred to a

penal battalion Penal military units, including penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may contain soldiers convicted of offenses under military law, persons enrolled ...

, the 999th Light Afrika Division and sent to Greece. In December 1943, he was to be arrested and sent to a

Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as conce ...

, but his superior, Lieutenant Gerhard Fauth, tipped him off and helped him escape. He then joined the Greek partisans fighting the Nazis, working with the

Greek People's Liberation Army Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

(ELAS) and co-founded the

Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany The Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany (German: ''Antifaschistische Komitee Freies Deutschland'', or AKFD) was an organization of former Wehrmacht soldiers modeled after the National Committee for a Free Germany. The organization was formed ...

with Gerhard Reinhardt, becoming leader of the organization.

Postwar years

After the war, Harnack returned to his career as a director and

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and printed programmes (or helps others with these tasks), consults auth ...

, first working at the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n state theater in Munich. In 1947, he began working at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. From 1949 to 1952, he was the artistic director at

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...

, where he made the film '' The Axe of Wandsbek'', adapted from a book by

Arnold Zweig Arnold Zweig (10 November 1887 – 26 November 1968) was a German writer, pacifist and socialist. He is best known for his six-part cycle on World War I. Life and work Zweig was born in Glogau, Prussian Silesia (now Głogów, Poland), the son ...

. According to Zweig's son, the movie is based on a true story and may also relate to the events of

Altona Bloody Sunday Altona Bloody Sunday (german: Altonaer Blutsonntag) is the name given to the events of 17 July 1932 when a recruitment march by the Nazi SA led to violent clashes between the police, the SA and supporters of the Communist Party of Germany ...

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

.''Das Beil von Wandsbek (The Axe of Wandsbek)''
DEFA Film Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved 19 February 2012. The main character carries out a Nazi execution, though he ruins his business, marriage and life over it. Opening to positive reactions from the public, the film met with disapproval from the Socialist Unity Party and its Soviet advisors, who felt the movie's political position was not clear enough. One such adviser said, " he film hadan undesired and deleterious effect on people in the GDR, as it does not depict hatred of fascism, but rather pity for the murderers." The government banned the movie within weeks. Poet and playwright

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

remarked after the banning, “It is important to emphasize that there can be no sympathy for a Nazi executioner." After all that Falk Harnack had lost to the Nazis, this dispute hit him hard and in 1952, he left

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

for

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under ...

. For the first few years, Harnack worked for the film production company

CCC Film CCC Film (German: Central Cinema Compagnie-Film GmbH) is a German film production company founded in 1946 by Artur Brauner. A Polish Jew who survived the Nazi era by fleeing to the Soviet Union, he lost dozens of relatives to the Nazis. His primar ...

and, along with

Helmut Käutner Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the Weimar Republic and released his first films as a director in Nazi Germany. Käu ...

and

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside ...

, was one of the most important directors of German postwar films. From the end of the 1950s, however, he worked almost exclusively in television. He also wrote the screenplays for many of his films. From 1962 to 1965, he was the leading director of the newly founded German television station,

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

. Subsequently, he worked primarily as a free lance. In addition to entertainment, he also made challenging films, which sometimes dealt with Germany's Nazi era and the Resistance, such as his 1955 release ''

The Plot to Assassinate Hitler ''The Plot to Assassinate Hitler'' (german: Der 20. Juli) is a 1955 German feature film produced by CCC Film on the failed 20 July 1944 attempt to kill Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born Germ ...

'' (''Der 20. Juli'') about the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

, which won the 1956

German Film Award The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

in the category "Films Contributing to the Encouragement of Democratic Thought". In 1962, he directed for television, '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'', an adaptation of

Hans Fallada Hans Fallada (; born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen; 21 July 18935 February 1947) was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1932) and ''Every Man Dies Alone'' ...

's novel, ''

Every Man Dies Alone ''Every Man Dies Alone'' or ''Alone in Berlin'' (german: Jeder stirbt für sich allein) is a 1947 novel by German author Hans Fallada. It is based on the true story of working-class husband and wife Otto and Elise Hampel who, acting alone, bec ...

'', based on the story of

Otto and Elise Hampel Otto and Elise Hampel were a working class German couple who created a simple method of protest against Nazism in Berlin during the middle years of World War II. They wrote postcards denouncing Hitler's government and left them in public pla ...

, a working class couple who became involved in the anti-Nazi Resistance, failed in their efforts and were executed.

Recognition and personal

About Harnack's work, German author Gerhard Schoenberner opined that, ''" ta time when West German postwar film had sunk to its artistic and political low, his work set new standards for the dictates of commerce and the false glorification of the past that had become fashionable during the

Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian De ...

period as a result of the Cold War."'' Harnack was married to German actress

Käthe Braun Käthe Braun (11 November 1913 – 9 September 1994) was a German stage and film actress. She was married to director Falk Harnack and acted in several of his films. Career Katharina Braun was born in Wasserburg am Inn. After studying actin ...

, who was often in his films. He died on 3 September 1991, aged 78, after a long illness.

Awards (selected)

* 1940

Goethe Medal The Goethe Medal, also known as the Goethe-Medaille, is a yearly prize given by the Goethe-Institut honoring non-Germans "who have performed outstanding service for the German language and for international cultural relations". It is an offici ...

of the German National Theater Weimar * 1952

, Gold pin * 1959 Guild of the German Stage, Silver pin * 1977 Honorary Certificate,

Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime The Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime/Federation of Antifascists ( German: ''Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten'') (VVN-BdA) is a German political confederation founded in 1947 ...

* 1983 Filmband in Gold for "Longstanding and Excellent Work in German Film"List of German Film Award winners by name
Deutsche Filmakademie. Retrieved February 19, 2012 * 1989

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellec ...

, Officer's Cross

Filmography

* 1951: '' The Axe of Wandsbek'' (based on a novel by

) – with

Erwin Geschonneck Erwin Geschonneck (27 December 1906 – 12 March 2008) was a German actor. His biggest success occurred in the German Democratic Republic, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time. Early life Geschonneck was born in Bart ...

Claus Holm Claus Holm (4 August 1918 – 21 September 1996) was a German film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1943 and 1979. He was born in Bochum, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Floh im Ohr'' (1943) - Knecht H ...

Gisela May Gisela May (31 May 1924 – 2 December 2016) was a German actress and singer. Early life May was born in Wetzlar, Germany. Both her mother, Kate May, and her father, Ferdinand May, were writers. She studied at the drama school in Leipzig from 19 ...

* 1954: ''Roman eines Frauenarztes'' (based on a novel by ) – with Rudolf Prack, Anne-Marie Blanc, Winnie Markus,

Jan Hendriks Jan Hendriks (6 December 1928 – 13 December 1991) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films on screen and TV between 1950 and 1985. In 1952 he won the German Film Award as Best Male Newcomer. Between 1977–1985 he co-star ...

* 1955: ''

'' – with

Wolfgang Preiss Wolfgang Preiss (27 February 1910 – 27 November 2002) was a German theatre, film and television actor. The son of a teacher, Preiss studied philosophy, German, and drama in the early 1930s. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schle ...

Annemarie Düringer Annemarie Düringer (26 November 1925 – 26 November 2014) was a Swiss actress. She was born in Arlesheim, Basel-Landschaft. The daughter of a Swiss industrialist, she graduated from Cours Simon, Paris in 1946, and from the Max Reinhardt Semin ...

Wolfgang Büttner Wolfgang Büttner (1 June 1912 - 18 November 1990) was a German actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1950 to 1998. Filmography References External links * 1912 births 1990 deaths German male film actors {{Ge ...

* 1956: ''

Night of Decision ''Night of Decision'' (german: Nacht der Entscheidung) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Falk Harnack and starring Carl Raddatz, Hilde Krahl and Albert Lieven.Bock & Bergfelder p. 383 It was shot at Göttingen Studios and on locatio ...

'' – with

Carl Raddatz Carl Raddatz (13 March 1912 – 19 May 2004) was a German stage and film actor. Raddatz was a leading man of German cinema during the Nazi era appearing in a number of propaganda films and romances. Later in his career he developed a reputation f ...

, Hilde Krahl,

Albert Lieven Albert Lieven (born Albert Fritz Liévin; 22 June 1906 – 22 December 1971) was a German actor. Early life Lieven was born in Hohenstein, East Prussia (Olszynek, Poland). His father was the head physician of the Tuberculosis sanatorium Ho ...

* 1956: ''

The Story of Anastasia ''The Story of Anastasia'' and in the UK, ''Is Anna Anderson Anastasia?'' (German: ''Anastasia, die letzte Zarentochter''), is a German film directed by Falk Harnack. The 1956 film is based on the true story of Anna Anderson, who was pulled from ...

'' – with Lilli Palmer,

Ivan Desny Ivan Desny (born Ivan Nikolaevich Desnitskij; 28 December 1922 – 13 April 2002) was a Chinese-born actor of Russian descent. Early life Desny was born in Peking, China. Career Desny was a film actor. Bilingual in French and German, he acte ...

Ellen Schwiers Ellen Schwiers (11 June 1930 – 26 April 2019) was a German actress of stage, film, and television. She was featured in world premieres of plays by Dürrenmatt and Frisch at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, and appeared as Buhlschaft in '' Jed ...

Tilla Durieux Tilla Durieux (born Ottilie Godeffroy; 18 August 1880 – 21 February 1971) was an Austrian theatre and film actress of the first decades of the 20th century. Early Years Born Ottilie Helene Angela Godeffroy on 18 August 1880, she was the daug ...

* 1957: ''

The Night of the Storm ''The Night of the Storm'' or ''Tempestuous Love'' (german: Wie ein Sturmwind) is a 1957 West German drama film directed by Falk Harnack and starring Lilli Palmer, Ivan Desny and Willy A. Kleinau.Bock & Bergfelder p. 357 It was made at the Spand ...

'' – with Lilli Palmer, Ivan Desny,

Susanne Cramer Susanne Cramer (3 December 1936 – 7 January 1969) was a German film and television actress. She was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and died in Hollywood, California, of pneumonia, at age 32. Biography At the age of 20, Cramer married the 37-year ...

Siegfried Schürenberg Siegfried Schürenberg (12 January 1900 – 31 August 1993) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1933 and 1974. He was born in Detmold, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany in 1993, at age 93. Although he never ...

* 1958: '' Restless Night'' (based on a story by

Albrecht Goes Albrecht Goes (22 March 1908 – 23 February 2000) was a German writer and Protestant theologian. Life Albrecht Goes was born in 1908 in the Protestant rectory in Langenbeutingen. He spent his childhood there, but his mother died in 1911 and in 1 ...

) – with

Bernhard Wicki Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 – 5 January 2000) was an Austrian actor and film director. Life and career Wicki studied in the city of Breslau such topics as art history, history and German literature. In 1938, he transferred to the ...

Ulla Jacobsson Ulla Jacobsson (23 May 1929 – 20 August 1982) was a Swedish actress. She had the lead role in One Summer of Happiness (1951) and played the only female speaking role in the film '' Zulu'' (1964). Early life Jacobsson was born in Mölndal ...

, Hansjörg Felmy * 1959: ' – with

Ewald Balser Ewald Balser (5 October 1898 – 17 April 1978) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1935 and 1975. He was born in Elberfeld, Germany and died in Vienna, Austria. Partial filmography * ''Jana, the Girl from the ...

, Wolfgang Preiss, Barbara Rütting, Wolfgang Kieling * 1959: ''Der Fall Pinedus'' (TV film, based on a play by ) – with

Alfred Balthoff Alfred Balthoff (1905 – 1989) was a German stage, film and television actor. He also worked as a voice actor, dubbing foreign releases for the German-speaking market. Of Jewish background, he spent the final years of the Nazi era in hiding.Noac ...

, Franz Schafheitlin,

Fritz Tillmann Fritz Tillmann (December 13, 1910 – October 30, 1986) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''Hoegler's Mission'' (1950) - Fritz Rottmann * '' The Council of the Gods'' (1950) - Dr. Hans Scholz * '' Master of Life and Death'' (1955) - Dr ...

, Hans-Christian Blech * 1960: ''Der Prozess Mary Dugan'' (TV film, based on ''

The Trial of Mary Dugan ''The Trial of Mary Dugan'' is a play written by Bayard Veiller. The 1927 melodrama concerns a sensational courtroom trial of a showgirl accused of killing her millionaire lover. Her defense attorney is her brother, Jimmy Dugan. It was first pre ...

'') – with

Anaid Iplicjian Anaid Iplicjian (born 24 October 1935) is a German actress. Biography She is of Armenian descent. After studying at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg she has been a member of the Graz (Austria), Wiesbaden, the State Theatre Hannover and the Burgt ...

* 1961: ''Die Marquise von Arcis'' (TV film, based on a play by

Carl Sternheim Carl Sternheim (born William Adolph Carl Francke; 1 April 1878 – 3 November 1942) was a German playwright and short story writer. One of the major exponents of German Expressionism, he especially satirized the moral sensibilities of the emergi ...

) – with

Alexander Kerst Alexander Kerst (23 February 1924 – 9 December 2010) was an Austrian television actor. He was born in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia and died in Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populou ...

, Hilde Krahl,

Brigitte Mira Brigitte Mira (, 20 April 1910 – 8 March 2005) was a German actress. She worked in both theater and film, later in her career with Rainer Werner Fassbinder on many occasions. Believed to have been born in Hamburg, she moved early on to Berl ...

, Uta Sax * 1962: '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'' (TV film, based on ''

'') – with

Edith Schultze-Westrum Edith Käthe Elisabeth Schultze-Westrum (30 December 1904 – 20 March 1981) was a German film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1932 and 1979. These included the role of Mrs. Hudson in the 1962 film ''Sherlock Holmes and ...

Alfred Schieske Alfred Schieske (6 September 1908 – 14 July 1970) was a German actor. Career Schieske was born in Stuttgart, the son of a German father and a French mother. He studied acting with Willy Reichert made his stage debut at the Staatstheater Stutt ...

, Anneli Granget,

Hartmut Reck Hartmut Reck (17 November 1932 – 30 January 2001) was a German television and film actor. He also appeared in the American-produced epic film, '' The Longest Day''. He also acted in the German film dubbing industry, dubbing into German the voic ...

* 1963: ''Die Wölfe'' (TV film, based on a play by

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production a ...

) – with Thomas Holtzmann,

Martin Hirthe Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austra ...

, Kurt Pieritz * 1964: ''Manchmal spielt der Himmel mit'' (TV film) – with Wolf Ackva, Isolde Bräuner,

Sascha Hehn Sascha Hehn (born 11 October 1954 in Munich) is a German actor who participated in many feature films, TV shows, modern theatre plays and the dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and vid ...

* 1964: ''Pamela'' (TV film, based on ''

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'' is an epistolary novel first published in 1740 by English writer Samuel Richardson. Considered one of the first true English novels, it serves as Richardson's version of conduct literature about marriage. ''Pame ...

'') – with Veronika Bayer,

Christoph Bantzer Christoph Bantzer (born 4 January 1936 in Marburg) is a German television actor. His younger brother Claus Bantzer is a composer and musician. Life and work Christoph Bantzer born on 4 January 1936 in Marburg in a family of artists (both fathe ...

* 1964: ''Ein Frauenarzt klagt an – Angeklagt: Dr. Thomas'' – with Dieter Borsche, Anita Höfer,

Dietmar Schönherr Dietmar Otto Schönherr (; 17 May 1926 – 18 July 2014) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in 120 films between 1944 and 2014. He was famous for playing the role of Major Cliff Allister McLane in the German science fiction series '' Rau ...

, Hans Nielsen,

Inge Meysel Inge Meysel (; 30 May 1910 – 10 July 2004) was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on televisio ...

* 1964: ''Und nicht mehr Jessica'' (TV film, based on '' Point of No Return'') – with

Horst Naumann Horst Naumann (born 17 November 1925 in Dresden, Germany) is a German actor. Selected filmography * '' Das geheimnisvolle Wrack'' (1954) * '' Carola Lamberti - Eine vom Zirkus'' (1954) * '' Just Once a Great Lady'' (1957) * '' Alter Kahn und jun ...

Margot Trooger Margot Trooger (2 June 1923 – 24 April 1994) was a German film actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1952 and 1976. She was born in Rositz, Germany, and died in Mörlenbach, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Ich mach dich glücklich'' ...

, Wolf Ackva, Wolfgang Büttner,

Marthe Keller Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress and opera director. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film '' Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Career Early years Keller studied ba ...

* 1965: ''Der Gärtner von Toulouse'' (TV film, based on a play by Georg Kaiser) * 1966: ''Weiß gibt auf'' (TV film, based on a play by Frederic Raphael) – with Rudolf Platte,

Siegfried Lowitz Siegfried Lowitz (22 September 1914 – 27 June 1999) was a German actor. Born in Berlin, he played the Hauptkommissar ''Erwin Köster'' in the German television drama '' Der Alte''. Prior to his tenure as Hauptkommissar, he played a killer ...

Friedrich Schoenfelder Friedrich Schoenfelder (17 October 1916 – 14 August 2011) was a German actor and voice artist. Schoenfelder was born in Sorau/Lower Lusatia and died in Berlin. He was 94. He was the German dubbing voice of David Niven and Vincent Price. In t ...

Doris Kirchner Doris Kirchner (3 May 1930 – 26 March 2015) was an Austrian stage, film and television actress. Kirchner died in Ahrensburg, Germany on 26 March 2015, at the age of 84. Selected filmography * '' Fanfare of Marriage'' (1953) * '' Arlette Conque ...

* 1966: ''Die Ersten und die Letzten'' (TV film, based on '' The First and the Last'') – with

Arno Assmann Arno Assmann (30 July 1908 – 30 November 1979) was a German actor, film director and television writer. He committed suicide. Filmography As an actor * '' The Original Sin'' (1948) * ''The Last Illusion'' (1949) * ''My Wife's Friend ...

* 1966: ''Wer rettet unseren Ackerknecht'' (TV film, based on ''Who'll Save the Plowboy?'' by

Frank D. Gilroy Frank Daniel Gilroy (October 13, 1925 – September 12, 2015) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film producer and director. He received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' The Subject Was Roses ...

) – with Friedrich G. Beckhaus,

Eva Pflug Eva Pflug ( – ) was a German film and television actress, as well as a Voice acting, voice actress. Born in Leipzig, she was well known for her work on the first German science fiction television series, ''Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen ...

Michael Degen Michael Degen (31 January 1928 – 9 April 2022) was a German-Israeli actor, in film and theatre, as well as a theatre director and writer. Early life Born in Chemnitz as the younger son of Jewish parents, Degen survived the Holocaust in Berlin ...

* 1967: ''Ein Schlaf Gefangener'' (TV film, based on '' A Sleep of Prisoners'') – with

Walter Buschhoff Walter Buschhoff (1923–2010) was a German stage, film and television actor.Goble p.462 He was married to the actress Maria Körber. Selected filmography * ''IA in Oberbayern'' (1956) - Dr. Hans von Spörling * ''Heiße Ernte'' (1956) - Oskar ...

Fritz Wepper Fritz Wepper (born 17 August 1941, Munich, Germany) is a German film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Inspector Harry Klein in the long-running crime series ''Derrick'' (1974–1998). Wepper is also remembered for his roles ...

, Paul Dahlke,

Hellmut Lange Hellmut Lange (19 January 1923 - 13 January 2011) was an actor and journalist who became famous as an action hero on TV and eventually succeeded as presenter on popular TV show ''Kennen Sie Kino?'' or ''Do You Know Film?'' Acting career Hellmut ...

* 1967: ''Kampf um Kautschuk'' (TV film) – with

Klausjürgen Wussow Klausjürgen Wussow (30 April 1929 – 19 June 2007) was a German stage, film and television actor. Early life Wussow was born in Cammin, Province of Pomerania, Weimar Germany (modern Kamień Pomorski, Poland). His father was a teacher and c ...

* 1968: ''Die schwarze Sonne'' (TV film, based on ''Verlöschende Feuer'' by Horst Lange) – with

Christine Ostermayer Christine Ostermayer (born 15 December 1936 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian actress. Selected filmography * Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a ...

, Friedhelm Ptok,

Wolfgang Völz Wolfgang Otto Völz (16 August 1930 – 2 May 2018) was a German actor. He is known for his roles in theatre plays, TV shows, feature films (especially German films based on Edgar Wallace works) and taped radio shows. He was also a very prolif ...

Maria Sebaldt Maria Katharina Helene Sebaldt (26 April 1930 in Berlin-Steglitz) is a German actress. Life The daughter of a department head of the Paramount film distribution company took private acting lessons from 1946 to 1949 and passed an acting examina ...

* 1968: ''Unwiederbringlich'' (TV film, based on ''

Irretrievable ''Irretrievable'' (german: Unwiederbringlich, 1892, also known as ''Beyond Recall'' and ''No Way Back'' ) is one of realist Theodor Fontane's mature German novels. As with some other of Fontane's novels (including Effi Briest), its heroine is be ...

'' by

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known to ...

) – with Lothar Blumhagen, Solveig Thomas,

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

Karin Hübner Karin Hübner (, 16 September 1936 – 25 July 2006) was a German stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in more than forty films from 1955 to 1977. Her name is sometimes given as Karin Huebner. Hübner was born in Gera in Thuringia a ...

* 1970: ''Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin – Stunde der Entscheidung'' (TV film) – with

Gerd Baltus Gerd Baltus (29 March 1932 – 13 December 2019) was a German television actor. Baltus was born in Bremen. While doing law studies Baltus became interested in acting. In 1952 he got his first theatre booking in Hamburg, later in Bonn, West Ber ...

, Gisela Holzinger,

Lis Verhoeven Lis Verhoeven (also spelled Liz Verhoeven) (11 March 1931 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany – 2 July 2019) was a German actress and theatre director. Biography Verhoeven was the daughter of Paul Verhoeven; she was the first wife of Mario Adorf M ...

, Wolfgang Völz * 1970: ''Peenemünde'' (two-part docudrama, TV) – with Dieter Kirchlechner, Wolfgang Preiss, Karl John,

Heinz Engelmann Heinz Engelmann (1911–1996) was a German film actor. He was married to the actress Gertrud Meyen. Selected filmography * ''D III 88'' (1939) * '' Drei Unteroffiziere'' (1939) * '' Congo Express'' (1939) * ''The Girl at the Reception'' (1940) * ...

* 1971: ''Das Ding an sich und wie man es dreht'' (TV film) – with Friedrich G. Beckhaus, Friedrich W. Bauschulte, Horst Bollmann,

Volkert Kraeft Volkert Kraeft (born 7 August 1941 in Timmendorfer Strand) is a German television actor. Selected filmography * '' A Handful of Heroes'' (1967) * ''Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin p ...

* 1971: ''Ein Fall für Herrn Schmidt'' (TV film, based on a story by

Wolfdietrich Schnurre Wolfdietrich Schnurre (22 August 19209 June 1989) was a German writer. Best known for his short stories, he also wrote tales, diaries, poems, radio plays, and children's books. Born in Frankfurt am Main, and later raised in Berlin-Weißensee, ...

) – with

Klaus Schwarzkopf Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. He was also known as a resp ...

, Gaby Dohm, Heinz Meier,

* 1973: ''Der Astronaut'' (TV film) * 1973: ''Der Tote vom Pont Neuf'' (TV film) * 1974: ''Der Verfolger'' (TV film, based on a novel by

Günther Weisenborn Günther Weisenborn (10 July 1902 – 26 March 1969) was a German writer and fighter in the German Resistance against Nazism. He was notable for collaborating with Bertolt Brecht, along with Hanns Eisler, Slatan Dudow, on the play, '' The Mother' ...

) – with Gerd Böckmann, Kornelia Boje, * 1974: ''Silverson'' (TV film) – with

Herbert Bötticher Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herber ...

, Gracia-Maria Kaus, Ernst Schröder, Isabell Stumpf * 1975: ''Hier ruht George Dillon'' (TV film, based on '' Epitaph for George Dillon'') * 1976: ''Erika'' (TV film, based on a play by

Ursula Krechel Ursula Krechel (born 4 December 1947) is a German writer. Krechel was born in Trier. From 1966 to 1972 she studied German studies, theatre, and art history at the University of Cologne. From 1969 to 1972, she worked as a drama advisor in Dortmu ...

) – with

Silvia Reize Silvia Reize (1948–2012) was a Swiss television and film actress.Klossner p.161 Selected filmography Film * '' My Daughter, Your Daughter'' (1972) * '' Steppenwolf'' (1974) * '' Die Magd'' (1976) * ' (1976) * '' The Second Awakening of Christa ...

, Eva-Maria Bauer, Eva Brumby, Irmgard Riessen, Kyra Mladeck

Audio plays

* 1946: ''Bolwieser'' * 1972: ''Androklus und der Löwe'' (adaptation of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's '' Androcles and the Lion'')

Notes

References

;Other sources * Armin Ziegler: ''Dramaturg des Widerstands – Falk Harnack und die Geschichte der „Weißen Rose“. Ein Beitrag zur „Weiße-Rose“-Forschung.'' Selbstverlag, (September 2005) * Lilo Fürst-Ramdohr: ''Freundschaften in der Weißen Rose.'' Verlag Geschichtswerkstatt Neuhausen, Munich (1995) * Falk Harnack: ''Die Dramen Carl Bleibtreus. Eine dramaturgische Untersuchung.'' (Germanische Studienhefte 199), Kraus-Reprint, Nendeln/Liechtenstein (1967) * Maike Bruhns: ''Kunst in der Krise'', Vol. 2, Dölling und Galitz Verlag, Munich and Hamburg (2001), p. 43. *

Hans Coppi Hans-Wedigo Robert Coppi (25 January 1916 – 22 December 1942) was a German resistance fighter against the Nazis. He was a member of a Berlin-based anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra by the Gestapo. Life ...

, Jürgen Danyel, Johannes Tuchel: ''Die Rote Kapelle im Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus.'' Edition Hentrich, Berlin (1994), p. 117. * Gottfried Hamacher et al. (Eds.)
''Gegen Hitler. Deutsche in der Résistance, in den Streitkräften der Antihitlerkoalition und der Bewegung »Freies Deutschland«. Kurzbiografien'' (Series: Manuskripte/Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung; Vol. 53)
(PDF) Dietz, Berlin (2005), p. 76.

External links

Akademie der Künste The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The Academy's predecessor organization was ...

Berlin
Falk Harnack document archive
Akademie der Künste Berlin

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harnack, Falk 1913 births 1991 deaths German theatre directors German resistance members Film people from Stuttgart Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Greek Resistance members White Rose members German Army soldiers of World War II People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Deserters