Gottfried Reinhardt (20 March 1913 – 19 July 1994) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

-born American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and producer.

Biography

Reinhardt was born in Berlin, the son of the Austrian theater director

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pr ...

(until 1904: Max Goldmann), manager of the Deutsches Theater, and his first wife Else Heims. Gottfried attended the

Französisches Gymnasium Berlin The Französisches Gymnasium (french: Lycée français de Berlin) is a long-existing francophone gymnasium in Berlin, Germany. Traditionally, it is widely regarded as an elite high school. It is also the oldest public school in Berlin. Its creat ...

and began his career as an actor and director at his father's stage. In 1932, he went on a study visit to the US, where he remained after 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 ...

Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

'' in Germany on 30 January 1933. In Hollywood, he became assistant director of

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

, later a production assistant at the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

studios, contributing to the making of the 1938 film '' The Great Waltz''. In 1941 he produced ''

Two-Faced Woman ''Two-Faced Woman'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo in her final film role, Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, and Roland Young. The movie was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Garbo ...

'' starring

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

in her final film role. A naturalized American, he served in the United States Army in World War II. Reinhardt gave his debut as a director with '' Invitation'' in 1952. Two years later he worked in West Germany; his film version ''

Before Sundown ''Before Sundown'' (german: Vor Sonnenuntergang) is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Hans Albers, Annemarie Düringer and Martin Held. At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Golden ...

'' of

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

's drama ''Vor Sonnenuntergang'' 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 ...

won the Golden Bear (Audience award) at the

6th Berlin International Film Festival The 6th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June to 3 July 1956. The FIAPF granted the festival the "A status" during this year, which was previously only reserved for Cannes and Venice. The awards for the first time, w ...

. Gottfried Reinhardt was the stepfather of U.S. federal judge Stephen Reinhardt. He died of pancreatic cancer.

Selected filmography

* '' The Great Waltz'' (1938, writer) * '' Bridal Suite'' (1939, writer) * ''

'' (1941, producer) * ''

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

'' (1951, producer) * '' Invitation'' (1952) * ''

Young Man with Ideas ''Young Man with Ideas'' is a 1952 romantic comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Ruth Roman and Glenn Ford. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay concern a young small-town lawyer, who moves his family from Monta ...

'' (1952, producer) * ''

The Story of Three Loves ''The Story of Three Loves'' (also known as ''Equilibrium'') is a 1953 American Technicolor romantic anthology film made by MGM. It consists of three stories, "The Jealous Lover", "Mademoiselle", and "Equilibrium". The film was produced by Sid ...

'' (1953) * '' Betrayed'' (1954) * ''

'' (1956) * '' Menschen im Hotel'' (1959) * ''

Abschied von den Wolken ''Abschied von den Wolken'' ( en, Farewell to the Clouds) is a 1959 German aviation adventure film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, written by Georg Hurdalek, based on a story by Ladislas Fodor. The film stars O. W. Fischer, Peter van Eyck, So ...

'' (1959) * ''

Sweetheart of the Gods ''Sweetheart of the Gods'' (german: Liebling der Götter) is a 1960 West German biographical film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Peter van Eyck, and Harry Meyen. The film portrays the life of Renate Müller, a Germ ...

'' (1960) * ''

Town Without Pity ''Town Without Pity'' (German: ''Stadt ohne Mitleid'') is a 1961 American/Swiss/West German international co-production drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. Produced by The Mirisch Corporation, the film stars Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rü ...

'' (1961) * '' Jedermann'' (1961) * '' Eleven Years and One Day'' (1963) * '' Situation Hopeless ... But Not Serious'' (1965) * '' Der Kommissar: Im Jagdhaus'' (1974, TV series episode)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reinhardt, Gottfried 1911 births 1994 deaths English-language film directors American film people Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Französisches Gymnasium Berlin alumni People from Hollywood, Los Angeles United States Army soldiers Military personnel from California United States Army personnel of World War II Naturalized citizens of the United States Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer