Paul Kohner (May 29, 1902 – March 16, 1988) was an Austrian-American talent agent and producer who managed the careers of many stars and others—like

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank H ...

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 . (, ; ...

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 ...

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

and

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 Holly ...

—of the golden age of Hollywood, especially those who came from Europe before World War II. He was married to the Mexican-American actress,

Lupita Tovar Guadalupe Natalia Tovar (27 July 1910 – 12 November 2016), known professionally as Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-born American actress best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish-language version of '' Drácula'', filmed in Los Angeles b ...

. His brother was

Frederick Kohner Friedrich Kohner (September 25, 1905 – July 7, 1986), credited professionally as Frederick Kohner, was an Austrian-born novelist and screenwriter, both in Germany and the U.S.. He is best known for having created the "Gidget" novels, which ins ...

, a novelist and screenwriter, his daughter was the actress Susan Kohner. His grandsons are the filmmakers

Chris Weitz Christopher John Weitz (born November 30, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work with his brother Paul on the comedy films '' American Pie'' and '' About a Boy''; the latter earned the Weit ...

and Paul Weitz.

Early life

Kohner was born to 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 ...

family in

Teplitz-Schönau Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The his ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now

Teplice Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The his ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

). His father was Julius "Kino" Kohner, who managed the local movie theater and published a film industry newspaper, and his mother was Helene Kohner (née Beamt). He had two brothers, Friedrich "Frederick" Kohner, a film and TV writer who created the character

Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fri ...

(based on his daughter,

Kathy Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports * Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer * Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball playe ...

), and Walter Kohner, a Hollywood agent whose wife, Hanna Kohner, in May 1953, was the first non-celebrity featured on the television show, ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

,'' where she was the first

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

survivor to talk about her experiences in concentration and death camps on television.

Career

Producer

As a young man, Kohner worked as a news reporter at his father's magazine ''Internationale Filmschau'', which focused on the film industry. He met

Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films. Regarded as one of the most important o ...

during an interview in

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. It is n ...

in 1920. Laemmle was impressed by 18-year old Kohner and offered him a job. Kohner decided to move to the United States. Kohner started out as an office errand boy at Laemmle's company,

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, in New York. There, he became friends with another young émigré working for Universal,

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...

. He moved to Hollywood and worked his way up the studio system, working in positions at Universal like unit production supervisor as well as casting director. Because of his knowledge of film production and background in Germany, Kohner went on to head Universal Pictures' European production offices located in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

in the late 1920s. Kohner moved back to the United States in the early 1930s. He worked as a producer, responsible for shepherding many Universal Pictures films like the

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

version of ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...

,''

's '' A House Divided'' that starred

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

, among others. Kohner produced many alternate language versions of films that were often shot simultaneously with their English-language counterparts, sometimes shooting at night on the same sets, but with Spanish casts of actors and different costumes. Kohner's wife,

, starred in some of these Spanish language film versions, including '' Drácula'' (1931).

Talent agent

In 1938, Kohner founded the Paul Kohner Talent Agency and managed the careers of

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known as "profoun ...

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

, and others. Many of his clients had left war-torn Europe, fleeing

Nazi Germany 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 ...

was Kohner's client for over forty years. The company was in business from 1935 to 1988. Paul Kohner's office was on the Sunset Strip in a building owned by a partner of his, Stanley Bergerman, who was

's son-in-law. The facade of the building, located across the street from the now-defunct restaurant, the Cock and Bull, can be glimpsed in the film ''

The Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city ...

'' (1951) starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

. In 1976, Kohner partnered with agent Michael Levy to form the Paul Kohner-Michael Levy Agency.

European Film Fund

In 1938, Kohner co-founded the European Film Fund with

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 ...

, and

studio head,

. From 1938 to 1948, during World War II, the Fund worked in an effort to provide assistance to émigrés trying to relocate to America.

Personal life

From 1923 to 1927, Kohner was in a relationship with Mary Philbin. They became engaged in 1926, but never married due to the disapproval of Philbin's parents. It was rumored they were going to marry in June 1929, but it did not happen. When Kohner died, he still had love letters Philbin had written to him in his possession. She had also kept his. Kohner and actress

were married in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

on October 30, 1932, at Kohner's parents' home by a rabbi. In 1936, the couple had a daughter, Susan Kohner, a film and television actress, and, in 1939, a son, Paul Julius "Pancho" Kohner Jr., later a director and producer. The family lived for many years in the Bel Air neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, near filmmaker

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

and Paul Weitz, are successful film directors. Kohner spoke six languages. In 1988, Kohner died of a heart attack in

. His wife, the Mexican-born film actress Lupita Tovar, died at age 106 on November 12, 2016.

Honors

* April 1997: "Hollywood's Gentleman Agent: Paul Kohner." Exhibit curated by Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and Stifting Deutsche Kinemathek.

Filmography

* 1927: ''Surrender'' (Universal) – Supervisor * 1927: '' The Cat and the Canary'' (Universal) – Supervising producer (uncredited) * 1927: ''

Love Me and the World Is Mine ''Love Me and the World Is Mine'' is a 1928 American silent romantic film directed by Ewald André Dupont (E.A. Dupont) and released by Universal Pictures. Plot Hannerl (Philbin) is a young woman growing up in Old Vienna. She falls in love wit ...

'' (Universal) (based on the book ''The Affairs of Hannerl'') – Supervising producer; Writer, scenario * 1927: ''

A Man's Past ''A Man's Past'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring Conrad Veidt, Barbara Bedford and Ian Keith.Soister p.199 Cast * Conrad Veidt as Paul La Roche * Barbara Bedford as Yvonne Fontaine * Ian Keith a ...

'' (Universal) – Supervising producer (uncredited); Writer, adaptation * 1928: ''

The Man Who Laughs ''The Man Who Laughs'' (also published under the title ''By Order of the King'' from its subtitle in French) is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title ''L'Homme qui rit''. It takes place in England beg ...

'' (Universal) – Production supervisor * 1929: ''

The Brandenburg Arch ''The Brandenburg Arch'' (german: Durchs Brandenburger Tor) is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Max Knaake and William Dieterle and starring Paul Henckels, June Marlowe and Aribert Mog.Bock & Bergfelder p. 90 It was made by the Germ ...

'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) – Producer * 1929: '' Rustle of Spring'' German: ''Frühlingsrauschen'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) – Producer * 1929: '' White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (Universal) (1930 sound film version in English, released by Universal internationally) – Associate producer * 1929: ''Die seltsame Vergangenheit der Thea Carter'' (English title: ''The Unusual Past of Thea Carter'') (Deutsche Universal-Film) – producer * 1930: '' Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) (English title: ''

Ludwig II, King of Bavaria ''Ludwig II, King of Bavaria'' (german: Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern) is a 1929 German silent historical film directed by William Dieterle and starring Dieterle, Theodor Loos and Eugen Burg. It portrays the life and reign of the monarch ...

'') – Producer * 1930: ''

La Voluntad del Muerto ''La Voluntad del Muerto'' ( en, The Will of the Dead Man, italic=yes) is a Spanish-language version of '' The Cat Creeps'' (1930), both of which are now considered to be lost films. The film was directed by George Melford and stars Antonio ...

'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of '' The Cat Creeps'') – Producer * 1930: ''Oriente es Occidente'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of '' East Is West'') – Producer * 1931: ''Don Juan Diplomático'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of the English and French films, ''

The Boudoir Diplomat ''The Boudoir Diplomat'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair, produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, from the play ''The Command To Love'' by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar. The film ...

'' and ''Boudoir Diplomatique'') – Production supervisor * 1931: ''Liebe auf Befehl'' (Universal) (German language version of the English and French films, ''

'' and ''Boudoir Diplomatique'') – Production manager * 1931: '' Resurrección'' (Mexican) (Spanish language version of ''A Woman's Resurrection'') – Production supervisor * 1931: ''El Tenorio del Harem'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of ''Arabian Knights'') – Production supervisor * 1931: '' Drácula'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...

'') – Associate producer * 1931: ''

East of Borneo ''East of Borneo'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by George Melford, co-written by Edwin H. Knopf and Dale Van Every, starring Rose Hobart, Charles Bickford, Georges Renavent, Lupita Tovar, and Noble Johnson, and release ...

'' (Universal) – Associate producer * 1931: '' A House Divided'' (Universal) – Associate producer * 1932: ''Doomed Battalion'' (Universal) – Associate producer * 1932: '' Der Rebell'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) (German language version of '' The Rebel'') – Producer * 1933: '' The Rebel'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) – Producer * 1933: '' S.O.S. Eisberg'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) (German language version of ''

S.O.S. Iceberg ''S.O.S. Eisberg'' (aka ''S.O.S. Iceberg'' and ''Iceland'') is a 1933 German-US pre-Code drama film directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Sepp Rist, Gibson Gowland, Rod La Rocque, and Ernst Udet. The film was writ ...

'') – Associate producer * 1933: ''

'' (Universal Pictures) – Associate producer * 1934: ''Der Verlorene Sohn'' (Deutsche Universal-Film) (English title: '' The Prodigal Son'') – Producer * 1935: ''Alas sobre El Chaco'' (Universal) (Spanish language version of ''

Storm Over the Andes ''Storm Over the Andes'' (aka ''Alas sobre El Chaco'') is a 1935 American adventure film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Jack Holt, Antonio Moreno and Mona Barrie. The low-budget programmer is set against the backdrop of the Chaco War b ...

'') – Producer * 1935: ''East of Java'' (Universal) – Producer * 1936: ''

Next Time We Love ''Next Time We Love'' is a 1936 American melodrama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Ray Milland. The adapted screenplay was by Melville Baker, with an uncredited Preston Sturges and Doris Ande ...

'' (Universal) – Producer * 1978: ''Erich von Stroheim – Der Mann mit dem bösen Blick'' (TV movie) – Participation * 1986: ''Fast ein Jahrhundert – Luis Trenker'' – Participation * 1989: ''Wer war Arnold Fanck?'' – Participation

References

External links

*
Paul Kohner
at

filmportal.de filmportal.de is an online database of information related to German film. It includes extensive information on films and filmmakers as well as articles on film issues. The website was released on occasion of the 54th Berlin International Film Fe ...

Paul Kohner Agency records
at the

Margaret Herrick Library The Margaret Herrick Library, located in Beverly Hills, California, is the main repository of print, graphic and research materials of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). The library contains a digital repository and has hi ...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

Paul Kohner Agency
a

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohner, Paul 1902 births 1988 deaths American film producers American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian emigrants to the United States Austrian Jews Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Jewish American male actors People from Teplice 20th-century American businesspeople Kohner family 20th-century American Jews