Axel Eugen Alexander von Oesterreich (22 June 1910 – 6 September 1988), better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

and

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, ...

. Ambesser's father was Alexander Constantin von Oesterreich. Ambesser was born in Hamburg and attended

Wilhelm-Gymnasium The Wilhelm-Gymnasium is a university preparatory school in Hamburg, Germany. It is one of Hamburg's oldest schools. It was founded in 1881 and called ''Neue Gelehrtenschule'' (transl. New Academic school) and soon became a rival of the Academic ...

. He appeared as a stage actor in the

Hamburg Kammerspiele The Hamburg Kammerspiele (German: ''Hamburger Kammerspiele'') is a private theatre in Rotherbaum, Hamburg, Germany, in the borough of Eimsbüttel Eimsbüttel () is one of the seven boroughs (Bezirke) of Hamburg, Germany. In 2020 the population ...

, and went on to play in the Stadttheater Augsburg, the Münchner Kammerspiele, from 1937 the Deutsche Theater Berlin, from 1942 the Staatstheater Berlin, and the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna.

Works

* ''Das Abgründige in Herrn Gerstenberg'', play, 1946 * ''Begegnung im Herbst'', play, 1967

Selected filmography

Actor * '' The King's Prisoner'' (1935) - Tanzmeister * ''

A Hopeless Case ''A Hopeless Case'' (german: Ein hoffnungsloser Fall) is a 1939 German comedy film directed by Erich Engel and starring Jenny Jugo, Karl Ludwig Diehl and Hannes Stelzer. The film's sets were designed by Karl Weber. Synopsis A determined fema ...

'' (1939) - Verehrer * ''Salonwagen E 417'' (1939) - Ursulas Bräutigam Werner * ''Die unheimlichen Wünsche'' (1939) - Jouet, Luftschiffer * ''Eine kleine Nachtmusik'' (1939) - Baron Egon * ''Ritorno'' (1940) * ''Traummusik'' (1940) - Maestro Hutten * ''

The Heart of a Queen ''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 ...

'' (1940) - Prinz Henry Darnley * ''Annelie'' (1941) - Georg * ''Tanz mit dem Kaiser'' (1941) - Kaiser Joseph II. * ''

Women Are No Angels ''Women Are No Angels'' (german: Frauen sind keine Engel) is a 1943 German comedy film directed by Willi Forst and starring Marte Harell, Axel von Ambesser and Margot Hielscher.Hake p. 58 The film was made by Wien-Film in German-occupied Austria ...

'' (1943) - Richard Anden * ''Karneval der Liebe'' (1943) - Pianist Frank * ''Die kluge Marianne'' (1943) - Baldi * ''Der Mann, dem man den Namen stahl'' (1944) - Fridolin Beidermann * ''Das Mädchen Juanita'' (1945) - Robert Henseling * '' The Adventures of Fridolin'' (1948) - Fridolin Biedermann * ''Verspieltes Leben'' (1949) - Stefan Marbach * ''Verlobte Leute'' (1950) - Hans Schmidt, der Maler * ''

Three Girls Spinning ''Three Girls Spinning'' (german: Drei Mädchen spinnen) is a 1950 West German comedy film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Albrecht Schoenhals, Adelheid Seeck and Axel von Ambesser.Bock & Bergfelder p. 138 It was shot at the Tempelhof Stu ...

'' (1950) - Professor Hartwig * '' Dreaming Days'' (1951) - Herr Berger * ''Kommen Sie am Ersten'' (1951) - Kommentator (voice) * ''Der Mann in der Wanne'' (1952) * ''Ich hab' mich so an Dich gewöhnt'' (1952) - Kommentator * '' Dancing Stars'' (1952) - Sir Thomas Gregorian * ''Drei, von denen man spricht'' (1953) - Direktor Brand * ''Die Freundin meines Mannes'' (1957) - Mann im Flugzeug * ''

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) - Lord Fleetwood * '' The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1960) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ''

Gustav Adolf's Page ''Gustav Adolf's Page'' (german: Gustav Adolfs Page) is a 1960 German-Austrian historical adventure film directed by Rolf Hansen and starring Liselotte Pulver, Curd Jürgens, and Ellen Schwiers.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 298 It is based on the 1882 n ...

'' (1960) - Wallenstein * ' (1961) - Narrator (voice) * '' Breakfast in Bed'' (1963) - Narrator (voice, uncredited) * ' (1963) - Thomas Andermatt * '' I Learned It from Father'' (1964) - Regisseur / Himself - Narrator (uncredited) * '' Who Wants to Sleep?'' (1965) - Ronald * ' (1965) - Wilhelm Busch Director * ''Drei, von denen man spricht'' (1953) — (based on ''

Youth at the Helm ''Youth at the Helm'' ( hu, Helyet az ifjúságnak) is a Hungarian-language play by Paul Vulpius, the joint pen name of Ladislas Fodor and , which premiered in Budapest in 1933. The play was also staged in Vienna, Austria in 1933 under the titl ...

'') * ' (1954) — (based on a play by ) * ''

Her First Date ''Her First Date'' (German: ''Ihr erstes Rendezvous'') is a 1955 Austrian-West German romantic comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Nicole Heesters, Paul Dahlke and Adrian Hoven.Fritsche p.255 It was shot in Agfacolor at the S ...

'' (1955) — (screenplay by Max Colpet, remake of ''

Premier rendez-vous ''Premier rendez-vous'' (US title: ''Her First Affair'') is a 1941 French comedy film starring Danielle Darrieux. It was directed by Henri Decoin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michel Duran. During the German occupation, the film was made by ...

'') * ' (1957) * ''

The Crammer ''The Crammer'' (german: Der Pauker) is a 1958 West German comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Heinz Rühmann, Wera Frydtberg and Gert Fröbe.''The A to Z of German Cinema''. p. 304 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Muni ...

'' (1958) * ' (1959) * ' (1959) — (based on a play by and ) * ''

'' (1959) — (based on ''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...

'' by

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brothe ...

) * '' The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1960) — (based on ''

The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary ...

'') * ' (1960) * ' (1961) * ''

He Can't Stop Doing It ''He Can't Stop Doing It'' (German: ''Er kann's nicht lassen'') is a 1962 West German mystery film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Heinz Rühmann, Rudolf Forster and Grit Boettcher. BFI.org/ref> It was loosely based on the ''Father Brow ...

'' (1962) — (''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...

'' film) * '' Kohlhiesel's Daughters'' (1962) — (remake of '' Kohlhiesels Töchter'') * '' Breakfast in Bed'' (1963) — (based on a novel by ) * '' I Learned It from Father'' (1964) * ''

Marry Me, Cherie ''Marry Me, Cherie'' (german: Heirate mich, Chéri) is a 1964 German-Austrian comedy film directed by Axel von Ambesser and starring Paul Hubschmid, Letícia Román and Ann Smyrner. It is based on a novel by Gábor Vaszary. Cast * Paul Hubschmid ...

'' (1964) — (based on a novel by

Gábor Vaszary Gábor Vaszary or Gábor von Vaszary, (7 June 1897 in Budapest – 22 May 1985), was a Hungarian novelist and screenwriter. He emigrated to Switzerland in 1947. He wrote a number of novels which depict life in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. Severa ...

) * '' Who Wants to Sleep?'' (1965, anthology film) * ' (1965) — (based on illustrated stories by Wilhelm Busch) * ''Die schöne Helena'' (1975, TV film) — (based on the opera ''

La belle Hélène ''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen's elopement with Paris, which set off the ...

'')

References

External links

* 1910 births 1988 deaths German male film actors German male stage actors Male actors from Hamburg Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German male actors Film directors from Hamburg German television directors German male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights People educated at the Wilhelm-Gymnasium (Hamburg) {{Germany-stage-actor-stub