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Richard Otto Bruno Kastner (January 1890Different sources cite 1 January, 3 January, 20 January, and 30 January as Kastner's date of birth. – 30 June 1932) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
stage and film
actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
, and film producer whose career was most prominent in the 1910s and 1920s during the
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
era. Kastner was one of the most popular leading men in German films during his career's peak in the 1920s.


Early life

Richard Otto Bruno Kastner was born in
Forst (Lausitz) Forst (Lausitz) ( German, ) or Baršć (Łužyca) (Lower Sorbian, ; Polish: Barść) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. It lies east of Cottbus, on the Lusatian Neisse river which is also the German- Polish border. It i ...
,
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1890 to Paul Ferdinand Richard Kastner, a forestry tax minister, and Ida Elisabeth Emma Kastner (née Voigt). Kastner attended schools in
Fürstenwalde Fürstenwalde/Spree (; ) is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. Geography The town is situated in the glacial valley (''Urstromtal'') of the Spree river north of the Rauen Hills, about east of ...
and afterward served a short, seventeen-day stint in the military before being relieved of his duties due to an injury.Bruno Kastner profile
, Filmportal.de; retrieved 15 August 2011.
He subsequently travelled to Berlin and took acting lessons from stage actor
Paul Biensfeldt Paul Biensfeldt (4 March 1869 – 2 April 1933) was a German-JewishSiegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213 stage actor, stage and film actor. Sele ...
and then relocated briefly to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
where he performed at the Harburger Theater. After a brief period in touring companies he worked as a choral singer and actor at the Meinhard-Bernauer Bühnen in Berlin.


Career rise

During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Kastner avoided military service, assessed as unfit for service due to his prior injury while serving before the war's outbreak. Discovered by Danish film actress
Asta Nielsen Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (11 September 1881 – 24 May 1972) was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were ...
, he made his film debut opposite her in the 1914
Urban Gad Peter Urban Bruun Gad (12 February 1879 – 26 December 1947) was a Denmark, Danish film director, stage actor, screenwriter, and author. He directed 40 films between 1910 and 1927. His wife Asta Nielsen starred in 30 of his films, also in his d� ...
-directed comedy short ''Engelein'' (''Little Angel''), with
Fred Immler Ferdinand "Fred" Immler (10 December 1880 –20 February 1965) was a German stage and film actor. Life Born in Coburg, as a young adult he worked from 1900 to 1902 at Deutsche Bank in Berlin and from 1902 to 1904 at Dresdner Bank. 1905 he ret ...
and
Hanns Kräly Hanns Kräly (January 16, 1884 – November 11, 1950), credited in the United States as Hans Kraly, was a German actor and screenwriter. His main collaborations were with director Ernst Lubitsch, and they worked together on 30 films between 1915 ...
. He followed the success of this film with the sequel ''Engeleins Hochzeit'' (''Little Angel's Wedding'') in 1916. In the interim, Kastner quickly became a matinee idol in Germany, especially popular with female fans. The German press commented on Kastner's rise to stardom and how vexed postmen were having to transport love letters from fans to Kastner in laundry baskets. Kastner cemented his romantic image by appearing as the ardent suitor to popular actress Dorrit Weixler in a number of films of the era. Male filmgoers were less fond of Kastner's image of a handsome
dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of l ...
and gave him the derisive nickname "Kleiderbügel" ("coat hanger") – a reference to his slim build and fashionable wardrobe.Waldemar Kamer, A Family Chronicle
waldemar.kamer.fr Retrieved 15 August 2011.
Although he didn't carry much clout with many male filmgoers, his popularity with female fans grew momentum. In 1921, Kastner was voted "The Best German Actor" in a magazine poll and he began appearing that year in a film serial called ''Der Silberkönig'' (''The Silver King'') opposite leading lady
Ossi Oswalda Ossi Oswalda (born Oswalda Amalie Anna Stäglich, 2 February 1898https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5753/images/41540_prep201_000020-00010?pid=150049&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D5753%26h%3 ...
. The following year, he founded his own film company. Other popular films of the era included roles in
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
's ''Hilde Warren und der Tod'' (1917), Erik Lund's '' Das Herz des Casanova'' (1919) and
Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...
's ''Das Paradies im Schnee'' (1924). Kastner wrote the screenplays for four films that he would produce and star in: ''Nur ein Diener'', ''Das Herz des Casanova'', ''Der letzte Sonnensohn'' and ''Der Weltmeister'', all directed by Erik Lund and released in 1919. Kastner's career was almost cut short in 1924 when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in
Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
, Switzerland, which left him with permanent pain. He never fully recovered, but after a year of rest and recuperation, he returned to the screen in 1925.


Career decline and death

By the late 1920s, Kastner's career began to falter. No longer able to play the young, seductive ''bon vivant'' type which had made him famous, his roles in films grew smaller, although he still had a measure of success in such films as
Karl Grune Karl Grune (22 January 1890 – 2 October 1962) was an Austrian film director and writer who made many silent films in the 1920s. Grune was born into a Jewish family Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in Germa ...
's 1926 drama ''Die Brüder Schellenberg'' with
Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...
,
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 ...
and
Liane Haid Juliane "Liane" Haid (16 August 1895 – 28 November 2000) was an Austrian actress and singer. She has often been referred to as Austria's first movie star. Biography Juliane Haid was born in Vienna on 16 August 1895, the first child to Georg ...
and the
Jacob Fleck Jacob Fleck (8 November 1881 in Vienna as Jacob Julius Fleck – 19 September 1953, also in Vienna) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cameraman. He is noted for his long-standing professional partnership with his wife ...
and
Luise Fleck Luise Fleck, also known as Luise Kolm or Luise Kolm-Fleck, née Louise or Luise Veltée (1 August 1873–15 March 1950), was an Austrian film director, and has been considered the second ever female feature film director in the world, after Al ...
-directed ''Der Orlow'' with
Iván Petrovich Iván Petrovich (; 1 January 1894 – 18 October 1962) was a Serbian film actor and singer. He was the first actor from Yugoslavia to have a successful international movie career. Petrovich mainly worked in German cinema, but also collaborated ...
and Hans Junkermann in 1927. The onset of
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
s proved disastrous to Kastner's career in 1930 upon the release of his first ''talkie'' titled ''Das Land des Lächelns'' (''The Land of Smiles'') when filmgoers discovered that he
stammer Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...
ed. He would only make one more film, 1930's unsuccessful ''Tingel-Tangel''. After failing to garner any more film roles because of his
speech impediment Speech disorders, impairments, or impediments, are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean fluency disorders like stuttering and cluttering. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is co ...
, he tried to revive his career by touring German theatres and permitting female members of the audience to get onstage and have their photograph taken with their past idol. Kastner had depression after his rapid career decline. After two years of struggling to regain his public popularity, he rented a hotel room in
Bad Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke (Bad Kreuznach), Alte Nahebrücke, ...
and committed suicide by hanging himself in June 1932. He was 42.


Personal life

Kastner was married to German actress
Ida Wüst Ida Wüst (; 10 October 1884 – 4 October 1958) was a German stage and film actress whose career was prominent in the 1920s and 1930s with Universum Film AG (UFA). Life and career Little is known about Ida Wüst's early childhood. She discovere ...
from 1918 to 1924. The union ended in divorce and produced no offspring. In 1925, he married actress Lisl Tirsch-Kastner. The couple were still married at the time of Kastner's death.


Selected filmography

* '' The Dancer'' (1915) * '' The Lost Paradise'' (1917) * ''
Little Angel ''Little Angel'' is Ana Johnsson's second album, released on October 18, 2006, in Sweden and in Japan on February 14, 2007. The album had sold over 20,500 copies in Japan by April 13, 2007. Album information The album was recorded half in Swe ...
'' (1917) * '' Hilde Warren und der Tod'' (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 Onyx Head ''The Onyx Head'' (German: ''Der Onyxknopf'') is a 1917 German silent crime film directed by Joe May and starring Max Landa, Bruno Kastner and Leopoldine Konstantin. It was part of a series of Joe Deebs detective films. The film's sets were des ...
'' (1917) * ''
Five Minutes Too Late ''Five Minutes Too Late'' (German: ''Fünf Minuten zu spät'') is a 1918 German silent thriller film directed by Uwe Jens Krafft and starring Mia May, Johannes Riemann and Bruno Kastner.Krautz p.501 Cast * Mia May as Jana Vermöhlen * Johannes R ...
'' (1918) * ''
The Last Sun Son ''The Last Sun Son'' ( German: ''Der letzte Sonnensohn'') is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p.74 Cast In alphabetical order * Olga Engl as Fürstin * Bernhard Goetzke as Herzog * Ria Jende * Bruno Kast ...
'' (1919) * '' All Souls'' (1919) * '' The World Champion'' (1919) * ''
The Golden Lie ''The Golden Lie'' (German: ''Die goldene Lüge'') is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund (director), Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p.74 The film's art direction was by Siegfried Wroblewsky. Cast In alphabetical order * Ria Jende * Bru ...
'' (1919) * '' The Bodega of Los Cuerros'' (1919) * ''
The Heart of Casanova ''The Heart of Casanova'' (German: ''Das Herz des Casanova'') is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p.74 The film's art direction was by Siegfried Wroblewsky. Cast * Ria Jende * Bruno Kastner * Rose Lichten ...
'' (1919) * ''
Only a Servant ''Only a Servant'' () is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p.74 The film's art direction was by Siegfried Wroblewsky. Cast In alphabetical order * Ernst Behmer * Ria Jende * Bruno Kastner * Karl Platen ...
'' (1919) * ''
Devoted Artists ''Devoted Artists'' () is a 1919 German silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (su ...
'' (1919) * '' Between Two Worlds'' (1919) * '' Forbidden Love'' (1920) * '' Alfred von Ingelheim's Dramatic Life'' (1921) * '' The Secret of Castle Ronay'' (1922) * ''
Paradise in the Snow ''Paradise in the Snow'' (German:''Das Paradies im Schnee'') is a 1923 German-Swiss silent film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Bruno Kastner, Lona Schmidt and Ferry Sikla. The film's art direction was by Ludwig Kainer. Cast *Bruno Kastne ...
'' (1923) * ''
Comedians of Life A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who ...
'' (1924) * ''
Debit and Credit Debits and credits in double-entry bookkeeping are entries made in account ledgers to record changes in value resulting from business transactions. A debit entry in an account represents a transfer of value ''to'' that account, and a credit ...
'' (1924) * '' The Enchantress'' (1924) * '' Colibri'' (1924) * ''
Darling of the King ''Darling of the King'' () is a 1924 German silent film directed by Heinz Schall and starring Ruth Weyher, Elisabeth Pinajeff and Bruno Kastner.Bock & Bergfelder p. 514 The film's sets were designed by the art director Hermann Warm and Gustav ...
'' (1924) * ''
Three Waiting Maids ''Three Waiting Maids'' () is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Hanni Weisse, Maly Delschaft, and Bruno Kastner. It was remade in 1932 as '' Mrs. Lehmann's Daughters'' and the 1933 Swedish film ''Marriageable D ...
'' (1925) * ''
If You Have an Aunt ''If You Have an Aunt'' (German: ''Wenn Du eine Tante hast'') is a 1925 German silent film directed by Carl Boese and starring Maly Delschaft, Wilhelm Diegelmann and Robert Garrison.Grange p.209 The film's sets were designed by the art directo ...
'' (1925) * ''
The Woman with That Certain Something ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns 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 English. ''The ...
'' (1925) * ''
Flight Around the World ''Flight Around the World'' () is a 1925 German silent adventure film directed by Willi Wolff and starring Ellen Richter, Reinhold Schünzel, and Bruno Kastner.Grange p. 193 It was released in two parts. It was shot at the Halensee Studios ...
'' (1925) * '' The Man Who Sold Himself'' (1925) * ''
The Assmanns ''The Assmanns'' () is a 1925 German silent film directed by Arthur Bergen and starring Grete Reinwald, Bruno Kastner, and Auguste Prasch-Grevenberg.Gerhard Lamprecht. ''Deutsche Stummfilme, Volume 8'' p. 894 The film's sets were designed by the ...
'' (1925) * ''
The Trumpets are Blowing ''The Trumpets are Blowing'' (German: ''Es blasen die Trompeten'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Carl Boese and starring Bruno Kastner, Hugo Fischer-Köppe, and Eddie Seefeld.Bock & Bergfelder p.8. Cast *Bruno Kastner *Hugo Fischer- ...
'' (1926) * ''
Vienna – Berlin ''Vienna – Berlin'' () is a 1926 Austrian-German silent drama film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Charlotte Ander, Anita Dorris and Egon von Jordan. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's art director was Hans Ja ...
'' (1926) * ''
The Divorcée ''The Divorcée'' () is a 1953 German musical film directed by George Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Johannes Heesters and Hans Nielsen (actor), Hans Nielsen. It was based on the operetta ''Die geschiedene Frau'' by Leo Fall and Victor Léon. ...
'' (1926) * '' When She Starts, Look Out'' 1926) * '' The Brothers Schellenberg'' (1926) * ''
Eva and the Grasshopper ''Eva and the Grasshopper'' (German: ''Jugendrausch'') is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Georg Asagaroff and Wladyslaw Starewicz and starring Camilla Horn, Gustav Fröhlich, and Warwick Ward.Krautz p. 361 It was shot at the Tempelh ...
'' (1927) * '' The Most Beautiful Legs of Berlin'' (1927) * '' The Lady with the Tiger Skin'' (1927) * '' The Orlov'' (1927) * '' Luther'' (1928) * ''
Angst Angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity. ''Anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin. Etymology The word ''angst'' was introduced in ...
'' (1928) * ''
Fair Game Fair Game may refer to: Film * ''Fair Game'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Fair Game'' (1986 film), an Australian action film * ''Fair Game'' (1988 film), an Italian thriller-horror film * ''Fair Game'', a 1994 television film sta ...
'' (1928) * ''
The Duty to Remain Silent ''The Duty to Remain Silent'' (German: ''Die Pflicht zu schweigen'') is a 1928 German silent film, silent drama film directed by Carl Wilhelm and starring Marcella Albani, Vivian Gibson, Angelo Ferrari. It was based on a novel by Friedrich Werner ...
'' (1928) * '' My Friend Harry'' (1928) * ''
The Land of Smiles ''The Land of Smiles'' (German: ') is a 1929 romantic operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár. The German language libretto was by Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner-Beda. The performance duration is about 100 minutes. This was one of Lehár's late ...
'' (1930)


References


External links

* *
Bruno Kastner
virtual-history.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastner, Bruno 1890 births 1932 deaths People from Forst (Lausitz) Actors from the Province of Brandenburg People with speech disorders German male stage actors German male film actors German male silent film actors 20th-century German male actors Suicides by hanging in Germany 1932 suicides Male actors from Brandenburg