Erwin Geschonneck (27 December 1906 – 12 March 2008) was a German
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. ...
. His biggest success occurred in the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, where he was considered one of the most famous actors of the time.
East Prussia
East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
(now Bartoszyce,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
), the son of a poor
shoemaker
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...
. The family moved to
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
in 1909 so his father could work as a nightwatchman. In 1919, the younger Geschonneck joined the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...
. After the Nazi takeover in 1933, he emigrated to the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
via
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was imprisoned in several
Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
. In 1945, Geschonneck was one of the few prisoners who survived the RAF sinking of the Cap Arcona.
Career
Immediately following the war, Geschonneck acted in theaters in
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 ...
, Germany, and made his film debut in 1947 in '' In jenen Tagen''. He subsequently moved to
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, worked with
Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
, and became a successful actor. He was a member of the jury at the 6th and
7th Moscow International Film Festival
The 7th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 20 July to 3 August 1971. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian film '' Confessions of a Police Captain'' directed by Damiano Damiani, the Japanese film '' Live Today, Die Tomorrow ...
s.
Geschonneck was featured in the German film ''
Jacob the Liar
''Jacob the Liar'' is a 1969 novel written by the East Germany, East German Jewish author Jurek Becker. The German language, German original title is ''Jakob der Lügner'' (). Becker was awarded the Heinrich-Mann Prize (1971) and the Charles Veill ...
'' by
Frank Beyer
Frank Paul Beyer (; 26 May 1932 – 1 October 2006) was a German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA (film studio), DEFA and directed films that dealt mostl ...
, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1977
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
– the only nomination for the GDR. In December 2006, he turned 100.
His last film, made in 1995 for the German television network ARD, was ', where he played alongside veteran actor Fred Delmare. Geschonneck's son Matti Geschonneck directed.
Death
Geschonneck died in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
on 12 March 2008, aged 101.
Filmography
* '' Kuhle Wampe'' (1932) – Arbeitersportler (uncredited)
* '' In Those Days'' (1947) – Schmitt / 6. Geschichte
* ''Finale'' (1948) – Wilke
* '' The Last Night'' (1949) – Oskar, Fahrer
* '' Love '47'' (1949) – Kriminalbeamter
* ''
The Beaver Coat
''The Beaver Coat'' () is a satirical play by Gerhart Hauptmann premiered in Berlin in 1893.
The work is an example of a German naturalistic ''Diebskomödie'', or 'thief's comedy'. The drama takes place "somewhere in Berlin... around the end of ...
Wilhelm Liebknecht
Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht (; 29 March 1826 – 7 August 1900) was a German socialist activist and politician. He was one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).Alarm im Zirkus'' (1954) – Klott
* '' Das Stacheltier: Das Haushaltswunder'' (1955) – Abteilungsleiter Vogel
* '' Das Stacheltier: Es geht um die Wurst'' (1955) – Leo Weiß, Friseur
* ''Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder'' (1955, unfinished film) – Feldprediger
* ''
Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle
''Les Aventures de Till L'Espiègle'' is a French-East German film, based on ''The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak''. It was released in 1956.
Cast
* Gérard Philipe: Till Eulenspiegel
* Jean Vilar: The Duke of Alva
* Fernand Led ...
'' (1956) – Bras d'Acier
* '' Der Hauptmann von Köln'' (1956) – Hans Karjanke
* '' Schlösser und Katen'' (1957) – Bröker
* ''Katzgraben'' (1957) – Großmann, ein Großbauer
* '' Der Lotterieschwede'' (1958) – Johan Jönsson
* '' Geschichte vom armen Hassan'' (1958) – Machmud
* '' SAS 181 antwortet nicht'' (1959)
* '' Musterknaben'' (1960) – Arthur Wedel
* ''Leute mit Flügeln'' (1960) – Bartuscheck
* '' Five Cartridges'' (1960) – Kommissar Wittig
* '' Ach, du fröhliche'' (1962) – Walter Lörke
* ''Wind von vorn'' (1962) – Schorsch
* '' Naked Among Wolves'' (1963) – Walter Kraemer
* '' Carbide and Sorrel'' (1963) – Kalle
* ''Tiefe Furchen'' (1965) – Roter Schuster
* ''Berlin um die Ecke'' (1965) – Paul Krautmann
* ''Geschichten jener Nacht'' (1967) – Willi Lenz (segment "Der grosse und der kleine Willi")
* '' Die Fahne von Kriwoj Rog'' (1967) – Otto Brosowski Sr.
* ''Ein Lord am Alexanderplatz'' (1967) – Ewald Honig
* ''Wir kaufen eine Feuerwehr'' (1970) – Herr Clasen
* '' Sonnensucher'' (1972) – Jupp König
* '' Tüzolto Utca 25'' (1973) – Szentiványi
* ''Der Untergang der Emma'' (1974) – Fährmann Kluge
* ''
Jacob the Liar
''Jacob the Liar'' is a 1969 novel written by the East Germany, East German Jewish author Jurek Becker. The German language, German original title is ''Jakob der Lügner'' (). Becker was awarded the Heinrich-Mann Prize (1971) and the Charles Veill ...
'' (1974) – Kowalski
* ''Looping'' (1975) – Bienes Vater
* ''Bankett für Achilles'' (1975) – Meister Achilles
* ''Das Licht auf dem Galgen'' (1976) – Bering
* ''Tambari'' (1977) – Luden Dassow
* '' Anton, der Zauberer'' (1978) – Vater Grubske
* ''Das Ding im Schloß'' (1979) – Prof. Bunzberger
* ''Circus maximus'' (1980) – Szakállas
* ''Levins Mühle'' (1980) – Johann
* ''Asta, mein Engelchen'' (1981) – Otto Gratzick / Hermann Gschwinder
* ''Der Mann von der Cap Arcona'' (1982) – Erwin Gregorek
* ''Wie die Alten sungen...'' (1986) – Walter Lörke
* ''Mensch, mein Papa...!'' (1988) – Erich Zarling
Television
* ''Die Gewehre der Frau Carrar'' (1953) – Pedro
* ''Gewissen in Aufruhr'' (TV miniseries, 1961) – Oberst Joachim Ebershagen
* ''Der Andere neben dir'' (1963) – Prof. Marschner
* ''Asphalt-Story'' (1964) – Robby Assmann
* '' Die Ermittlung – Oratorium in 11 Gesängen'' (1966) – Zeuge 9
* ''Rendezvous mit Unbekannt'' (TV miniseries, 1969)
* '' Jeder stirbt für sich allein'' (TV miniseries, 1970) – Otto Quangel
* ''Das Geheimnis der Anden'' (TV miniseries, 1972) – Don Pineto / Prof. Binder
* ''Im Schlaraffenland'' (1975) – James Luis Türkheimer
* ''Ein altes Modell'' (1976) – Bruno Nakonz
* ''Ein Wigwam für die Störche'' (1976) – Opa Fritz
* ''Die Insel der Silberreiher'' (1976) – Oberst von Bülow
* ''Des kleinen Lokführers große Fahrt'' (1978) – Großvater
* ''Plantagenstraße 19'' (1979) – Richard Matuschke
* ''Verlobung in Hullerbusch'' (1979) – Ernst / Walter Wagemühl
* ''Herbstzeit'' (1979) – Paul Wositschka
* ''Meschkas Enkel'' (1981) – Meschka
* ''Benno macht Geschichten'' (1982) – Oskar Schrader
* ''Das Graupenschloß'' (1982) – Waldemar
* ' (1995) – Matulla (final film role)
Berliner Zeitung
The ''Berliner Zeitung'' (; ) is a daily newspaper based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in East Germany in 1945, it is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since Reunification of Germany, reunification. It is published by Berl ...