Erwin Leiser (May 16, 1923 – August 22, 1996)Erwin Leiser (1923–1996)
/ref> was a Swedish director, writer, and actor. He is best known for his 1960 documentary film ''

Mein Kampf (; ) is a 1925 Autobiography, autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The book outlines many of Political views of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's political beliefs, his political ideology and future plans for Nazi Germany, Ge ...

'', based on Nazi footage from secret archives and depicting Nazi atrocities. He subsequently made other documentaries both on

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and other topics.

Early life and education

Born and raised 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 ...

, he fled to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

at the age of 15 to escape the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

. He graduated from the University of Lund and worked as a journalist and a drama and literary critic.Erwin Leiser at New York Times
/ref>

Career

In 1967, he was a member of the jury at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

. Leiser published the book ''Nazi Cinema'' in 1974.

Death

Erwin Leiser was buried in Zürich's Israelitischer Friedhof Oberer Friesenberg.

References

External links

* * 1923 births 1996 deaths German documentary filmmakers Film people from Berlin Lund University alumni Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Sweden {{Germany-film-director-stub