Karl Emil Georg Gerhard (born Karl Emil Georg Johnson; 14 April 1891 – 22 April 1964) was a Swedish theater director, revue writer and actor. In 1938 he changed his surname to Gerhard and used the pseudonym Karl-Gerhard.

Biography

Karl Emil Georg Johnson was born in Hedvig Eleonora parish in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. He was the son of Frans Emil Jonsson (1861–1917) and Jenny Augusta Jonsdotter (1863–1906). In 1916, he appeared as an actor under the direction of Hjalmar Selander at the Nya Teatern in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. In 1919, he debuted as a couplet singer at the cabaret Fenixpalatset in Stockholm as successor to Ernst Rolf (1891–1932). For many years, he was an actor in various traveling theater companies. Through most of his career, he wrote songs and couplets as well as a large number of sketches, dialogues and monologues for performance on the stages of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

. Many of Karl Gerhard's plays and songs were politically to the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

, and during the 1930s and

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 ...

, they contained clear

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

statements. He composed and sang a number of couplet text that sharply criticized the Swedish government's apathy towards

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 ...

, among these ''Den ökända hästen från Troja'' (The Infamous Horse of Troy). He together with the

Wallenberg family The Wallenberg family is a prominent Swedish family of bankers, industrialists, politicians, bureaucrats and diplomats, present in most large Swedish industrial groups, including EQT AB, Ericsson, Electrolux, ABB, SAS Group, SKF, Atlas Copco, ...

and the Swedish government arranged a deal to export critical metal alloys to the Soviet Union during the war. The Soviets needed the alloys for their air force. The Wallenbergs tried to get

Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. In ...

released from Soviet incarceration while Karl Gerhart supported Soviet during the war. Wallenberg was not released by Soviet, he was reportedly killed by the Russians. Gerhart was married three times: to actresses Mary Johnson (1913 to 1920), Valborg Geyron (1922 to 1930) and Brita Werner (1930 to 1936). He was the father of actor Per Gerhard (1924–2011).

Selected filmography

* '' Mästerkatten i stövlar'' (1918) * ''

Say It with Music Say or SAY may refer to: * Speech, the production of a spoken language Music * ''Say'' (album), by Misono, 2008 * Scottish Album of the Year Award Songs * "Say" (The Creatures song), 1999 * "Say" (John Mayer song), 2007 * "Say" (Method Man song ...

'' (1929) * '' Prov utan värde'' (1930) * '' Lucky Devils'' (1932) * '' Äktenskapsleken'' (1935) (also script) * ''

We Three Debutantes ''We Three Debutantes'' () is a 1953 Swedish drama film directed by Hasse Ekman and starring Maj-Britt Nilsson, Sven-Eric Gamble, Per Oscarsson and Karl Gerhard. It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockholm and on location in the city. The ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Jazz Boy ''The Jazz Boy'' (Swedish: ''Jazzgossen'') is a 1958 Swedish musical film directed and by Hasse Ekman and starring Ekman, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Elof Ahrle and Georg Funkquist.Gustafsson p.118 The film was an attempt to make a nostalgic cavalcade of ...

'' (1958)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhard, Karl 1891 births 1964 deaths 20th-century Swedish male singers 20th-century Swedish male actors Swedish male film actors Swedish male silent film actors Swedish male songwriters Singers from Stockholm Male actors from Stockholm