HOME INDEX
SILENT MOVIE
THE GERMAN
SILENT MOVIE
MAIL English Version

 
Conrad Veidt

Picture Conrad Veidt
Foto: Alexander Binder (1888-1929)

1893 - 1943

.
.
Veidts first works for theater go back to the year 1913, first appearances in movies go back to the year 1916. As he had something strange in his features he was called on for unusual parts. He personified among other things an Indian prince in "Das Rätsel von Bangalor (1917) and also an Indian in "Das indische Grabmal" (1921).
In 1918 he met director Richard Oswald (1880-1963). From this connection resulted more than 20 films in the next few years, e.g. "Anders als die Anderen" (1919) about homosexuality and "Dürfen wir schweigen?" (1926) about syphilis.

Time and again he was employed for dubious parts. The most well-known films are definitely "Satanas" (1919), "Der Januskopf" (1920) and "Der Gang in die Nacht" (1920). His absolute most popular movie and with it his most impressive part he had in "Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari" (1919), which went down in history as one of the great cult movies in the German silent movie era. Veidt personified in this film the somnambulist Cesare.
Conrad Veidt also directed two movies called "Die Nacht auf Goldenhall" (19) and "Wahnsinn" (19), in which he also appeared as an actor.

In "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" (1923) were the most important movie stars assembled beside Veidt in those time: Emil Jannings (1884-1950), Werner Krauss (1884-1959) and Wilhelm Dieterle (1893-1972). This movie from director Paul Leni (1885-1929) was the last one on the style of Caligari.

The part in the remake of "Der Student von Prag" (1926) represented a huge challenge for Conrad Veidt. He did this job brilliantly and he hadn't been afraid of a comparison with Paul Wegener in 1913.
At the end of the same year Veidt had first contact with the USA. At the invitation of John Barrymore he shot "The Beloved Rogue - Der Bettelpoet".
Especially England and later the USA became employers and living space in Veidt's last years; drifted out from Germany because of the political circumstances - Veidt was married with Ilona Preger-Bata which belonged to the Jewish faith.

The beginning of the sound film wasn't a problem for him. He shot  "Die letzte Kompanie" (1929), "Menschen im Käfig" (1930) and "Der Kongress tanzt" (1931).

Veidt orientated himself to the English-speaking region - he played the part of Hans Ablers in the English version of "F.P.1 antwortet nicht" (1932) and in1933 he acted his last role in Germany before went to England for good. When he appeared there in the movie "Jew Süss" (1934) (not to confuse with the German film of 1940 of the same name), the negative voices of the socialistic Germany increased:

"Conrad Veidt was payed for this betrayal of his native country - by the praise of the Jewish public. Whit it he is human no longer dignified that not even one finger in Germany moves to his praise." (Völkischer Beobachter 1934).

Veidt was active in England in the course of five years when he obtained the English citizenship. During this time was strong involved against Nazi-Germany. His last movie in England was "The Thief of Baghdad" (with Sabu in the leading role) and celebrated a further worldwide success. In 1940 he moved to the USA where he hoped for better film offers. He played together with Joan Crawford in "A woman's face" (1941) and took part in cult movie "Casablanca" (1943), which convened a multitude of emigrated stars of Europe. It was not granted to Conrad Veidt to witness the great success of Casablance. He died on the 3rd April 1943 - during a game of golf - because of a heart failure.
 

Other movies with Conrad Veidt:
Der Weg des Todes (16) Wenn Tote sprechen (17) Der Spion/In die Wolken verfolgt (17) Furcht (17) Die Serenyi (18) Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen (18) Das Dreimäderlhaus (18) Es werde Licht! 4. Teil - Sündige Mütter/Strafgesetz § 218 (18) Colomba (18) Dida Ibsens Geschichte (18) Jettchen Geberts Geschichte (18) Peer Gynt (18) Opium (18) Die Reise um die Erde in 80 Tagen/Die Reise um die Welt (18) Nocturno der Liebe (18) Die Japanerin (18) Die Mexikanerin (19) Opfer der Gesellschaft (19) Das gelbe Haus/Die Prostitution/Im Sumpfe der Grossstadt (19) Die sich verkaufen (19) Die Okarina (19) Prinz Kuckuck (19) Unheimliche Geschichten (19) Nachtgestalten (19) Sehnsucht (20) Patience/Die Karten des Todes (20) Kurfürstendamm (20) Der Reigen (20) Die Augen der Welt (20) Abend - Nacht - Morgen (20) Moriturus (20) Manolescus Memoiren/Fürst Lahovary, der König der Diebe (20) Künstlerlaunen (20) Liebestaumel (20) Weltbrand (20) Der Graf von Cagliostro (20) Das Geheimnis von Bombay (20) Menschen im Rausch (20) Der Leidensweg der Inge Krafft (21) Die Liebschaften des Hektor Dalmore (21) Christian Wahnschaffe (21) Landstrasse und Grossstadt (21) Lady Hamilton (21) Lucrezia Borgia (22) Paganini (23) Wilhelm Tell (23) Glanz gegen Glück (23) Carlos und Elisabeth (24) Orlacs Hände (24) Nju (24) Schicksal (24) Graf Kostja (24) Liebe macht blind (25) Till Oesterland (25) Die Erde ruft/Ingmars Erbe (25) Der Geiger von Florenz (26) Die Brüder Schellenberg (26) Kreuzzug des Weibes (26) Die Flucht in die Nacht (26) A Man's Past - Eines Mannes Vergangenheit/Der seltsame Fall eines Arztes (27) The Man Who Laughs - Der Mann, der lacht (28) The Last Performance - Illusion (29) Das Land ohne Frauen (29) Die grosse Sehnsucht (30) Der Mann, der den Mord beging/Nächte am Bosporus (31) Die Nacht der Entscheidung (31) Die andere Seite (31) Rasputin (32) Der schwarze Husar (32) Rom-Express (32) Ich und die Kaiserin (33) I Was a Spy - Ich war ein Spion (33) The Wandering Jew - Der wandernde Jude (33) Wilhelm Tell (33) Bella Donna (34) The Passing of the Third Floor Back (35) King of the Damned - Der König der Verdammten (35) Dark Journey/The Anxious Years (36) Under the Red Robe - Unter der roten Robe (37) Tempête sur l'Asie - Sturm über Asien (38) Le joueur d'échecs (38) The Spy in Black - Spion in Schwarz (39) Contraband (40) Escape (40) Whistling in the Dark (41) The Men in Her Life - Roman einer Tänzerin (41) All Through the Night - Agenten der Nacht/Während der grossen Nacht (41) Nazi Agent (41) Above Suspicion - Über jeden Verdacht erhaben (43) 


 
Back