Ernst Schröder

Ernst Schröder (27 January 1915 – 26 July 1994) was a popular German theatre, film and TV actor.

Life Born in Herne, Schröder began his acting career at the nearby Bochum Theatre in 1934, under the director Saladin Schmitt. He worked there until 1936, also working as assistant director and Stage Designer. After working at Bielefeld and Wuppertal, he moved to the Schiller Theatre in Berlin in 1938, which became his artistic home and the location of his greatest triumphs, particularly after the Second World War.

During the war he served briefly in the army, was wounded, and returned to the Schiller Theatre in 1942. When in 1944 the theatre was closed, he returned to serve in the army, and ended the war in Italy as a prisoner. He returned to the theatre in 1946 and rapidly re-established his reputation.

He was a member of the jury at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival in 1957.

He was considered one of the greatest character actors of the German theatre, enjoying larger than life roles. He was frequently compared with the pre-war star Heinrich George. In addition, he frequently acted in Zurich and Munich. Although he concentrated on stage work, both as actor and director, he occasionally appeared in film roles, most notably as German General Hans von Salmuth in the 1962 film The Longest Day.

He achieved broader popularity in the 1970s, appearing more frequently on television, particularly in crime shows like Derrick and Der Alte.

In 1981, he staged a production of Shakespeare's King Lear at the Bad Hersfeld Festival. At the end of the 1980s he returned to television in the role of 'Lauritz Lorentz' in the series of (Lorentz and Sons).

In 1991–92, he appeared as the narrator in a dramatised radio version of The Lord of the Rings.

Throughout his career, Schröder also dubbed the voices of popular English-speaking actors into German. Amongst others, he provided the voices for Charles Boyer, James Cagney, William Conrad, Rex Harrison, Herbert Lom, Spencer Tracy and Peter Ustinov.

Personal life In 1980, his daughter, the actress Christiane Schröder (18 January 1942 – 17 September 1980), killed herself at Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Schröder killed himself on 26 July 1994, at the age of 79. He had cancer at the time of his death.

Theatre

Year Title Role Author Director Notes 1937–1938 Clavigo Clavigo Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1938–1939 Konig Heinrich IV Prinz Heinrich William Shakespeare Ernst Legal 1946 Die Räuber Karl Moor Friedrich Schiller Walter Felsenstein Fraulein Julie August Strindberg Ernst Schröder Boubouroche Georges Courteline Ernst Schröder 1948 Caligula Title role Albert Camus 1950 Don Carlos Domingo Friedrich Schiller Fritz Kortner 1952 Urfaust Mephisto Goethe Willi Schmidt 1953 Die Räuber Karl Moor Friedrich Schiller Hans Lietzau Tartuffe Title role Molière O.F. Schuh 1954 Der zerbrochene Krug Dorfrichter Adam Heinrich von Kleist O.F. Schuh Warten auf Godot Wladimir Samuel Beckett Fritz Kortner with Heinz Rühmann 1958 Richard III Title role Shakespeare Leopold Lindtberg Biedermann und die Brandstifter Schmitzi Max Frisch Oskar Wälterlin 1961 Die Echten Sedemunds Der alte Sedemund Ernst Barlach Hans Lietzau Andorra Lehrer Max Frisch Kurt Hirschfeld World premiere 1962 Graf Öderland Prosecutor Max Frisch Hans Lietzau 1963 Herkules und der Stall des Augias Friedrich Dürrenmatt World premiere 1964 Christian Maske, 1913 Carl Sternheim Marat/Sade Marquis de Sade Peter Weiss Konrad Swinarski World premiere 1965 Die Wanze Prisipkin Wladimir Majakowski Konrad Swinarski 1966 Faust II Mephisto Goethe Ernst Schröder 1967 Endspiel Hamm Samuel Beckett Samuel Beckett Die Wiedertaufer Bockelson Friedrich Dürrenmatt Werner Düggelin World premiere 1968 Die Trauung Vater Witold Gombrowicz Ernst Schröder 1973 Lear Title role Edward Bond Hans Lietzau 1983 Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh Moritz Meister Thomas Bernhard Volksbühne production

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Also Starring Notes1940 Friedrich Schiller – The Triumph of a Genius Student Zumsteg Herbert Maisch Horst Caspar and Heinrich George Fahrt ins Leben Seekadett Christian Wagner Bernd Hofmann Hedwig Bleibtreu 1941 Ohm Krüger Adrian Krüger Hans Steinhoff Emil Jannings 1942 Der große Schatten Dr. Martin Scholz Paul Verhoeven Heinrich George and Heidemarie Hatheyer 1944 The Degenhardts Jochem Degenhardt Werner Klingler Heinrich George 1949 The Last Illusion Walter Josef von Báky Fritz Kortner 1951 The Sinful Border Hugo Mielke Robert A. Stemmle Dieter Borsche, Inge Egger and Peter Mosbacher 1952 Poison in the Zoo Oskar Beck Hans Müller Irene von Meyendorff Under the Thousand Lanterns Braun Erich Engel Michel Auclair The Great Temptation Prosecutor Rolf Hansen Dieter Borsche, Ruth Leuwerik and Renate Mannhardt 1953 Diary of a Married Woman Dr. Hugendübel Josef von Báky Maria Schell and O. W. Fischer The Man Between Olaf Kastner Carol Reed James Mason, Claire Bloom and Hildegard Knef 1954 The Perfect Couple Dr. Martini Robert A. Stemmle Ingeborg Körner and Hans Reiser Captain Wronski Stepan Ulrich Erfurth Willy Birgel, Elisabeth Flickenschildt The Great Test Dr. Rottach Rudolf Jugert Luise Ullrich and Hans Söhnker 1955 Love Without Illusions Jellinek Erich Engel Sonja Ziemann and Curd Jürgens The Plot to Assassinate Hitler SS-Obergruppenführer Falk Harnack Wolfgang Preiss The Captain and His Hero Hauptmann Eisenhecker Max Nosseck Jo Herbst Du mein stilles Tal Dr. Zöller Leonard Steckel Curd Jürgens and Winnie Markus 1956 Night of Decision Jacques Ardent Falk Harnack Carl Raddatz, Hilde Krahl and Albert Lieven Without You All Is Darkness Arthur Wehrmann Curd Jürgens Eva Bartok and Curd Jürgens Kitty and the Great Big World Mr. Crawford - Sekretär Alfred Weidenmann Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm and O.E. Hasse The Story of Anastasia Falk Harnack Lilli Palmer and Ivan Desny 1957 Stresemann Dr. Gustav Stresemann Alfred Braun Anouk Aimée and Wolfgang Preiss 1958 Hans Quest Karlheinz Böhm Resurrection Der Gouverneur Rolf Hansen Horst Buchholz Iron Gustav Friedrich Karl Möbius George Hurdalek Heinz Rühmann and Lucie Mannheim As Long as the Heart Still Beats Franke Alfred Weidenmann O.E. Hasse 1959 The Man Who Sold Himself Münchmann Josef von Báky Hildegard Knef and Hansjörg Felmy The Black Chapel Julian Hoffmann Ralph Habib Peter van Eyck Marili Waldemar Heller Josef von Báky Sabine Sinjen and Paul Hubschmid 1960 Dr. Kukill Harald Philipp Sonja Ziemann The High Life Monsieur Alexander Julien Duvivier Giulietta Masina, Gustav Knuth and Gert Fröbe My Schoolfriend Hauptmann Kühn Robert Siodmak Heinz Rühmann 1962 The Counterfeit Traitor Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg George Seaton William Holden and Lilli Palmer The Longest Day Gen. Hans von Salmuth Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki and Darryl F. Zanuck John Wayne and Robert Mitchum Uncredited 1963 The Nylon Noose G.B. Harrison Rudolf Zehetgruber Dietmar Schönherr 1964 The Secret of Dr. Mabuse Chefarzt Hugo Fregonese Peter van Eyck and O. E. Hasse The Visit Mayor Bernhard Wicki Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn 1965 Marvelous Angelique Le capitaine du Châtelet Bernard Borderie Michèle Mercier, Giuliano Gemma and Jean-Louis Trintignant Heidi Konsul Alfred Sesemann Werner Jacobs Gustav Knuth and Margot Trooger 1974 The Odessa File Werner Deilman Ronald Neame Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell and Maria Schell

Television

Year Title Role Author Director Also Starring Notes 1960 Abendstunde im Spätherbst Maximilian Friedrich Korbes Friedrich Dürrenmatt Rudolf Noelte 1962 Galileo Galilei Bertolt Brecht Egon Monk Von Wehrhahn Gerhart Hauptmann John Olden Inge Meysel 1976 Derrick Werner Solms Herbert Reinecker Alfred Weidenmann Mathieu Carrière Dr. Scheibnitz Herbert Reinecker Dietrich Haugk Hans Stetter 1978 Die Eingesschlossenen Jean-Paul Sartre Pinkas Braun Judy Winter and Uwe Friedrichsen 1983 Derrick Professor Rotheim Herbert Reinecker Theodor Grädler Gisela Stein 1984 Mrs. Harris - Freund mit Rolls Royce Sir Wilmot Paul Gallico Georg Tressler Inge Meysel, Edith Volkmann and Eberhard Feik 1985 A Crime of Honour A Song for Europe Herr Direktor Peter Prince John Goldschmidt David Suchet and Maria Schneider 1988 Lauritz Lorentz Claus Peter Witt Heli Finkenzeller, Hans Korte and Gerd Baltus 1992 Derrick - Die Festmenüs des Herrn Borgelt Herbert Reinecker 1992 Melkovic Ladislav Mňačko Peter Patzak Michael York and Iris Berben (final film role)