Harry Baur

Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor, famous for his titular role in Beethoven's Great Love and as Jean Valjean in the 1934 version of Les Misérables.

Life

Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic Beethoven's Great Love (Un grand amour de Beethoven, 1936), directed by Abel Gance, and as Jean Valjean in Raymond Bernard's version of Les Misérables (1934). He also acted in Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset's silent film, Beethoven (1909), and in La voyante (1923), Sarah Bernhardt's last film.

In 1942, while in Berlin, to star in his last film Symphone eines Lebens, Baur's wife, Rika Radifé, was arrested by the Gestapo and charged with espionage. His effort to secure her release led to his own arrest and torture. He was being falsely labelled as a Jew but confirmed freemason. He was released in April 1943, but died in Paris shortly after in mysterious circumstances.

Legacy

American actor Rod Steiger cited Baur as one of his favorite actors who had exerted a major influence on his craft and career.

Filmography

Monsieur Lecoq (1914) Strass et Compagnie (1915) The Gold Chignon (1916) as Comte Hector de Nages, Bébert Flower of Paris (1916, Short) as Harry Podge 48, avenue de l'Opéra (1917) as Tom Baxler Sous la griffe (1917) L'âme du bonze (1918) The Clairvoyant (1924) as Monsieur Detaille David Golder (1931) as David Golder Le cap perdu (1937) as Le Capitaine Kell Moon Over Morocco (1931) as M. de Marouvelle The Polish Jew (1931) as Mathias The Red Head (1932) as Monsieur Lepic The Three Musketeers (1932) as Tréville Criminal (1933) as Warden Brady The Old Devil (1933) as Guillaume Vautier A Man's Neck (1933) as Commissaire Jules Maigret Rothchild (1934) as Rothchild Les Misérables (1934) as Jean Valjean / Champmathieu Le greluchon délicat (1934) as Michel A Man of Gold (1934) as Capon Moscow Nights (1934) as Piotr Brioukow Golgotha (1935) as Hérode Crime and Punishment (1935) as Le juge Porphyre Dark Eyes (1935) as Ivan Ivanovitch Petroff Moscow Nights (1935) as Peter Brioukow Le Golem (1936) – L'empereur Rodolphe II as roi de Bohème Samson (1936) as Jacques Brachart Taras Bulba (1936) as Tarass Boulba Beethoven's Great Love (1936) as Ludwig van Beethoven Nitchevo (1936) as Le commandant Robert Cartier The New Men (1936) as Bourron Paris (1937) as Alexandre Lafortune Sarati the Terrible (1937) as César Sarati The Secrets of the Red Sea (1937) as Saïd Ali Life Dances On (1937) as Alain Regnault Mollenard (1938) as Captain Mollenard Rasputin (1938) as Raspoutine (Rasputin) The Postmaster's Daughter (1938) as Virine, le maitre de poste The Patriot (1938) as Le tsar Paul 1er The Rebel Son (1938) as Taras Bulba The Man from Niger (1940) as Le docteur Bourdet President Haudecoeur (1940) as Le président Haudecoeur Volpone (1941) as Volpone Who Killed Santa Claus? (1941) as Gaspard Cornusse Sins of Youth (1941) as Monsieur Lacalade Symphonie eines Lebens (1943) as Stephan Melchior (final film role)