Ernst Schröder (actor)


Ernst Schröder 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 legendary 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 1980, his daughter, the actress Christiane Schröder, committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
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 .
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.
At the age of 79, Schröder was diagnosed with cancer at a Berlin hospital. He committed suicide on 26 July 1994 by jumping out of a window.

Theatre

YearTitleRoleAuthorDirectorNotes
1937/38ClavigoClavigoJohann Wolfgang von Goethe
1938/39Konig Heinrich IVPrinz HeinrichWilliam ShakespeareErnst Legal
1946Die RäuberKarl MoorFriedrich SchillerWalter Felsenstein
1946Fraulein JulieAugust StrindbergErnst Schröder
1946BoubourocheGeorges CourtelineErnst Schröder
1948CaligulaTitle roleAlbert Camus
1950Don CarlosDomingoFriedrich SchillerFritz Kortner
1952UrfaustMephistoGoetheWilli Schmidt
1953Die RäuberKarl MoorFriedrich SchillerHans Lietzau
1953TartuffeTitle roleMolièreO.F. Schuh
1954Der zerbrochene KrugDorfrichter AdamHeinrich von KleistO.F. Schuh
1954Warten auf GodotWladimirSamuel BeckettFritz Kortnerwith Heinz Rühmann
1958Richard IIITitle roleShakespeareLeopold Lindtberg
1958Biedermann und die BrandstifterSchmitziMax FrischOskar Wälterlin
1961 Die Echten SedemundsDer alte SedemundErnst BarlachHans Lietzau
1961AndorraLehrerMax FrischKurt HirschfeldWorld premiere
1962Graf ÖderlandProsecutorMax FrischHans Lietzau
1963Herkules und der Stall des AugiasFriedrich DürrenmattWorld premiere
1964Christian Maske, 1913Carl Sternheim
1964Marat/SadeMarquis de SadePeter WeissKonrad SwinarskiWorld premiere
1965Die WanzePrisipkinWladimir MajakowskiKonrad Swinarski
1966Faust IIMephistoGoetheErnst Schröder
1967EndspielHammSamuel BeckettSamuel Beckett
1967Die WiedertauferBockelsonFriedrich DürrenmattWerner DüggelinWorld premiere
1968Die TrauungVaterWitold GombrowiczErnst Schröder
1973LearTitle roleEdward BondHans Lietzau
1983Über Allen Gipfeln Ist RuhMoritz MeisterThomas BernhardKurt HübnerVolksbühne production

Filmography

YearTitleRoleDirectorAlso StarringNotes
1940Friedrich Schiller – The Triumph of a GeniusStudent ZumstegHerbert MaischHorst Caspar and Heinrich George
1940Fahrt ins LebenSeekadett Christian WagnerBernd HofmannHedwig Bleibtreu
1941Ohm KrügerAdrian KrügerHans SteinhoffEmil Jannings
1942Der große SchattenDr. Martin ScholzPaul VerhoevenHeinrich George and Heidemarie Hatheyer
1944The DegenhardtsJochem DegenhardtWerner KlinglerHeinrich George
1949The Last IllusionWalterJosef von BákyFritz Kortner
1951The Sinful BorderHugo MielkeRobert A. StemmleDieter Borsche, Inge Egger and Peter Mosbacher
1952 Poison in the ZooOskar Beck Hans MüllerIrene von Meyendorff
1952Under the Thousand LanternsBraunErich EngelMichel Auclair
1952The Great TemptationProsecutorRolf HansenDieter Borsche, Ruth Leuwerik and Renate Mannhardt
1953Diary of a Married WomanDr. HugendübelJosef von BákyMaria Schell and O. W. Fischer
1953The Man BetweenOlaf KastnerCarol ReedJames Mason, Claire Bloom and Hildegard Knef
1954The Perfect CoupleDr. MartiniRobert A. StemmleIngeborg Körner and Hans Reiser
1954Captain WronskiStepanUlrich ErfurthWilly Birgel, Elisabeth Flickenschildt
1954The Great TestDr. RottachRudolf JugertLuise Ullrich and Hans Söhnker
1955Love Without IllusionsJellinekErich EngelSonja Ziemann and Curd Jürgens
1955The Plot to Assassinate HitlerSS-ObergruppenführerFalk HarnackWolfgang Preiss
1955The Captain and His HeroHauptmann EisenheckerMax NosseckJo Herbst
1955Du mein stilles TalDr. ZöllerLeonard SteckelCurd Jürgens and Winnie Markus
1956Night of DecisionJacques ArdentFalk HarnackCarl Raddatz, Hilde Krahl and Albert Lieven
1956Without You All Is DarknessArthur WehrmannCurd JürgensEva Bartok and Curd Jürgens
1956Kitty and the Great Big WorldMr. Crawford - SekretärAlfred WeidenmannRomy Schneider, Karlheinz Böhm and O.E. Hasse
1956The Story of AnastasiaFalk HarnackLilli Palmer and Ivan Desny
1957StresemannDr. Gustav StresemannAlfred BraunAnouk Aimée and Wolfgang Preiss
1958Man müßte nochmal zwanzig seinHans QuestKarlheinz Böhm
1958ResurrectionDer GouverneurRolf HansenHorst Buchholz
1958Der eiserne GustavFriedrich Karl MöbiusGeorge HurdalekHeinz Rühmann and Lucie Mannheim
1958FrankeAlfred WeidenmannO.E. Hasse
1959The Man Who Sold HimselfMünchmannJosef von BákyHildegard Knef and Hansjörg Felmy
1959The Black ChapelJulian HoffmannRalph HabibPeter van Eyck
1959MariliWaldemar HellerJosef von BákySabine Sinjen and Paul Hubschmid
1960Strafbataillon 999Dr. KukillHarald PhilippSonja Ziemann
1960The High LifeMonsieur AlexanderJulien DuvivierGiulietta Masina, Gustav Knuth and Gert Fröbe
1960My SchoolfriendHauptmann KühnRobert SiodmakHeinz Rühmann
1962The Counterfeit TraitorBaron Gerhard von OldenburgGeorge SeatonWilliam Holden and Lilli Palmer
1962The Longest DayGen. Hans von SalmuthKen Annakin,
Andrew Marton,
Bernhard Wicki
and Darryl F. Zanuck
John Wayne and Robert MitchumUncredited
1963Die NylonschlingeG.B. HarrisonRudolf ZehetgruberDietmar Schönherr
1964The Secret of Dr. MabuseChefarztHugo FregonesePeter van Eyck and O. E. Hasse
1964The VisitMayorBernhard WickiIngrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn
1965Marvelous AngeliqueLe capitaine du ChâteletBernard BorderieMichèle Mercier and Claude Giraud
1965HeidiKonsul Alfred SesemannWerner JacobsGustav Knuth and Margot Trooger
1974The Odessa FileWerner DeilmanRonald NeameJon Voight, Maximilian Schell and Maria Schell

Television

YearTitleRoleAuthorDirectorAlso StarringNotes
1960Abendstunde im SpatherbstMaximilian Friedrich KorbesRudolf Noelte
1962Leben des GalileiGalileo GalileiBertolt BrechtEgon Monk
1962Der BiberpelzVon WehrhahnGerhart HauptmannJohn OldenInge Meysel
1976DerrickWerner SolmsHerbert ReineckerAlfred WeidenmannMathieu Carrière
1976DerrickDr. ScheibnitzHerbert ReineckerDietrich HaugkHans Stetter
1978Die EingesschlossenenJean-Paul SartrePinkas BraunJudy Winter and Uwe Friedrichsen
1983DerrickProfessor RotheimHerbert ReineckerTheodor GrädlerGisela Stein
1984Mrs. Harris - Freund mit Rolls RoyceSir WilmotGeorg TresslerInge Meysel, Edith Volkmann and Eberhard Feik
1985A Crime of Honour A Song for EuropeHerr DirektorPeter PrinceJohn GoldschmidtDavid Suchet and Maria Schneider
1988Lauritz LorentzClaus Peter WittHeli Finkenzeller, Hans Korte and Gerd Baltus
1992Derrick - Die Festmenüs des Herrn Borgelt
1991RochadeMelkovicPeter PatzakMichael York and Iris Berben