Bruno Kastner
Encyclopedia
Bruno Kastner was a German stage and film actor
, screenwriter
and film producer
whose career was most prominent in the 1910s and 1920s during the silent film
era. Kastner was one of the most popular leading men in films during his career's peak in the 1920s.
, Germany
in 1890. His father was forestry tax minister. Kastner attended schools in Fürstenwalde and afterward served a short, seventeen day stint in the military before being relieved of his duties due to an injury. He subsequently travelled to Berlin and took acting lessons from stage actor Paul Biensfeldt and then relocated briefly to Hamburg
where he performed at the Harburger Theater. After a brief period in touring companies he worked as a choral singer and actor at the Meinhard-Bernauer Bühnen in Berlin.
Kastner avoided military service, assessed as unfit for service due to his prior injury while serving before the war's outbreak. Discovered by Danish film actress Asta Nielsen
, he made his film debut opposite her in the 1914 Urban Gad
-directed comedy short Engelein (Little Angel), with Fred Immler
and Hanns Kräly
. He followed the success of this film with the sequel Engeleins Hochzeit (Little Angel's Wedding) in 1916. In the interim, Kastner quickly became a matinee idol in Germany, especially popular with female fans. The German press commented on Kastner's rise to stardom and how vexed postmen were having to transport love letters from fans to Kastner in laundry baskets. Kastner cemented his romantic image by appearing as the ardent suitor to popular actress Dorrit Weixler
in a number of films of the era. Male filmgoers were less fond of Kastner's image of a handsome dandy
and gave him the nickname "Kleiderbügel" ("coat hanger") - a reference to his slim build and fashionable wardrobe.
Although he didn't carry much clout with many male filmgoers, his popularity with female fans grew momentum. In 1921, Kastner was voted "The Best German Actor" in a magazine poll and he began appearing that year in a film serial called Der Silberkönig (The Silver King) opposite leading lady Ossi Oswalda
. The following year, he founded his own film company. Other popular films of the era included roles in Fritz Lang
's Hilde Warren und der Tod (1917), Erik Lund
's Das Herz des Casanova (1919) and Georg Jacoby
's Das Paradies im Schnee (1924).
Kastner wrote the screenplays for four films that he would produce and star in: Nur ein Diener, Das Herz des Casanova, Der letzte Sonnensohn and Der Weltmeister, all directed by Erik Lund and released in 1919.
Kastner's career was almost cut short in 1924 when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Lugano
, Italy, which left him with permanent pain. He never fully recovered, but after a year of rest and recuperation, he returned to the screen in 1925.
's 1926 drama Die Brüder Schellenberg with Conrad Veidt
, Lil Dagover
and Liane Haid
and the Jacob Fleck
and Luise Fleck
-directed Der Orlow with Iván Petrovich
and Hans Junkermann
in 1927.
The onset of sound film
s proved disastrous to Kastner's career in 1930 upon the release of his first talkie titled Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles) when filmgoers discovered that he stammer
ed. He would only make one more film, 1930's unsuccessful Tingel-Tangel. After failing to garner any more film roles because of his speech impediment, he tried to revive his career by touring German theatres and permitting female members of the audience to get onstage and have their photograph taken with their past idol. Kastner suffered from depression after his rapid career decline. After two years of struggling to regain his public popularity, he rented a hotel room in Bad Kreuznach
and committed suicide by hanging himself in June of 1932. He was 42.
from 1918 to 1924. The union ended in divorce and produced no offspring.
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
whose career was most prominent in the 1910s and 1920s during the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era. Kastner was one of the most popular leading men in films during his career's peak in the 1920s.
Early life
Kastner was born Richard Otto Bruno Kastner in Forst (Lausitz), BrandenburgBrandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1890. His father was forestry tax minister. Kastner attended schools in Fürstenwalde and afterward served a short, seventeen day stint in the military before being relieved of his duties due to an injury. He subsequently travelled to Berlin and took acting lessons from stage actor Paul Biensfeldt and then relocated briefly to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
where he performed at the Harburger Theater. After a brief period in touring companies he worked as a choral singer and actor at the Meinhard-Bernauer Bühnen in Berlin.
Career rise
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Kastner avoided military service, assessed as unfit for service due to his prior injury while serving before the war's outbreak. Discovered by Danish film actress Asta Nielsen
Asta Nielsen
Asta Nielsen , was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were made in Germany where she was known simply as Die Asta...
, he made his film debut opposite her in the 1914 Urban Gad
Urban Gad
Peter Urban Gad was a Danish film director. He directed 40 film between 1910 and 1927. His wife Asta Nielsen starred in 30 of his films. Also in his debut the famous movie Afgrunden from 1910. They moved to Germany in 1911 where Gad worked until 1922.His uncle was Paul Gauguin...
-directed comedy short Engelein (Little Angel), with Fred Immler
Fred Immler
Ferdinand "Fred" Immler was a German stage and film actor.Born in Coburg, as a young adult he worked from 1900 to 1902 at Deutsche Bank in Berlin and from 1902 to 1904 at Dresdner Bank...
and Hanns Kräly
Hanns Kräly
Hanns Kräly , credited in the United States as Hans Kraly, was a German actor and screenwriter. His main collaborations were with director Ernst Lubitsch, and they worked together on 30 films between 1915 and 1929....
. He followed the success of this film with the sequel Engeleins Hochzeit (Little Angel's Wedding) in 1916. In the interim, Kastner quickly became a matinee idol in Germany, especially popular with female fans. The German press commented on Kastner's rise to stardom and how vexed postmen were having to transport love letters from fans to Kastner in laundry baskets. Kastner cemented his romantic image by appearing as the ardent suitor to popular actress Dorrit Weixler
Dorrit Weixler
Dorrit Weixler was a German film actress of the early 20th century who is best recalled for her comedic roles in German films from the World War I era.-Career:...
in a number of films of the era. Male filmgoers were less fond of Kastner's image of a handsome dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
and gave him the nickname "Kleiderbügel" ("coat hanger") - a reference to his slim build and fashionable wardrobe.
Although he didn't carry much clout with many male filmgoers, his popularity with female fans grew momentum. In 1921, Kastner was voted "The Best German Actor" in a magazine poll and he began appearing that year in a film serial called Der Silberkönig (The Silver King) opposite leading lady Ossi Oswalda
Ossi Oswalda
Ossi Oswalda , born Oswalda Stäglich, was a German actress, who mostly appeared in silent films.-Career:Oswalda trained as a ballerina and became a dancer for a theater in Berlin...
. The following year, he founded his own film company. Other popular films of the era included roles in Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's Hilde Warren und der Tod (1917), Erik Lund
Erik Lund
Erik Lund may refer to:*Erik Lund , Norwegian international rugby player*Erik Lund , Swedish footballer*Erik Swane Lund , Danish Olympic fencer....
's Das Herz des Casanova (1919) and Georg Jacoby
Georg Jacoby
Georg Jacoby was a German film director and screenwriter. He was married to Marika Rökk from 1940 until his death; the actress Gabriele Jacoby is their daughter.-Selected filmography:...
's Das Paradies im Schnee (1924).
Kastner wrote the screenplays for four films that he would produce and star in: Nur ein Diener, Das Herz des Casanova, Der letzte Sonnensohn and Der Weltmeister, all directed by Erik Lund and released in 1919.
Kastner's career was almost cut short in 1924 when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, Italy, which left him with permanent pain. He never fully recovered, but after a year of rest and recuperation, he returned to the screen in 1925.
Career decline
By the late 1920s, Kastner's career began to falter. No longer able to play the young, seductive bon vivant type which had made him famous, his roles in films grew smaller, although he still had a measure of success in such films as Karl GruneKarl Grune
Karl Grune was an Austrian film director and writer who made many silent films in the 1920s.Grune was born in Vienna, where he later attended drama school...
's 1926 drama Die Brüder Schellenberg with Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
, Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover was a German stage, film and television actress whose career spanned nearly six decades.-Early life:...
and Liane Haid
Liane Haid
Liane Haid was an Austrian actress who has often been referred to as Austria's first movie star.Born in Vienna, Haid trained both as a dancer and singer and became the epitome of the Süßes Wiener Mädel and a popular pin-up throughout the 1920s and 30s...
and the Jacob Fleck
Jacob Fleck
Jacob Fleck was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cameraman.-Biography:...
and Luise Fleck
Luise Fleck
Luise Fleck, also known as Luise Kolm or Luise Kolm-Fleck, née Louise or Luise Veltée , was an Austrian film director, and the second ever female film director in the world, after Alice Guy-Blaché...
-directed Der Orlow with Iván Petrovich
Iván Petrovich
Iván Petrovich was a silent-and-sound motion picture Serbian actor....
and Hans Junkermann
Hans Junkermann (actor)
-Selected filmography:* Anna Christie * Johann Strauss * The Countess of Monte-Christo * Wedding at Lake Wolfgang * Bismarck * Bismarck's Dismissal...
in 1927.
The onset of sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
s proved disastrous to Kastner's career in 1930 upon the release of his first talkie titled Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles) when filmgoers discovered that he stammer
Stammer
A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary repetition of a sound or sounds.Stammer, Stammers and Stammmering may also refer to:* Notker of St Gall "Notker the Stammerer" * Steven Stamkos A stammer, or stammering, is a speech disorder typified by the involuntary ...
ed. He would only make one more film, 1930's unsuccessful Tingel-Tangel. After failing to garner any more film roles because of his speech impediment, he tried to revive his career by touring German theatres and permitting female members of the audience to get onstage and have their photograph taken with their past idol. Kastner suffered from depression after his rapid career decline. After two years of struggling to regain his public popularity, he rented a hotel room in Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
and committed suicide by hanging himself in June of 1932. He was 42.
Personal life
Kastner was married to German actress Ida WüstIda Wüst
Ida Wüst was a German stage and film actress, whose career was most prominent in the 1920s and 1930s with Universum Film AG .-Life and career:...
from 1918 to 1924. The union ended in divorce and produced no offspring.
External links
- Bruno Kastner virtual-history.com