Fred Immler
Encyclopedia
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
. 1905 he returned to Coburg as an actor-in-training and from 1906 to 1908 he performed at the local court theatre.
From 1908 to 1909 Immler worked at the Residence Theater Hanover
, 1909 at the Summer Theatre in Posen
and from 1909 to 1910 at the court theatre in Gera
. 1910, he played at the Liebich Theatre and at the Victoria Theatre in Breslau.
In 1912, Immler made the transition to the medium of motion pictures and appeared opposite the Danish actress Asta Nielsen
in several roles between 1912 and 1915, all directed by Nielsen's husband Urban Gad
. At the outbreak of World War I
, Immler enlisted in the German military. He returned to film in 1919 and starred in the Ernst Lubitsch
-directed, Hanns Kräly
-penned costume-drama Madame Du Barry
opposite Polish actress Pola Negri
and Emil Jannings
.
One of his best recalled films of the early 1920s was in the 1921 Ernst Lubitsch-directed drama Vendetta, once more opposite Pola Negri. In 1929 he appeared with Marlene Dietrich
and Fritz Kortner
in the Maurice Tourneur
-directed film adaption of the Franzos Keremen novel Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen (English title: The Ship of Lost Men).
Fred Immler retired from acting in 1935 and worked primarily as a dispatcher for a production company until the end of World War II
. His last film appearance was in the 1935 Curt Blachnitzky-directed drama Der blaue Diamant (English: The Blue Diamond). After the war he retired to his hometown of Coburg.
Born in Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, as a young adult he worked from 1900 to 1902 at Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and from 1902 to 1904 at Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank AG was one of Germany's largest banking corporations and was based in Frankfurt. It was acquired by competitor Commerzbank in December 2009.- 19th century :...
. 1905 he returned to Coburg as an actor-in-training and from 1906 to 1908 he performed at the local court theatre.
From 1908 to 1909 Immler worked at the Residence Theater Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, 1909 at the Summer Theatre in Posen
Posen
Posen may refer to:Places in Europe:* Poznań, Poland * Grand Duchy of Posen, autonomous province of Prussia, 1815–1848* Province of Posen, Prussian province, 1848–1918...
and from 1909 to 1910 at the court theatre in Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
. 1910, he played at the Liebich Theatre and at the Victoria Theatre in Breslau.
In 1912, Immler made the transition to the medium of motion pictures and appeared opposite the Danish 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...
in several roles between 1912 and 1915, all directed by Nielsen's husband 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...
. At the outbreak of World War I
World 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...
, Immler enlisted in the German military. He returned to film in 1919 and starred in the Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
-directed, 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....
-penned costume-drama Madame Du Barry
Madame du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.-Early life:...
opposite Polish actress Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
and Emil Jannings
Emil Jannings
Emil Jannings was a German actor. He was not only the first actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, but also the first person to be presented an Oscar...
.
One of his best recalled films of the early 1920s was in the 1921 Ernst Lubitsch-directed drama Vendetta, once more opposite Pola Negri. In 1929 he appeared with Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
and Fritz Kortner
Fritz Kortner
Fritz Kortner was an Austrian-born stage and film actor and theatre director.Kortner was born in Vienna as Fritz Nathan Kohn. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating, he joined Max Reinhardt in Berlin in 1911 and then Leopold Jessner in 1916. Also in that year...
in the Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur was an important international film director and screenwriter.-Life:Born Maurice Thomas in the Belleville district of Paris, France, his father was a jeweler. As a young man, Maurice Thomas first trained as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator but was soon drawn to the...
-directed film adaption of the Franzos Keremen novel Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen (English title: The Ship of Lost Men).
Fred Immler retired from acting in 1935 and worked primarily as a dispatcher for a production company until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His last film appearance was in the 1935 Curt Blachnitzky-directed drama Der blaue Diamant (English: The Blue Diamond). After the war he retired to his hometown of Coburg.
Further reading
- Weniger, Kay. Das große Personenlexikon des Films. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf; Auflage: Nachdruck. April 2003 ISBN 3-8960-23403