Heinrich Becker
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Becker was a German
actor
whose real name was Blumenthal.
, and obtained, while quite a young man, an appointment in the court theatre at Weimar
, at that time under Goethe's auspices. The poet recognized his talent, appointed him stage manager, entrusted him with several of the leading roles in his dramas and consulted him in all matters connected with the staging of his plays.
For many years Becker was the favourite of the Weimar stage, and although he was at his best in comedy, he played, to Goethe's great satisfaction, Vansen in Egmont
, and was also seen to great advantage in the leading parts of several of Schiller
's plays; notably Burleigh in Maria Stuart, Karl Moor in Die Räuber
, and Antonio in Torquato Tasso
.
Becker left Weimar in the spring of 1809, played for a short time at Hamburg
(under Schröder
) and at Breslau, and then began a wandering life, now joining travelling companies, now playing at provincial theatres. Broken in health and ruined in fortune he returned in 1820 to Weimar, where he was again cordially received by Goethe, who reinstated him at the theatre. After playing for two short years with indifferent success, he died at Weimar in 1822.
Becker was twice married. His first wife, Christiane
was also an actor.
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...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
whose real name was Blumenthal.
Biography
He was born at BerlinBerlin
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 obtained, while quite a young man, an appointment in the court theatre at Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, at that time under Goethe's auspices. The poet recognized his talent, appointed him stage manager, entrusted him with several of the leading roles in his dramas and consulted him in all matters connected with the staging of his plays.
For many years Becker was the favourite of the Weimar stage, and although he was at his best in comedy, he played, to Goethe's great satisfaction, Vansen in Egmont
Egmont (play)
Egmont is a play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, which he completed in 1788. Its dramaturgical structure, like that of his earlier 'Storm and Stress' play Götz von Berlichingen , is heavily influenced by Shakespearean tragedy; in contrast, however, to the earlier work, the portrait in Egmont of the...
, and was also seen to great advantage in the leading parts of several of Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's plays; notably Burleigh in Maria Stuart, Karl Moor in Die Räuber
Die Räuber
The Robbers was the first drama by German playwright Friedrich Schiller. The play was published in 1781 and premiered on January 13, 1782 in Mannheim, Germany. It was written towards the end of the German Sturm und Drang movement and has been considered by many critics, such as Peter Brooks, to...
, and Antonio in Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso (play)
Torquato Tasso is a play by the German dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about the sixteenth-century Italian poet, Torquato Tasso. The play was first conceived in Weimar in 1780 but most of it was written during his two years in Italy, between 1786 and 1788. He completed the play in...
.
Becker left Weimar in the spring of 1809, played for a short time at 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...
(under Schröder
Friedrich Ludwig Schröder
Friedrich Ludwig Schröder was a German actor, manager and dramatist.He was born in Schwerin. Shortly after his birth, his mother, Sophie Charlotte Bierreichel , separated from her husband, and, joining a theatrical company, toured with success in Poland and Russia...
) and at Breslau, and then began a wandering life, now joining travelling companies, now playing at provincial theatres. Broken in health and ruined in fortune he returned in 1820 to Weimar, where he was again cordially received by Goethe, who reinstated him at the theatre. After playing for two short years with indifferent success, he died at Weimar in 1822.
Becker was twice married. His first wife, Christiane
Cristiane Luise Amalie Becker
Christiane Luise Amalie Becker-Neumann was a German actor. She was born in Crossen-an-der-Oder in the Kingdom of Prussia , daughter of a theatrical manager and dramatic poet, Johann Christian Neumann...
was also an actor.