Theo Lingen
Encyclopedia
Theo Lingen born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, director
and screenwriter
. He appeared in over 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960.
, and grew up there. He attended the Royal Goethe Gymnasium – the predecessor of the Goethe School – in Hanover, but left before taking the Abitur
(final exams). His theatrical talent was discovered during rehearsals for a school performance at the Schauburg boulevard theatre.
Beginning his professional stage career, the young actor adopted as a stage name his middle name together with that of the birthplace of his father, Lingen in the North German Emsland
region. As "Theo Lingen" he performed at theatres at Hanover, Halberstadt
, Münster
and Frankfurt
; in plays like The Importance of Being Earnest
he very quickly earned a reputation as a superb character comedian, distinguished by his characteristic nasal speech. This distinction followed him when he began appearing in films in 1929, often together with the mumbling Viennese actor Hans Moser
, since together they made a contrasting pair
. In 1929 he was invited by Bertolt Brecht
to the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm
in Berlin, where he performed as Macheath in The Threepenny Opera
. He starred in drama films like M
and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
directed by Fritz Lang
.
In February 1928, Lingen's daughter, Ursula
, was born to Bertold Brecht's then wife Marianne Zoff
(1893–1984). Brecht and Zoff divorced in September; Lingen and Zoff married later the same year, they also raised Zoff's elder daughter Hanne
. Conditions worsened after the Machtergreifung
of 30 January 1933: Because Zoff was of Jewish descent, which under the Nazi
regime usually resulted in a professional disqualification (Berufsverbot
), Lingen thought about going into exile. However because of his great popularity with the general public he was given a special permit by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
to continue to perform and was able to protect his wife from persecution. In 1936 Gustaf Gründgens
placed Lingen at the ensemble of the Berlin Prussian State Theatre
. He also directed films like Hauptsache glücklich (1941) starring Heinz Rühmann
.
In 1944 Lingen moved to Vienna, and in view of the approaching Red Army
retired to his cottage at Strobl
on the Wolfgangsee
shortly afterwards. Here for a few days in May 1945, he acted as de facto mayor, when he managed to disempower the local Nazi authorities and surrendered to the US Army at St. Gilgen
. Lingen's measures were followed by the liberation of King Leopold III of Belgium
and his wife by the 106th Cavalry Regiment
.
After the war he became a naturalised Austrian citizen, and from 1948 worked as a character actor at the Vienna Burgtheater
and appeared frequently onstage in Germany, most notably in Carl Sternheim
satires directed by Rudolf Noelte. Foremeost however he pursued his film career, performing in numerous comedies of varied quality, in his later days of the 1970s also on television.
Theo Lingen died of cancer in 1978 at the age of 75 in Vienna. The city of Vienna dedicated a grave
to him at the Zentralfriedhof
. The municipalities of Strobl and Lingen (in 2007) have named squares in his honor.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and 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:...
. He appeared in over 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960.
Life and career
Lingen was born the son of a lawyer in the city of HanoverHanover
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...
, and grew up there. He attended the Royal Goethe Gymnasium – the predecessor of the Goethe School – in Hanover, but left before taking the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
(final exams). His theatrical talent was discovered during rehearsals for a school performance at the Schauburg boulevard theatre.
Beginning his professional stage career, the young actor adopted as a stage name his middle name together with that of the birthplace of his father, Lingen in the North German Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...
region. As "Theo Lingen" he performed at theatres at Hanover, Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
; in plays like The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
he very quickly earned a reputation as a superb character comedian, distinguished by his characteristic nasal speech. This distinction followed him when he began appearing in films in 1929, often together with the mumbling Viennese actor Hans Moser
Hans Moser (actor)
Hans Moser was an Austrian actor who, during his long career, from the 1920s up to his death, mainly played in comedy films. He was particularly associated with the genre of the Wiener Film...
, since together they made a contrasting pair
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
. In 1929 he was invited by Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
to the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm
The Theater am Schiffbauerdamm is a theatre building at the Schiffbauerdamm riverside in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, opened on November 19, 1892. Since 1954 it is home to the Berliner Ensemble theatre company, founded in 1949 by Helene Weigel and Bertolt Brecht.The original name of the...
in Berlin, where he performed as Macheath in The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
. He starred in drama films like M
M (1931 film)
M is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou. It was Lang's first sound film, although he had directed more than a dozen films previously....
and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse is a 1933 German crime film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. The film features Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse who is in an insane asylum...
directed by 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...
.
In February 1928, Lingen's daughter, Ursula
Ursula Lingen
Ursula Lingen is an Austrian television actress.Lingen is the daughter of actor Theo Lingen and actress Marianne Zoff , the first wife of Bertolt Brecht. Zoff's daughter, actress Hanne Hiob, was Ursula Lingen's half-sister...
, was born to Bertold Brecht's then wife Marianne Zoff
Marianne Zoff
Marianne Josephine Zoff was an Austrian actress and opera singer.Zoff was the first wife of Bertolt Brecht, to whom she was married from 3 November 1922 until September 1927...
(1893–1984). Brecht and Zoff divorced in September; Lingen and Zoff married later the same year, they also raised Zoff's elder daughter Hanne
Hanne Hiob
-Life and career:Hiob was born as Hanne Marianne Brecht in Munich, the daughter of the writer Bertolt Brecht by his wife, opera singer and actress Marianne Zoff . In February 1928, Zoff had a daughter, Ursula Lingen, by German actor Theo Lingen. In September 1928, Brecht and Zoff divorced; Zoff...
. Conditions worsened after the Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
of 30 January 1933: Because Zoff was of Jewish descent, which under the Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
regime usually resulted in a professional disqualification (Berufsverbot
Berufsverbot
Berufsverbot is an order of "professional disqualification" under German law. Berufsverbot may be called profession ban in English.A Berufsverbot disqualifies the recipient from engaging in certain professions or activities on the grounds of his or her criminal record, political convictions or...
), Lingen thought about going into exile. However because of his great popularity with the general public he was given a special permit by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
to continue to perform and was able to protect his wife from persecution. In 1936 Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens
Gustaf Gründgens , born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, intendant and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg...
placed Lingen at the ensemble of the Berlin Prussian State Theatre
Konzerthaus Berlin
The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin housing the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin...
. He also directed films like Hauptsache glücklich (1941) starring Heinz Rühmann
Heinz Rühmann
Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann was a popular German film actor.-Life and work:Rühmann was born in Essen, Westphalia. His role in the 1930 movie Die Drei von der Tankstelle led him to film stardom. He remained highly popular as a comedic actor throughout the 1930s and early 1940s...
.
In 1944 Lingen moved to Vienna, and in view of the approaching Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
retired to his cottage at Strobl
Strobl
Strobl is a municipality of the Salzburg-Umgebung District , in the northeastern portion of the Austrian state of Salzburg, right on the border with Upper Austria...
on the Wolfgangsee
Wolfgangsee
Wolfgangsee is a lake in Austria that lies mostly within the state of Salzburg and is one of the best known lakes in the Salzkammergut resort region. The municipalities on its shore are Strobl, St. Gilgen with the villages of Abersee and Ried as well as the market town of St. Wolfgang in the state...
shortly afterwards. Here for a few days in May 1945, he acted as de facto mayor, when he managed to disempower the local Nazi authorities and surrendered to the US Army at St. Gilgen
St. Gilgen
Sankt Gilgen is a picturesque village by the Wolfgangsee in the Austrian state of Salzburg, in the "Salzkammergut" region.-History:In the year 1376 Sankt Gilgen was first mentioned in documents. 1873 the shipping on the Wolfgangsee started and so did the tourism too. Also the construction of the...
. Lingen's measures were followed by the liberation of King Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
and his wife by the 106th Cavalry Regiment
106th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 106th Cavalry Group was a mechanized cavalry unit of the United States Army in World War II. The 106th Cavalry Group had previously been known as the 1st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish American War and World War I and was constituted in 1921 as part of the Illinois...
.
After the war he became a naturalised Austrian citizen, and from 1948 worked as a character actor at the Vienna Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
and appeared frequently onstage in Germany, most notably in Carl Sternheim
Carl Sternheim
Carl Sternheim was a German playwright and short story writer. One of the major exponents of German Expressionism, he especially satirized the moral sensibilities of the emerging German middle class during the Wilhelmine period.-Biography:Born in Leipzig to a Jewish banker and his Protestant wife...
satires directed by Rudolf Noelte. Foremeost however he pursued his film career, performing in numerous comedies of varied quality, in his later days of the 1970s also on television.
Theo Lingen died of cancer in 1978 at the age of 75 in Vienna. The city of Vienna dedicated a grave
Ehrengrab
An Ehrengrab is a distinction granted by certain German, Swiss and Austrian cities to one of their citizens for extraordinary services or achievements in their lifetime. If there are no descendants or institutions to care for the gravesite, the communities or cities will take responsibility for...
to him at the Zentralfriedhof
Zentralfriedhof
The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...
. The municipalities of Strobl and Lingen (in 2007) have named squares in his honor.
Selected filmography
- 1929: Ins Blaue hinein
- 1930: Dolly macht Karriere (Dolly Gets Ahead)
- 1930: The Flute Concert of Sans-SouciThe Flute Concert of Sans-SouciThe Flute Concert of Sans-Souci is a 1930 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Otto Gebühr.-Cast:* Otto Gebühr - Friedrich II.* Renate Müller - Blanche von Lindeneck* Hans Rehmann - Major von Lindeneck* Walter Janssen - Maltzahn...
- 1931: MM (1931 film)M is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou. It was Lang's first sound film, although he had directed more than a dozen films previously....
- 1931: Meine Frau, die Hochstaplerin
- 1931: Die Firma heiratet (The Firm Weds)
- 1931: Nie wieder Liebe
- 1932: Das Testament des Cornelius Gulden
- 1932: The Countess of Monte-ChristoThe Countess of Monte-ChristoThe Countess of Monte-Christo is a 1932 German comedy drama film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Brigitte Helm, Rudolf Forster and Lucie Englisch...
- 1933: The Testament of Dr. MabuseThe Testament of Dr. MabuseThe Testament of Dr. Mabuse is a 1933 German crime film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. The film features Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse who is in an insane asylum...
- 1933: Little Man, What Now?Little Man, What Now? (film)Little Man, What Now? is a 1934 drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Margaret Sullavan. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Margaret Sullavan - Emma 'Lammchen' Pinneberg* Douglass Montgomery - Hans Pinneberg...
- 1933: Der Große Bluff (The Big BluffThe Big Bluff-Plot:Suave Don Juan Rick De Villa and his married lover Fritzi Darvel would like to take off together, but his lack of money prevents them from doing so. A chance encounter introduces Rick to the young, but terminally ill socialite Valerie Bancroft , in whom Rick sees the solution to his...
) - 1934: Gern hab' ich die Frau'n geküßt
- 1934: Der Doppelgänger
- 1935: The White Horse InnThe White Horse InnIm weißen Rößl is an operetta or musical comedy set in the picturesque Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. It is about the head waiter of the White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang who is desperately in love with the owner of the inn, a resolute young woman who at first only has eyes for one of her...
- 1935: Held einer NachtHeld einer NachtHeld einer Nacht is a Czech-German comedy film directed by Martin Frič. It was released in 1935.-Cast:* Vlasta Burian - Florian Kerzl* Else Lord - Plaschek, Schneidermeisterin* Betty Bird - Elvira Thompson & Hanni, ihr Double...
- 1936: Opernring
- 1936: Ungeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehnUngeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehnUngeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehn , also known as Wer zuletzt küsst... is a 1936 Austrian comedy film. The screenplay was written by Fritz Koselka, the title song was composed by Robert Stolz, and the movie was directed by E. W...
- 1937: Zauber der Bohème
- 1937/1938: The Tiger of EschnapurThe Tiger of Eschnapur (1938 film)The Tiger of Eschnapur is a 1938 German film directed by Richard Eichberg.- Cast :*Philip Dorn as Maharadscha von Eschnapur*La Jana as Maharani von Eschnapur...
- 1937/1938: The Indian TombThe Indian Tomb (1938 film)The Indian Tomb is a 1938 German film directed by Richard Eichberg.- Cast :*Philip Dorn as Maharadscha von Eschnapur*Kitty Jantzen as Irene Traven*La Jana as Indira, eine indische Tänzerin...
- 1938: Tanz auf dem Vulkan
- 1939: Eine Frau für drei
- 1939: Opernball
- 1939: MarionetteMarionette (film)Marionette is a 1939 Italian comedy film directed by Carmine Gallone. It featured the onscreen debut of Marcello Mastroianni as an uncredited extra.-Cast:* Beniamino Gigli - Il tenore Mario Rossi* Carla Rust - Gloria Bakermann...
- 1940: Herz modern möbliert
- 1940: Rosen in Tirol
- 1940: Sieben Jahre Pech
- 1940/1941: Hauptsache glücklich
- 1941: L'attore scomparsoL'attore scomparsoL'attore scomparso is a 1941 Italian film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Vivi Gioi.-Cast:* Vivi Gioi - L'attrice* María Mercader - L'attrice ingenua * Stefano Sibaldi - L'attore...
(author) - 1941: Was geschah in dieser Nacht?
- 1941: Frau Luna
- 1942: Wiener Blut
- 1942: Liebeskomödie
- 1942/1943: Tolle Nacht
- 1942/1943: Johann
- 1943/1944: Es fing so harmlos an
- 1943: Das Lied der Nachtigall
- 1944/1945: Liebesheirat
- 1944/1949: Philine
- 1946: Hazugság nélkül
- 1947: Wiener Melodien
- 1947: Hin und her
- 1950: Jetzt schlägt’s 13
- 1950: Der Theodor im Fußballtor
- 1951: Durch Dick und Dünn
- 1951: Hilfe, ich bin unsichtbar
- 1952: Schäm dich, Brigitte!
- 1952: HeidiHeidiHeidi is a Swiss work of fiction, published in two parts as Heidi's years of learning and travel and Heidi makes use of what she has learned.It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps...
- 1955: Heidi und Peter
- 1955: Wie werde ich Filmstar?
- 1955: Die Wirtin zur Goldenen Krone
- 1956: Meine Tante – Deine Tante
- 1956: Opernball
- 1957: Almenrausch und Edelweiss
- 1957: Die Unschuld vom Lande
- 1957: Drei Mann auf einem Pferd
- 1958: Was ihr wollt
- 1958: Die Sklavenkarawane
- 1958: Im Prater blüh'n wieder die Bäume
- 1959: Der Löwe von Babylon
- 1959: Die Nacht vor der Premiere
- 1960: Pension Schöller
- 1964: Tonio KrögerTonio Kröger (film)Tonio Kröger is a 1964 German drama film directed by Rolf Thiele, based on the novel of the same name. It was entered into the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Jean-Claude Brialy - Tonio Kröger* Nadja Tiller - Lisaweta Iwanowna...
- 1967: Die Heiden von Kummerow und ihre lustigen StreicheDie Heiden von Kummerow und ihre lustigen StreicheDie Heiden von Kummerow und ihre lustigen Streiche is an East German film. It was released in 1967.-External links:...
- 1968/1970: Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank (5 parts)
- 1970: Die FeuerzangenbowleDie Feuerzangenbowle (1970 film)Die Feuerzangenbowle is a 1970 film based on the book of the same name. This version of was part of a number of 1970s movies concentrating on the theme of modernizing the school system. It was much less successful than its predecessors.-Cast:...
- 1971: Tante Trude aus Buxtehude
- 1971: Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank (part 6)
- 1971: Wenn mein Schätzchen auf die Pauke haut
- 1972: Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank (part 7)
- 1972: Hauptsache Ferien
- 1972: Immer Ärger mit Hochwürden
- 1973: Der Monddiamant
- 1975: Der Geheimnisträger
- 1978: Zwei Himmlische TöchterZwei himmlische TöchterZwei himmlische Töchter is a German television series....
- 1978: Lady Dracula
External links
- Theo Lingen at Virtual History