Hans Albers

Vocation

Notable

German actor and singer who was the single biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1945 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century. In 1911, the young actor began his work in film but was soon forced to suspend his career due to the onset of World War I. Albers was drafted to serve in the German army in 1915 and was severely wounded early in his combat service. Following a significant recovery period, Albers, determined to resume stage work, moved to Berlin and quickly found work in the city's theaters. It was there that Albers met and fell in love with Hansi Burg, a Jewish actress, who would remain with Albers until his death. With films like Demetrius in A (1924) and Rasputin (1928), Albers soon became a recognizable star in his home country. In 1929 Albers appeared in his first German talkie, The Night Belongs to Us. With the rise of the Nazi party in 1930s, Albers walked a careful line. While technically a party member, he kept his distance from the government and shied away from appearing in any propaganda material. In return for his accommodation, the government, for a few years anyway, permitted his relationship with Burg, who was Jewish. Eventually, however, Burg was forced to flee to Great Britain. She returned to Germany to be with Albers after World War II. Whether it was his age or his connections, however tenuous, to the Nazi party, Albers' career slowed down following the war. Character roles became his bread and butter. Albers continued to stay busy as an actor and singer right up until his death in Bavaria, Germany on 24 July 1960. Link to Wikipedia biography