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Fritz Richard
Fritz Richard
Fritz Richard
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Fritz Richard (born Josef Richard Löwit; 17 November 1869 – 9 February 1933) was an Austrian actor and theatre director.

Key Information

Fritz Richard was born as Josef Richard Löwit in Chotěboř, Austria-Hungary into a Jewish family.[1]

Richard trained as a stenographer and took acting lessons in Vienna at the Pauline Loewe Theatre School. His first engagement as a stage actor was in Mülheim in 1886. He then appeared at various Austrian and German provincial theatres.[2]

From Metz in 1905 his path took him to Berlin, where he mainly worked at the Deutsches Theater and the Lessing Theater. He was part of Max Reinhardt's ensemble. He was particularly successful in Karl Schönherr's Der Weibsteufel and as Jedermann. From 1913 Richard also took part in numerous silent films.[2]

Richard married his fellow student Friederike Raithel in 1898, who later also became an actress under the name Frida Richard. Richard died in Berlin shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power. After his death, rumours circulated that he had murdered by the Gestapo.[2]

Selected filmography

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References

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Bibliography

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Fritz Richard

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''Fritz Richard'' is an Austrian actor known for his work on the Berlin stage and in German silent and early sound films. Born Josef Richard Löwit on 6 January 1870 in Chotěboř, Austria-Hungary, he established himself as a stage performer in Berlin, including collaborations with influential director Max Reinhardt, before becoming active in the film industry from the 1910s onward. He appeared in over fifty films, typically in supporting and character roles, and also directed at least one short film, contributing to the German cinema of the era. Married to actress Frida Richard from 1898 until his death, he had three children with her. Fritz Richard died on 9 February 1933 in Berlin, Germany.

Early Life

Birth and Family Background

Fritz Richard, born Josef Richard Löwit, came from a Jewish family. He was the son of Josef Löwit, an elementary school teacher, and Theresia Löwit (née Rosenfeld). Sources differ on his birth date and place. According to IMDb, he was born on 17 November 1869 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. However, several German-language biographical accounts give his birth as 6 January 1870 in Chotěboř (Chotebor), Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now in the Czech Republic). He spent his early childhood in Chotěboř before growing up in Vienna.

Acting Training and First Engagements

Fritz Richard initially trained as a stenographer before shifting his focus to an acting career. He took acting lessons with Pauline Loewe in Vienna. His first professional stage engagement came in 1886 at the theater in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Following this debut, he accepted positions at various provincial theaters across Austria and Germany, building his early experience through these regional roles.

Stage Career

Provincial Theaters

Fritz Richard's early acting career unfolded primarily in provincial theaters across Germany and Austria, where he built foundational stage experience following his training in Vienna. After marrying actress Frida Richard in Teplitz in 1898, the couple pursued joint engagements in regional venues, as reflected in the birthplaces of their daughters: Stella in Teplitz in 1899, Frieda in Augsburg in 1900, and Gertrud in Bremen in 1904. These locations indicate periods of professional activity in those cities during the late 1890s and early 1900s. This extended period in regional theaters established his versatility and presence on stage before his relocation to Berlin in 1905.

Berlin Period and Max Reinhardt

Fritz Richard's Berlin period represented a pivotal phase in his career, during which he became a member of Max Reinhardt's ensemble and performed in numerous productions under the director's guidance. His association with Reinhardt spanned various Berlin theaters and extended to Reinhardt's Salzburg Festival initiatives. Among his key appearances was his role in Reinhardt's 1916 staging of Karl Schönherr's Der Weibsteufel at the Volksbühne in Berlin, where he was cast alongside Lucie Höflich and Hans Felix. Richard also participated in Reinhardt's celebrated production of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Jedermann, performing as a Poor Neighbour in the Salzburg Festival revivals of 1927 and 1930. He continued to appear in Reinhardt-directed works, including Der eingebildete Kranke, Turandot, Ein Sommernachtstraum, and Stella, through at least 1932. This stage activity ran parallel to his emerging film career from 1913 onward and persisted until his death in 1933.

Film Career

Entry into Silent Film

Fritz Richard made his entry into silent film in 1913 while engaged at Berlin theaters under the direction of Max Reinhardt, through which he came into contact with the emerging medium. His film debut occurred that year with roles in Ein Ausgestoßener and Das verschleierte Bild von Groß-Kleindorf, marking his transition from stage to screen at a time when many theater actors were beginning to explore cinema. These early appearances established him within the German film industry, particularly through his participation in the popular Stuart Webbs detective serials, where he featured in Die geheimnisvolle Villa (1914), Das Panzergewölbe (1914), and Die Toten erwachen (1915). Richard's initial involvement in these detective films positioned him as a recognizable supporting player in early serial productions, helping to build his screen presence amid the rapid growth of German silent cinema. Over the course of his career, he accumulated approximately 57 acting credits, the vast majority during the silent era.

Peak in the 1920s

The 1920s marked the peak of Fritz Richard's film career, during which he appeared in numerous German silent productions, often in supporting character roles. He was typically cast as older authority figures, such as fathers, officials, or professors, contributing to a wide range of dramas, historical films, and lighter fare. Among his prominent credits from this period were his role as the old Gremio in Paul Wegener's Herzog Ferrantes Ende (1922), a Renaissance drama produced by the Europäische Film-Allianz. He played Professor Nathan in E. A. Dupont's Das alte Gesetz (1923), a socially themed film about Jewish emancipation that has since been restored and screened at festivals. Richard also appeared in Joe May's multi-part epic Tragödie der Liebe (1923), alongside major stars of the era. Other notable appearances included Sterbende Völker (1922), Lola Montez, die Tänzerin des Königs (1922), and Der Fürst von Pappenheim (1927) as the old Blasius. As with many silent-era works, several of Richard's films from this decade are now considered lost, though surviving examples underscore his steady presence in Weimar cinema.

Directing Work

Fritz Richard's involvement in film directing was minimal and confined to a single project. In 1921, he directed the short film Die Glasprinzessin, marking his only known credit in that capacity. This brief excursion into directing took place during the height of his acting career in German silent cinema, yet it remained an isolated effort rather than the beginning of a parallel path. No records indicate that Richard pursued any further directing work, reinforcing the peripheral nature of this aspect of his professional output amid his primary focus on acting.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Fritz Richard married Friederike Raithel, who later became known as the actress Frida Richard, in 1898 in Teplitz. They met as fellow students at the Pauline Loewe school. The couple had three daughters: Stella (born 1899 in Teplitz), Frieda Löwit (born 1900 in Augsburg), and Gertrud (born 1904 in Bremen). Their marriage lasted until Fritz Richard's death in 1933.

Jewish Heritage

Fritz Richard was born as Josef Richard Löwit into a Jewish family in Chotěboř, Austria-Hungary. His parents were the Jewish couple Josef Löwit, a primary school teacher, and Theresia née Rosenfeld. Contemporary biographical sources identify him as being of Jewish heritage.

Death

Fritz Richard died on 9 February 1933 in Berlin at the age of 63. This occurred shortly after the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January 1933. The official cause of death is not specified in available sources.

Legacy and Historical Context

Fritz Richard stands as a representative figure of the supporting character actors who populated German silent cinema during its formative and peak years in the Weimar Republic. With approximately 54 documented film appearances as an actor (and one as director) spanning from 1913 to 1930, he exemplified the prolific performers who filled ensemble roles in productions ranging from early serials to ambitious multi-part features. His stage background, including work within Max Reinhardt's Berlin ensemble, positioned him as a transitional figure who brought theatrical experience to the emerging medium of film, contributing to the cross-pollination between theater and cinema in early 20th-century Germany. The historical context of his career is shaped by the fragility of silent-era preservation; a significant portion of German films from the 1910s and 1920s are considered lost, likely including many of Richard's early credits and diminishing the opportunity for contemporary reassessment of his body of work. This incomplete survival has resulted in limited modern visibility for Richard, whose contributions remain largely unexamined outside specialized studies of Weimar cinema. His death in February 1933 occurred shortly after the Nazi seizure of power, concluding his active career just before the systematic reorganization and ideological control of the German film industry that followed.
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