Theo Lingen
Theo Lingen (10 June 1903 – 10 November 1978), born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960.
Theo Lingen | |
---|---|
Publicity photo | |
Born | Franz Theodor Schmitz 10 June 1903 |
Died | 10 November 1978 75) Vienna, Austria | (aged
Occupation | Actor, film director, screenwriter |
Years active | 1929–1978 |
Spouse(s) | Marianne Zoff (1928–78) |
Life and career
Lingen was born the son of a lawyer in the city of Hanover, 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, for example as a presenter for Laurel and Hardy films.
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.[1]
Selected filmography
- Ins Blaue hinein (1929)
- Dolly Gets Ahead (1930)
- The Flute Concert of Sanssouci (1930)
- The Great Longing (1930)
- Ronny (1931)
- M (1931)
- My Wife, the Impostor (1931)
- The Firm Gets Married (1931)
- No More Love (1931)
- Frederica (1932)
- The Testament of Cornelius Gulden (1932)
- Two Heavenly Blue Eyes (1932)
- The Escape to Nice (1932)
- Modern Dowry (1932)
- Spell of the Looking Glass (1932)
- The Ladies Diplomat (1932)
- Gypsies of the Night (1932)
- You Don't Forget Such a Girl (1932)
- The Countess of Monte Cristo (1932)
- The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1932)
- Little Girl, Great Fortune (1933)
- Love Must Be Understood (1933)
- A City Upside Down (1933)
- Little Man, What Now? (1933)
- The Big Bluff (1933)
- Waltz War (1933)
- The Peak Scaler (1933)
- And Who Is Kissing Me? (1933)
- Marion, That's Not Nice (1933)
- Spring Parade (1934)
- My Heart Calls You (1934)
- The Grand Duke's Finances (1934)
- Paganini (1934)
- The Double (1934)
- The White Horse Inn (1935)
- A Precocious Girl (1934)
- Winter Night's Dream (1935)
- Held einer Nacht (1935)
- Thank You, Madame (1936)
- The Czar's Courier (1936)
- Heaven on Earth (1935)
- Fräulein Veronika (1936)
- A Wedding Dream (1936)
- Ungeküsst soll man nicht schlafen gehn (1936)
- Premiere (1937)
- The Charm of La Boheme (1937)
- Dangerous Game (1937)
- The Tiger of Eschnapur (1938)
- The Indian Tomb (1938)
- Tanz auf dem Vulkan (1938)
- Eine Frau für drei (1939)
- Opera Ball (1939)
- Marionette (1939)
- The Unfaithful Eckehart (1940)
- The Girl from Barnhelm (1940)
- Herz – modern möbliert (also director, 1940)
- Roses in Tyrol (1940)
- Seven Years Hard Luck (1940)
- Happiness Is the Main Thing (director, 1941)
- Dreimal Hochzeit (1941)
- Frau Luna (also director, 1941)
- Was geschah in dieser Nacht? (also director, 1941)
- Sonntagskinder (1941)
- Vienna Blood (1942)
- Seven Years of Good Luck (German-language version, 1942)
- Seven Years of Happiness (Italian-language version, 1943)
- Liebeskomödie (also director, 1943)
- Tolle Nacht (also director, 1943)
- Johann (1943)
- Das Lied der Nachtigall (also director, 1944)
- Es fing so harmlos an (also director, 1944)
- Renee XIV (1946, uncompleted)
- Hazugság nélkül (1946)
- Wiener Melodien (director, co-director: Hubert Marischka, 1947)
- Hin und her (also director, 1948)
- Philine (also director, 1945/1949)
- Liebesheirat (also director, 1945/1949)
- Nothing But Coincidence (1949)
- Um eine Nasenlänge (1949)
- Schuß um Mitternacht (1944/1950)
- Theodore the Goalkeeper (1950)
- Jetzt schlägt’s 13 (1950)
- Glück muß man haben (also director, 1944/1950)
- The Midnight Venus (1951)
- Hilfe, ich bin unsichtbar (1951)
- Durch Dick und Dünn (also director, 1951)
- The Thief of Bagdad (1952)
- Wir werden das Kind schon schaukeln (1952)
- You Only Live Once (1952)
- Heidi (1952)
- Heute nacht passiert's (1953)
- The Postponed Wedding Night (1953)
- The Daughter of the Regiment (1953)
- Secretly Still and Quiet (1953)
- Hooray, It's a Boy! (1953)
- Räubergeschichte (1954, TV film)
- Heidi and Peter (1955)
- How Do I Become a Film Star? (also director, 1955)
- When the Alpine Roses Bloom (1955)
- Die Wirtin zur Goldenen Krone (also director, 1955)
- … und wer küßt mich? (1956)
- Ein tolles Hotel (1956)
- Das Liebesleben des schönen Franz (1956)
- Opera Ball (1956)
- My Aunt, Your Aunt (1956)
- The Model Husband (1956)
- Where the Lark Sings (1956)
- August der Halbstarke (1957)
- Vater macht Karriere (1957)
- Familie Schimek (1957)
- Die Unschuld vom Lande (1957)
- Mit Rosen fängt die Liebe an (1957)
- Drei Mann auf einem Pferd (1957)
- Egon der Frauenheld (1957)
- The Legs of Dolores (1957)
- Almenrausch and Edelweiss (1957)
- Was ihr wollt (1958, TV film)
- Trees Are Blooming in Vienna (1958)
- A Song Goes Round the World (1958)
- Die Sklavenkarawane (1958)
- Eine Reise ins Glück (1958)
- Die gute Sieben (1959, TV film)
- The Night Before the Premiere (1959)
- Der Löwe von Babylon (1959)
- The Goose of Sedan (1959)
- Pension Schöller (1960)
- Sie können's mir glauben (also director, 1960, TV film)
- A Woman for Life (1960)
- Der Teufel hat gut lachen (1960)
- Die Kassette (1961, TV film)
- Pichler's Books Are Not in Order (1961)
- Schule der Gattinnen (also director, 1961, TV film)
- Der Musterknabe (1963)
- Das alte Hotel (1963, TV series, 6 episodes)
- Minna von Barnhelm (1964, TV film)
- Tonio Kröger (1964)
- Kolportage (1964, TV film)
- Don Juan oder Die Liebe zur Geometrie (1965, TV film)
- Die fromme Helene (1965)
- Schwarzer Peter (1966, TV film)
- Das große Glück (1967)
- The Heathens of Kummerow (1967)
- Der Vogelhändler (1968, TV film)
- Donaugeschichten (1968–1970, TV series, 13 episodes)
- Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank (1968–1972, film series)
- Zur Hölle mit den Paukern (1968)
- Zum Teufel mit der Penne (1968)
- Pepe, der Paukerschreck (1969)
- Hurra, die Schule brennt! (1969)
- We'll Take Care of the Teachers (1970)
- Morgen fällt die Schule aus (1971)
- Betragen ungenügend! (1972)
- Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen (1968, TV film)
- Was ihr wollt (1968, TV film)
- Königin einer Nacht (1969, TV film)
- Christoph Kolumbus oder Die Entdeckung Amerikas (1969, TV film)
- Die Feuerzangenbowle (1970)
- Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best (1971)
- Aunt Trude from Buxtehude (1971)
- Hilfe, die Verwandten kommen (1972)
- Wenn mein Schätzchen auf die Pauke haut (1971)
- Ball im Savoy (1971, TV film)
- The Mad Aunts Strike Out (1971)
- Hauptsache Ferien (1972)
- Always Trouble with the Reverend (1972)
- So'n Theater (1973, TV film)
- Orpheus in der Unterwelt (1973, TV film)
- Die Powenzbande (1974, TV miniseries)
- Hochzeitsnacht im Paradies (1974, TV film)
- Der Monddiamant (1974, TV film)
- Im Hause des Kommerzienrates (1975, TV film)
- Hoftheater (1975, TV series, 13 episodes)
- Tristan (1975, TV film)
- The Secret Carrier (1975)
- Lady Dracula (1977)
- Pariser Geschichten: Der unbequeme Wasserträger (1977, TV series episode)
- Zwei himmlische Töchter (1978, TV series, 2 episodes)
Films based on plays by Theo Lingen
- L'attore scomparso, directed by Luigi Zampa (1941, based on the play Was wird hier gespielt?)
- Johann, directed by Robert A. Stemmle (1943, based on the play Johann)
References
- "Theo Lingen" from German Wikipedia using machine translators (Google and Babelfish).
External links
- Theo Lingen on IMDb
- Theo Lingen at AllMovie
- Theo Lingen at Find a Grave
- Theo Lingen at Virtual History