Kowa, Victor de (1904-1973)

Kowa, Victor de

ACTOR, DIRECTOR (GERMANY)

BORN 8 Mar 1904, Hochkirch, Sachsen (near Görlitz) - DIED 8 Apr 1973, Berlin (West)
BIRTH NAME Kowallczyk, Victor Paul Karl
CAUSE OF DEATH cancer
GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Friedhof Heerstrasse, Trahkener Allee 1, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Feld 16-G-29 (Ehrengrab))

Viktor de Kowa was educated at the Art Academy in Dresden. He took acting lessons with Erich Ponto and debuted in 1922 at the Dresdner Staatstheater. He worked in Lübeck, Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg before he went to Berlin. There he was engaged at the Volksbühne, the Deutsches Theater and from 1935 at the Staatstheater.

In 1926 he married the actress Ursula Grabley, but they divorced in 1941. He liked Brigitte Horney, but after he asked her to meet for breakfast he added that he only loved Louise Ullrich. In 1941 he married the Japanese actress Michiko Tanaka.

He became a member of the NSDAP and directed the propaganda movie "Kopf hoch, Johannes!" (1941). Goebbels was disappointed with the result. He continued his acting during the war and in 1944 he was placed on the list of irreplacable actors which meant he wasn't forced to join the army in the war. But his pacifism resulted in some trouble with the authorities and after the war he immediately received a working permit and became the manager of the Berliner Tribüne (1945-1950). His last part in a movie was Ravenhurst in "Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand" (1966).

Family
• Wife: Tanaka, Michiko (1939-1973)

Related persons
• cooperated with Horn, Camilla
• cooperated with Markus, Winnie
• was pupil of Ponto, Erich
• has grave monument designed by Scheibe, Richard

Images
The grave of Victor de Kowa and Michiko Tanaka at Friedhof Heerstrasse, Berlin. Picture by androom (25 Aug 2006)	The grave of Victor de Kowa and Michiko Tanaka at Friedhof Heerstrasse, Berlin. Picture by androom (25 Aug 2006)	Viktor de Kowa. (1933-1934) Picture by Atelier Binder, Berlin phot.