Käutner, Helmut (1908-1980)

Käutner, Helmut

DIRECTOR, ACTOR, CABARET ARTIST (GERMANY)

BORN 25 Mar 1908, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen - DIED 20 Apr 1980, Castellina, Toscana
GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf, Potsdamer Chaussee 75-77 (Feld 024/930 (old: Abt. III-U-7) (Ehrengrab))

Helmut Käutner was the son of a merchant from Düsseldorf. He started his studies in Munich in 1928 and from 1931 to 1935 he was a cabaret artist in the ensemble "Die Nachrichter". In 1934 he married the actress Erica Balqué, who worked as his assistent.

From 1936 to 1938 he worked as actor and director in Leipzig, Munich and Berlin. He wrote screenplays for several movies before he directed his first movie, "Kitty und die Weltkonferenz" (1939). It was banned because it was considered as pro-British by the nazis. The nazis disliked his movie "Romanze in Moll" (1943) as well.

After the war he continued to direct movies and in 1954 he won a prize in Cannes for "Die letzte Brücke". "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick" (1956) with Heinz Rühmann was one of his huge success, "Der Schinderhannes" with Curd Jürgens as another. In 1963 he directed "Das Haus in Montevideo", starring Heinz Rühmann.

During the last years of his life he was seriously ill and he lived with his wife in Castellina in Tuscany. There he died in 1980.

Related persons
• was a friend of Klinger, Paul
• directed Rühmann, Heinz

Events

15/12/1944

Premiere of the movie "Grosse Freiheit Nr. 7" in Prague. It was directed by Helmut Käutner and featured Hans Albers. Propaganda minister Goebbels had banned the movie from Germany because he didn't like the prostitution scenes in the movie. A few months after the fall of the nazis the movie was also shown in the western occupation zones of Germany. [Albers, Hans]