Waldau, Gustav (1871-1958)

Waldau, Gustav

ACTOR (GERMANY)

BORN 27 Feb 1871, Ergolding, Bayern: Schloss Piflas - DIED 25 May 1958, München, Bayern
BIRTH NAME Rummel, Gustav Theodor Clemens Robert, Freiherr von
GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Friedhof Bogenhausen (right wall 11)

Gustav Waldau came from a noble family. His father was Eduard Baron von Rummel. Gustav grew up in Munich and started a career as an officer. He married Elisabet Hirsch in 1896. She was only seventeen years old at the time and the daughter of a publisher. They had three children, but they divorced in 1901.

He aborted his military career and switched to acting. He debuted in Cologne in 1897 and started with small parts, but from 1907 onwards he was engaged at the Schauspielhaus in Munich. His career took him as far as the USA. During the First World War he was enlisted in the army and sent to France. There he fell ill and he returned to Munich. There he appeared in the movie ""Gustls Seitensprung" together with his second wife Hertha von Hagen.

After Max Reinhardt took charge of the Theater in der Josefstadt he appeared there as well as in Munich. In the 1930s he appeared in many movies. During the war he continued his movie career and in 1943 he was Giacomo Casanova in "Münchhausen" (1943). In 1944 he was placed on the list of the most important artists by Adolf Hitler, the Gottbegnadeten-Liste. This meant he wasn't sent to the front during the rest of the war.

After the war he continued his career in the movies as well as in the theatre. In the 1950s he suffered from health problems but he took parts in Munich as well as Vienna. He died in 1958 in Munich.

Family
• Wife: Hagen, Hertha von (1908-1958)

Images
The grave of Gustaf Waldau and Hertha von Hagen at the Friedhof Bogenhausen, Munich. Picture by Androom (24 Aug 2011)	The grave of Gustaf Waldau and Hertha von Hagen at the Friedhof Bogenhausen, Munich. Picture by Androom (24 Aug 2011)