German leading actor, briefly in vogue during the late 1920's and early 30's, his most prominent screen performance being in the anti-war epic
Westfront 1918 (1930). He was trained at the acting school of the Deutschen Theater in Berlin and later joined the ensemble of the Volksbühne (1926-35). His left-wing political leanings limited his acting opportunities during the NS period. After World War II, he worked as a stage director and then directed several films for the East German Defa company.