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Curt Bois | |
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 Bois in Berlin Schillertheater (1959) | |
| Born | Kurt Boas (1901-04-05)April 5, 1901 |
| Died | December 25, 1991(1991-12-25) (aged 90) Berlin,Germany |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1907–1989 |
| Spouses | |
Curt Bois (bornKurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket inCasablanca (1942) and the poet Homer inWings of Desire (1987).
Bois was born to aGerman Jewish family[1] in Berlin and began acting in 1907, becoming one of thefilm world's first child actors,[citation needed] with a role in the 1907short filmBauernhaus und Grafenschloß. In 1909, he played the title role inDer Kleine Detektiv ('The Little Detective'). Bois performed in theatre, cabaret, musicals, silent films, and "talkies" over his long acting career. He performed underMax Reinhardt[2] and found success in 1928 in a Viennese stage production of "Charley's Aunt" at the Josefstadt Theater.[3] He was a successful character comic, and for a while film studios tried to make him into a "GermanHarold Lloyd".[4]
In 1934, institutionalizedAnti-Semitism forced the Jewish Bois to leave his home inNazi Germany for the United States. There he found work on stage onBroadway. By 1937, he had made his way toHollywood and began acting in films, the best-known beingCasablanca (1942), in which he warns a befuddled English gentleman to be on guard against pickpockets ("vultures everywhere") while stealing the man's wallet. He had a notable supporting role inCaught (1949), starringRobert Ryan,Barbara Bel Geddes, andJames Mason; Ryan played a megalomaniacal industrialist openly based onHoward Hughes and Bois was Ryan's conflicted fixer, Franzi Kartos. Most of his Hollywood roles were small, but nevertheless Bois was in demand. AfterWorld War II, Bois decided it was safe to return to Germany, which he did in 1950.
Bois finished his life and career in Germany, first in theEast, and then in theWest. He appeared at theSchiller Theater and theTheater des Westens for many years. One of his final performances was inWim Wenders'Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) in 1987, portraying the aged poet Homer "who endlessly wanders Berlin in the hope of properly capturing the city on paper".[5] He won theEuropean Film Award forBest Supporting Actor for this role. He played his last role in the 1989 short filmDas letzte Band, ending a film career of 82 years. Bois died in Berlin at the age of 90.
