Harald Paulsen | |
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| Born | Harald Johannes David Paulsen (1895-08-26)26 August 1895 |
| Died | 4 August 1954(1954-08-04) (aged 58) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, theatre director |
| Years active | 1913–1954 |
Harald Paulsen (26 August 1895 – 4 August 1954) was a German stage and film actor and director. He appeared in 125 films between1920 and1954.
Paulsen first appeared on stage at age sixteen. He then studied underLeopold Jessner, who was then senior director at Hamburg'sThalia Theater.[1] He made his debut at the Hamburg Stadttheater in 1913. From 1915 until 1917, he served in the German Army duringWorld War I. in 1917–18 he played at the Fronttheater inMitau. In 1919 he was brought to theDeutsches Theater in Berlin byMax Reinhardt.[2]
From his extensive theatrical work, his role as "Mackie Messer" ("Mack the Knife") in the world premiere ofBertolt Brecht'sThe Threepenny Opera is particularly noteworthy. This performance took place on 31 August 1928 at theTheater am Schiffbauerdamm. At that time, Paulsen was considered a Brecht admirer. In 1938 Harald Paulsen became director of theTheater am Nollendorfplatz in Berlin, where mainly operettas were performed at that time. He also directed and performed in singing roles. He was forced to resign his position in 1945, following theEnd of World War II in Europe.[2] Paulsen also appeared as an actor in over twentysilent films. His acting career continued into the sound film era and he appeared in approximately ninety sound films.[3]
Shortly afterAdolf Hitler seized power, he became a ferventNational Socialist and carried theFlag of Nazi Germany for the student representatives at theMay Day rally inTempelhof. He also participated as an actor in several Nazipropaganda films, such asOhm Krüger and the pro-euthanasia filmIch klage an, both released in 1941.[2] The Viennese actor Rolf Kutschera reported in his memoirs that Paulsen was notorious among his colleagues as an informant to Nazi authorities.[4]
Harald Paulsen died on 4 August 1954, aged 58, in the general hospital in theHamburg borough ofAltona after suffering from a stroke. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery inElmshorn. His son Uwe Paulsen (1944–2014) was a stage and film actor, cabaret artist, and prolific voice actor, who dubbed foreign language film and television into German.[3][5]
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