Frederick Schrecker (10 January 1892 – 13 July 1976) was an Austrian actor, who appeared on stage, screen and film in his home country and the United Kingdom.
Frederick Schrecker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Friedrich Schrecker 10 January 1892 |
| Died | 13 July 1976 (aged 84) |
| Other names | Fritz Schrecker, Franz Schrecker |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1926–1976 |
Beginning his career on stage, Schrecker went on to feature in German films "Der Feldherrnhügel" (1926) and "Die Koffer des Herrn O.F." (1931) under the names Fritz Schrecker and Franz Schrecker.
As a result of the Nazi regime in Germany, Schrecker, being Jewish,[1] was forced to flee to England. There, in 1939, he was a co-founder of the Viennese Theatre Club of Paddington, a "celebrated émigré cabaret and theatre", also known as Das Laterndl. The theatrical group of talented Austrian exiles, which included the likes of Lona Cross, Martin Miller and Marianne Walla[2] became known for their sketches and plays which represented a "satirical commentary on Vienna under Nazi rule".[3]
During the Second World War, Schrecker participated in BBC anti-Nazi information programmes. After the war ended he stayed in Israel for a while before returning to England in 1947.[4]
There, he anglicised his first name to Frederick and appeared in many TV productions, including four of the six episodes of The Trollenberg Terror (as Dr. Spielmann), (but not in the feature film of the same, The Trollenberg Terror); Dixon of Dock Green; No Hiding Place; The Four Just Men; Compact; Doctor Who: The Web of Fear; Callan; and The Liver Birds; and films, too, such as Counterspy, in 1953, working up until his death.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Grandstand for General Staff | Regimentsarzt | |
| 1931 | The Trunks of Mr. O.F. | ||
| 1949 | The Third Man | Hansel's Father | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Murder Without Crime | Max | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Innocents in Paris | Porter | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Counterspy | Plattnauer | |
| 1954 | Johnny on the Spot | Otto Dessau | |
| 1954 | The Master Plan | Dr. Morganstern | |
| 1954 | The Divided Heart | Reporter | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Oh... Rosalinda!! | Gentleman | |
| 1956 | Foreign Intrigue | Mannheim | |
| 1956 | Breakaway | Professor Dohlmann | |
| 1957 | The Traitor | Suderman's Aide | |
| 1958 | Mark of the Phoenix | Van de Velde | |
| 1960 | Beyond the Curtain | Diener | Uncredited |
| 1961 | Taste of Fear | Plainclothes Officer | Uncredited |
| 1967 | Billion Dollar Brain | Old Man in Train | |
| 1967 | The Mini-Affair | Swiss Banker | |
| 1971 | Deviation | Old Man Taxidermist |
References
edit- ^ Portrait of the actor Fritz Schrecker by Thomas Staedeli - cyranos.ch
- ^ The Times, 28 June 1939, p. 12.
- ^ Berghahn, Marion (2007). Continental Britons: German-Jewish Refugees from Nazi Germany. Berghahn Books. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-84545-090-8.
- ^ THE LONDON GAZETTE 22 AUGUST 1947
External links
edit- Frederick Schrecker at IMDb
- Frederick Schrecker at Theatricalia