Biography

Versatile star character actor, noted for his portrayal of Danton on stage and screen. Son of a jeweller. Studied acting at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna, making his theatrical debut in 1910. Came to fame after 1919 with Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater in Berlin, appearing in classical parts such as Shylock and Othello. In film from 1915. After a falling out with Reinhardt, joined Leopold Jessner's Berliner Staatstheater. Forced to leave Germany in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution of Jews. Acted in several films in England, then active in Hollywood from 1938 to 1947 in character roles. Subsequently returned to Germany, primarily acting and directing for the stage.

In the 30s he was confronted with attacks by the National Socialists. There was written in Goebbels propaganda paper "Der Angriff": "For the role in "Gott, Kaiser und Bauer" (1932) they have engaged the Jew Kortner-Kohn who should have finished in the Berliner theater life long ago. He is practically the greasiest and worst type who ever stood on a German stage". (29.12.1932). Kortner had to draw the conclusion and went to exile, first to Vienna (1933), then to London (1934) and finally to New York (1937) and four years later to Hollywood.

During the years he lived in Hollywood Kortner didn't direct for movies. He was assigned as an actor, frequently in anti nazi films like "Der seltsame Tod des Adolf Hitler" (1943), for which Kortner also wrote the screenplay, and "The Hitler Gang" (1944).

He returned to Germany in 1947, where he became noted for his innovative staging and direction of classics by William Shakespeare and Molière, such as a Richard III (1964) in which the king crawls over piles of corpses at the finale.

In only five months he played in 17 further roles before he canceled his contract on the Nationaltheater Mannheim and went to Max Reinhardt in Berlin.