Fadet, Conrad

Hans Walter Conrad Feidt (in various Russian-language sources Faidt, Weidt or Weidt) was born on January 22, 1893 in Berlin . In 1913, without taking final exams, he left the Hohenzollern Grammar School in Berlin and enrolled in the Max Reinhardt Theater School in the German Theater. Since May 1913 he performed on the stage with small roles. January 28, 1914 was drafted into the army, from May 2, 1915 he was on the Eastern Front. He suffered a jaundice disease, after which he was sent to serve as a groom in Tilsit . ^[2] Around the beginning of 1916 he played in the local city theater (director - Kurt Grebin), then joined the troupe of the German Theater in Liepaja . In these military theaters, located a few kilometers from the front line, he played his first major classical roles - based on plays by Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller, Ibsen, Strindberg. In 1916-1917 he again worked in a troupe with Max Reinhardt , where his partners were Emil Jannings , Werner Kraus and Paul Wegener . In 1919-1923 he worked in various Berlin theaters. ^[2]

At the end of 1916, Feydt made his film debut. Important for him was the collaboration with director Richard Oswald , who assigned him roles in his "educational films." In 1919, the film “ Not Like Everyone ” caused a great stir, where Feidt played a homosexual violinist who, as a result of blackmail, commits suicide.

In 1919, Feidt founded his own production company, Feidt-Film. The following year, he appeared on the screen in his most famous role as somnambulist Cesare in the film “ Doctor Caligari's Study ” (1920). Due to its expressiveness and plasticity, Feydt became the ideal actor of expressionist cinema. In subsequent years, thanks to roles in horror films - including such as “ The Head of Janus ” ( Der Januskopf , 1920) F.V. Murnau , “ The Cabinet of Wax ” ( Das Wachsfigurenkabinett , 1924) Paul Leni , “ Hands of Orlak ” ( Orlacs Hände , 1924) Robert Wien , “ Student Prague ” ( Der Student von Prag , 1926) by Henrik Galeen - his image of the “German silent movie demon” was formed.

Along with Emil Jannings, Feidt became the highest paid German movie star. In September 1926, at the invitation of John Barrymore, he went to Hollywood . In America, starred in four films, including the classic "The Man Who Laughs" (The Man Who Laughs, 1928) based on the novel by Victor Hugo . On February 27, 1929 he returned to Germany with the intention of subsequently working alternately in Germany and the USA . Unlike many colleagues, Feidt quite easily survived the arrival of sound in the movies, adapting the style of his game to the changing requirements.

After the National Socialists came to power, Feidt worked primarily in the UK , but at the same time became a member of the imperial cinema chamber and starred in the UFA film “ Wilhelm Tell ” ( Wilhelm Tell , 1933). In 1934, being a pacifist and married to a Jewess in his third marriage, Feidt, at the personal invitation of British producer Michael Balcon , played the title role in the movie “ Jew Suss ” (Jew Suss , 1934) by Lothar Mendes based on the novel by Leon Feuchtwanger . After this film, he was ordered to go to Germany .

In 1939, Feidt received British citizenship. In 1940 he moved to Hollywood and continued to act in films, playing mainly the roles of the Nazis. The most famous of them is the role of Major Strasser in Casablanca ( Casablanca , 1942). Also noteworthy is the role of the sorcerer Jafar in the classic fairy tale film “The Baghdad Thief ” ( The Thief of Bagdad , 1940)

Conrad Feidt died of heart failure on April 3, 1943 in Hollywood while playing golf .

In total, Fadet starred in 118 films.

• 1916 - The Way of Death / Der Weg des Todes - Rolf
• 1918 - Not Born By a Woman / Der nicht vom Weibe Geborene - Satan
• 1919 - Nocturno of Love / Nocturno der Liebe - Frederic Chopin
• 1919 - Not Like Everyone / Anders als die Andern
• 1919 - Around the World in 80 Days / Die Reise um die Erde in 80 Tagen - Fileas Fogg
• 1920 - Count Cagliostro / Der Graf von Cagliostro - Minister
• 1920 - Satan / Satanas - Lucifer
• 1920 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari / Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari - Cesare
• 1920 - Janus Head / Der Januskopf - Dr. Warren / Mr. O'Connor
• 1920 - The Way to Night / Der Gang in die Nacht
• 1921 - Tosca / Sehnsucht - Russian dancer Ivan
• 1921 - Lady Hamilton / Lady Hamilton - Horatio Nelson
• 1921 - Indian Tomb - Ayyan III, Maharaj of Bengal
• 1922 - Lucrezia Borgia / Cesare Borgia
• 1923 - Bride of Vengeance - Cesare Borgia
• 1923 - Paganini - Nicolo Paganini
• 1924 - Hands of Orlak / Orlacs Hände - Orlak
• 1924 - Wax Cabinet / Das Wachsfigurenkabinett - Ivan the Terrible
• 1926 - Student Prague / Der Student von Prag - student Baldwin
• 1926 - Flight into the Night / Die Flucht in die Nacht - King Henry IV
• 1928 - The Man Who Laughs
• 1927 - The Beloved Rogue - King Louis XI
• 1931 - The Night of Decision / Die Nacht der Entscheidung - General Grigory Platov
• 1932 - The Congress Dances - Prince Metternich
• 1934 - Jew Süss / Jew Süss - Suess Oppenheimer
• 1937 - Dark Journey - von Marwitz
• 1940 - The Thief of Bagdad - Jafar
• 1941 - All Through the Night - Ebbing
• 1942 - Nazi Agent / Nazi Agent - Otto Becker / Baron Hugo von Detner
• 1942 - Casablanca - Major Heinrich Strasser

• Mikhail Kuzmin introduces the image of Konrad Feydt into the poem "Come to me soon, Theodore and Conrad!" From the cycle " New Ghoul ".

• Conrad Fadet on the Internet Movie Database
• Photo galleries of Conrad Feydt . (eng.)
• Conrad Feydt Society Official Website
• A selection of photographs by Conrad Feydt
• Conrad Veidt's Films of Fright