Harry Baur

Born: 1880-04-12 in Montrouge, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], Île-de-France, France

Died: 1943-04-08

Known For: Acting

Biography

Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic Beethoven's Great Love (Un grand amour de Beethoven, 1936), directed by Abel Gance, and as Jean Valjean in Raymond Bernard's version of Les Misérables (1934). He also acted in Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset's silent film, Beethoven (1909), and in La voyante (1923), Sarah Bernhardt's last film. In 1942, while in Berlin, to star in his last film Symphone eines Lebens, Baur's wife was arrested by the Gestapo and charged with espionage. His effort to secure her release led to his own arrest and torture. He was being falsely labelled as a Jew but confirmed freemason. He was released in April 1943, but died in Paris shortly after in mysterious circumstances. Academy Award-winning American actor Rod Steiger cited Baur as one of his favorite actors who had exerted a major influence on his craft and career.

Filmography

1978

Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma as Self (archive footage)

1957

Stars Never Die as Self (archive footage)

1943

Symphonie eines Lebens as Stefan Melchior, Dorfkantor

1941

Volpone as Volpone
Who Killed Santa Claus? as Gaspard Cornusse
Sins of Youth as Monsieur Lacalade

1940

African Diary as Docteur Bourdet
President Haudecoeur as President Haudecoeur

1938

Hatred as le capitaine Mollenard
The Postmaster's Daughter as Virine, le maitre de poste
Rasputin as Rasputin
The Patriot as Tsar Paul 1st
The Rebel Son as Taras Bulba

1937

Life Dances On as Alain Regnault
Sarati the Terrible as Cesar Sarati
The Life and Loves of Beethoven as Ludwig van Beethoven
The Secrets of the Red Sea
Paris

1936

The New Men as Bourron
Taras Bulba as Tarass Boulba
The Golem as L'empereur Rodolphe II, roi de Bohème
Nitchevo
Samson as Jacques Brachart

1935

Golgotha as Hérode
Crime and Punishment as Porphyre
Dark Eyes as Ivan Ivanovitch Petroff

1934

Rothchild as Rothchild
Les Misérables as Jean Valjean / Champmathieu
A Man and His Woman as Papon
Moscow Nights as Piotr Brioukow
Moscow Nights as Peter Brioukow

1933

The Old Devil as Guillaume Vautier
A Man's Head as Commissaire Jules Maigret
Criminal as Warden Brady

1932

The Red Head as Mr. Lepic
The Three Musketeers as M. de Tréville

1931

David Golder as David Golder
The Lost Course as Le Capitaine Kell
Polish Jew as Mathias
Moon over Morocco as M. de Marouvelle

1924

The Clairvoyant as Monsieur Detaille