Reinhold Schünzel

Reinhold Schünzel was a German actor, director, writer and producer whose career spanned the silent era, the rise of sound cinema, and the post‑war period in both Europe and Hollywood. Born on 7 November 1888 in the working‑class district of St. Pauli in Hamburg, he grew up as the son of a German father and a Jewish mother, a mixed heritage that would later influence his complex relationship with the Nazi regime. After a brief stage apprenticeship, Schünzel entered the film world in 1915 with a role in Werner Krafft and quickly moved behind the camera, directing his first picture, Mary Magdalene, in 1918. Throughout the 1920s he became one of Germany’s most popular silent‑film stars, celebrated for his ability to play both charming villains and aristocratic protagonists, and he collaborated with mentors such as Richard Oswald and Ernst Lubitsch. His talent earned him the controversial honorary title of Ehrenarier (Honorary Aryan), which permitted him to continue working under the Nazis despite his Jewish ancestry, although increasing interference from the regime forced him to emigrate in 1937. In the United States Schünzel signed with Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer, directing successful musicals and dramas such as Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) and Balalaika (1939), while also appearing as a character actor in films like The Hitler Gang (1944) and the classic Notorious (1946), where his portrayal of the scheming Dr. Anderson remains memorable. He became a U.S. citizen in 1943, returned to Germany in 1949, and continued to work on German productions until his death from a heart attack on 11 November 1954 in Munich. His daughter Marianne Stewart followed his artistic path, achieving a career on Broadway and in film. Schünzel’s legacy reflects the turbulent history of 20th‑century cinema and the resilience of an artist who navigated political oppression, exile, and transatlantic success.