Albert Bassermann

Albert Bassermann was a German-American actor known for his roles in classic films such as Foreign Correspondent, A Woman’s Face, and Madame Curie.

Personal and Family Life

Albert Bassermann was born on September 7, 1867, in Mannheim, Germany. He was married to Elsa Bassermann from 1908 until his death in 1952, and they had one child together. The couple emigrated to the United States in 1939 due to the discrimination faced by Elsa, who was Jewish.

Career

Bassermann began his acting career in the early 20th century, gaining fame on stage in Switzerland and Germany. He transitioned to film and became one of the first theater actors to embrace cinema, often learning his lines phonetically due to his limited English. His prominent roles included a chemistry professor in Knute Rockne All American and the character Van Meer in Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent, for which he received an Oscar nomination.

Death and Legacy

Albert Bassermann passed away from a heart attack on May 15, 1952, while traveling from New York to Zurich. His talent and contributions to both theater and film left a lasting impact, inspiring future generations of actors. He is remembered for his exceptional skills and the ability to adapt to new challenges in his career.

Filmography

Title Release Date Character
Alraune 1930-03-02 Professor ten Brinken
Fly-By-Night 1942-01-19 Dr. Storm
A Woman’s Face 1941-05-09 Consul Magnus Barring
Reunion in France 1942-12-25 Hugo Schroeder
Invisible Agent 1942-08-07 Arnold Schmidt
Since You Went Away 1944-06-30 Dr. Sigmund Gottlieb Golden
The Shanghai Gesture 1941-12-25 Van Elst
Rhapsody in Blue 1945-06-27 Prof. Franck
Madame Curie 1943-12-16 Professor Jean Perot
Knute Rockne All American 1940-10-05 Father Julius Nieuwland
The Red Shoes 1948-09-06 Sergei Ratov
Desperate Journey 1942-09-26 Dr. Ludwig Mather
The Moon and Sixpence 1942-10-27 Dr. Coutras
Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet 1940-02-23 Dr. Robert Koch
Escape Me Never 1947-11-07 Professor Heinrich
Escape 1940-11-01 Dr. Arthur Henning
A Dispatch from Reuters 1940-10-19 Franz Geller
Der Andere 1913-01-21 Dr. Hallers
Good Luck, Mr. Yates 1943-06-29 Dr. Carl Hesser
The Private Affairs of Bel Ami 1947-04-25 Jacques Rival
Fräulein Else 1929-03-07 Dr. Alfred Thalhof
Helena 1924-01-21 Aisakos
The Searching Wind 1946-08-09 Count von Stammer
Erdgeist 1923-02-22 Dr. Schön
Moon Over Burma 1940-07-26 Basil Renner
Foreign Correspondent 1940-08-16 Van Meer
1914, die letzten Tage vor dem Weltbrand 1931-01-20 Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Dreyfus 1930-08-15 Oberst Picquart
Voruntersuchung 1931-04-19 Dr. Konrad Bienert, Landgerichtsrat
Lucrezia Borgia 1922-10-20 Papst Alexander VI Rodrigo Borgia
Kadetten 1931-12-21 General von Seddin
Once Upon a Honeymoon 1942-11-27 General Borelski
Napoleon auf St. Helena 1929-11-07 Hudson Lowe – Gouverneur von St. Helena
Letzte Liebe 1935-02-27 Thomas Bruck
I Was a Criminal 1941-01-01 Wilhelm Voight, a Shoemaker
Wenn das Herz der Jugend spricht 1926-10-17 Professor Imhof
New Wine 1941-09-10 Ludwig van Beethoven
Frauenopfer 1922-02-15 Graf
Alt Heidelberg 1923-10-21
Urteil des Arztes 1914