Thea Von Harbou

Screenwriter

About

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Also Known As
Thea Gabriele Von Harbou
Birth Place
Germany
Born
December 27, 1888
Died
July 01, 1954
Cause of Death
Complications From Injuries Sustained In A Fall

Biography

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Novelist who became a pivotal contributor to the German Expressionist movement during the 1920s, collaborating with Murnau, May, Dreyer and, from 1920, Fritz Lang. Von Harbou married Lang in 1924 but the two were later divorced, largely due to her joining the Nazi Party in the early 30s....

Filmography

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The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Screenplay
M (1930)
Screenplay
M (1930)
From Story
Die Frau im Mond (1929)
Screenplay
Spione (1928)
Screenplay
Faust (1926)
Screenplay

Photos & Videos

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0 Photos
Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Between Genius And Madness
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Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Give Him A Shot

Family & Companions

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Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Husband
Actor, director. Starred in Fritz Lang's "Dr. Mabuse"; met when he directed her in a production in Aachen before WWI; married during the War; divorced c. 1920.
Fritz Lang
Husband
Director. Introduced in 1919 by producer Joe May; married on August 22, 1922; divorced in 1934.
Ari Tendulkar
Husband
Indian; was von Harbou's lover before her marriage to Lang was terminated;.

Biography

Novelist who became a pivotal contributor to the German Expressionist movement during the 1920s, collaborating with Murnau, May, Dreyer and, from 1920, Fritz Lang. Von Harbou married Lang in 1924 but the two were later divorced, largely due to her joining the Nazi Party in the early 30s.

Filmography

 

Writer (Feature Film)

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Screenplay
M (1930)
Screenplay
M (1930)
From Story
Die Frau im Mond (1929)
Screenplay
Spione (1928)
Screenplay
Faust (1926)
Screenplay
Metropolis (1926)
Screenplay
Faust (1926)
Writer (Adaptation)
Michael (1924)
Screenwriter
Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (1924)
Writer
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
Screenplay
Phantom (1922)
Writer
Vier um die Frau (1921)
Screenwriter
Das Wandernde Bild (1920)
Screenwriter

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

The Indian Tomb (1959)
Source Material (From Novel)
Die Frau im Mond (1929)
Source Material (From Novel)
Spione (1928)
Source Material (From Novel)
Metropolis (1926)
Source Material (From Novel)

Life Events

1906

Professional acting debut with Dusseldorfer Playhouse

1917

Moved to Berlin

1920

First screenplay, "Die heilige Simplizia"

1933

Directorial debut, "Elisabeth und der Narr"

Videos

Movie Clip

Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Between Genius And Madness A well known scene from director Fritz Lang, the introduction of a central character, Professor-Doctor Baum (Oscar Beregi Sr.), offering students his startling conclusions about the title character, early in The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, 1933.
Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Give Him A Shot Police commissioner Lohmann (Otto Wernicke, seen in the same role in director Fritz Lang's M, 1931) casing a crime scene, as Professor-Doctor Baum (Oscar Beregi Sr.) has a weird visit with the title character in his cell, in The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, 1933.
Metropolis (1926) -- (Movie Clip) The Tower Of Babel In the secret chapel in the catacombs beneath the city, Maria (Brigitte Helm) with one of the wildest sequences supporting her parable, directed by Fritz Lang from his script, co-written with his wife Thea von Harbau, from her novel, in Metropolis, 1926.
Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Lovely Are Maidens Another inimitable depiction of madness by director Fritz Lang, detective Lohmann (Otto Wernicke) delivered by Dr. Hauser (A.E. Licho) to see his very rattled former colleague Hofmeister (Karl Meixner), in The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, 1933.
Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, The (1933) -- Catastrophe Of The First Order Thugs Karetzky, Kent, Hardy and Bredow (Theo Lingen, Gustav Diessl, Rudolf Shundler, Oskar Hocker, a.k.a. "Division 2-B"), summoned before their curtained-off boss, who is presumably the title character, who remains institutionalized, in Fritz Lang's The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse, 1933.
M (1931) -- (Movie Clip) A Form Of Acting The perp's letter now published, various police officials (Theodor Loos, Franz Stein) proclaiming their methods, and Beckert (Peter Lorre) himself at the mirror, in Fritz Lang's favorite of all his films, M, 1931.
M (1931) -- (Movie Clip) You Mustn't Do That! Beckert (Peter Lorre) craving in a shop window as an uncredited child and mother evade his grasp, Lohmann (Otto Wernicke) inspecting his apartment at that very moment, in Fritz Lang's M, 1931.
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) -- (Movie Clip) He And His Day Beginning Act One of Part One, director Fritz Lang’s evil hero (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) considers images of himself, with aide Spoerri (Forster Larrinaga) and his men (Georg John, Hans Adalbert Von Schlettow) execute a caper, in Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, 1922.
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) -- (Movie Clip) What's The Matter With Me? Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), after delivering a lecture on psychoanalysis in his legit identity, has adopted the persona “Balling,” and entranced industrial heir Hull (Paul Richter) into inviting him to his own club, and losing big money, in Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, 1922.
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) -- (Movie Clip) Chinese Glasses The brave prosecutor Von Wenk (Bernhard Goetzke) in disguise, has entered the casino where Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), in the third identity we’ve seen so far, chooses him as the next victim for hypnotism and theft, in Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, 1922.
M (1931) -- (Movie Clip) Man In Black One little girl (Hanna Meron) leading the scary children's chant, then introducing the mother (Ellen Widmann), little Elsie (Inge Landgut) and (almost) the perp Beckert (Peter Lorre), opening Fritz Lang's M, 1931.
Metropolis (1926) -- (Movie Clip) Maria Freder (Gustav Frolich) is desperate to rescue Maria (Brigitte Helm) from inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), who aims to steal her face for his robot, cinematographer Gunther Rittau credited with the double-exposure process creating the light rings, in Fritz Lang's Metropolis, 1926.

Trailer

Metropolis - (2010 Re-release trailer) A trailer for the newly restored silent science-fiction masterpiece, Metropolis (1927).

Family

Theodore von Harbou
Father
Gamekeeper. Was a former Prussian officer.

Companions

Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Husband
Actor, director. Starred in Fritz Lang's "Dr. Mabuse"; met when he directed her in a production in Aachen before WWI; married during the War; divorced c. 1920.
Fritz Lang
Husband
Director. Introduced in 1919 by producer Joe May; married on August 22, 1922; divorced in 1934.
Ari Tendulkar
Husband
Indian; was von Harbou's lover before her marriage to Lang was terminated;.

Bibliography

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