# Eugen Klöpfer

Eugen Gottlob Klöpfer (10 March 1886 in Talheim, Heilbronn – 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden) was a German actor.

## Early life

Born to Karl Klöpfer and his wife Karoline, née Hörsch, Eugen attended the Realschule (secondary school) in Heilbronn. He subsequently attended the Lateinschule (Latin School) in Lauffen and then the Karlsgymnasium in Heilbronn.

## Career

Although he started an apprenticeship with a lumber business in Munich, Klöpfer soon discovered that his passion was the theater. He joined the Theatre Association of Munich and performed at various provincial theaters. In 1905 he was cast in his first role in Landshut, afterwards playing in Ingolstadtand Biel. In 1909 he came to the Volkstheater München (Munich People's Theater). From 1914 to 1918, he performed in Colmar, Erfurt, Bonn and Frankfurt am Main.
After the First World War, Klöpfer relocated to Berlin. There he played from 1920 to 1923 at the Deutsches Theater, then at various stages, starting in 1925 in Vienna and Salzburg. Finally, he toured Europe and South America. He played the title role in Carl Zuckmayer's 1927 play Schinderhannes. In the 1920s, he appeared in numerous silent films.

### Nazi era

After the Nazi seizure of power, he was promoted to the Presiding Board of the Reich Film Chamber, under Joseph Goebbels, and was also chairman of Goebbels' artist donation. In 1934, Klöpfer was designated as a Staatsschauspieler (i.e. an actor of national importance). He was also appointed the director of the Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") in Berlin. From 1935 he was appointed Vice President of the Ministry of Arts and joined the board of UFA. In 1936 he was appointed general director of Berlin's Theater am Nollendorfplatz. In 1937, Klöpfer joined the Nazi Party. In 1940, he played the role of Landschaftskonsulenten Sturm in Veit Harlan's anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda film Jud Süß. In August 1944, towards the end of the Second World War, Klöpfer was added by Adolf Hitler to the Gottbegnadeten-Liste, a list of important German artists, which exempted him from military service, including service on the home front.

### Postwar

After 1945, Klöpfer was banned and spent two months in prison in 1948. After a denazification trial, he was exonerated of the charge of complicity in the death of Joachim Gottschalk. In 1949, he began performing again with his own ensemble in Cologne and Neustadt in der Pfalz. He died in 1950 of pneumonia and is buried in the South Cemetery in Wiesbaden.

## Filmography

| 1919: The Dancer 1919: Die Arche 1919: Cagliostros Totenhand 1920: Die Frau ohne Dienstag 1920: Menschen 1920: Der ewige Mönch im Banne der Musik 1920: Sehnsucht 1920: Mary Magdalene as the secretary 1920: Humanity Unleashed as Karenow 1920: Sturm 1920: Der Leidensweg eines Achtzehnjährigen 1920: Das Mädchen aus der Ackerstraße. 2. Teil 1920: Das Geheimnis der Spielhölle 1920: Um der Liebe willen 1920: Die lebende Fackel 1921: Die Bestie im Menschen 1921: Flachsmann als Erzieher 1921: Verlogene Moral 1921: The Rats as Mr. John 1921: Die Lou von Montmartre 1921: Night and No Morning as Mac Chifford 1921: The Vulture Wally as Der Gellner-Vincenz 1921 :The Fateful Day 1921: Der Totenklaus 1921: Die Schuldige 1921: Betrüger des Volkes 1922: Money in the Streets 1922: The Burning Soil as Peter Rog 1922: Menschenopfer 1922: Macbeth 1922: The Count of Charolais as the president of the senate 1922 :The Earl of Essex as Earl of Essex 1922: The False Dimitri as Boris Godunov 1923: Schlagende Wetter 1923: Die Austreibung 1923 :The Street as the middle-aged man 1924: New Year's Eve as the man 1924: Carlos and Elisabeth as Prince Philip 1924: Das goldene Kalb 1925 :Oh Those Glorious Old Student Days | 1925: Comedians as Axel Swinborne 1925:The Elegant Bunch as Anton Paudler 1925: Goetz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand as Götz von Berlichingen 1925: Der erste Stand: Der Großkapitalist 1926: Superfluous People as Andrej Karlowitsch Siganew 1926: Fadette as Barbeau 1927: The Convicted as Karl Hartmann 1928: Luther as Martin Luther 1929: Katharina Knie as Old Knie 1931: 1914 as Emperor Franz Josef 1931: Der Herzog von Reichstadt 1931: The Paw as Lorenzi 1932: Unheimliche Geschichten 1932: Haunted People 1933: Refugees as Bernhard Laudy 1934: William Tell as Heinrich Von Meltchtal 1935:The Private Life of Louis XIV as Prince Charles Louis 1935: Pygmalion as Alfred Doolittle 1935: I Was Jack Mortimer as Pedro Montemayor 1935: Anschlag auf Schweda 1936 :Love's Awakening (1936) as Dr. Bergriedel 1938: Youth [it] as Hoppe 1938: Der Spieler 1939: Detours to Happiness as Mr. von Hanna 1939: Die fremde Frau 1940:The Eternal Spring as the employer 1940: Jud Süß as Councilman Sturm 1940: Friedrich Schiller – The Triumph of a Genius as Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart 1941: My Life for Ireland as Duffy 1941: Friedemann Bach as Johann Sebastian Bach 1941: Jakko 1942: Die goldene Stadt as Melchior Jobs 1942: Stimme des Herzens 1943:The Endless Road as Friedrich List 1943: Gabriele Dambrone as Gotthart 1944: Die Zaubergeige 1944: Der Erbförster 1944: Philharmoniker 1945: Anna Alt as Prof. Burghardt 1945: The Noltenius Brothers as Mr. Karsten 1945: Puppenspieler 1945: Shiva und die Galgenblume |