Haussmann, Leander

(1959- )

   Director. Haussmann grew up in East Germany as the son of theater performers, but he initially opted for a career as a graphic artist. At age 23, however, he enrolled in East Berlin's Ernst Busch Theater School to study acting. He worked with Frank Castorf in Gera upon his graduation and, with the collapse of the East German state, began working in Frankfurt am Main. Engagements in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and the Salzburg Festival followed. In 1995 Haussmann was named intendant of the Bochum Schauspielhaus, but in 2000 he was fired. Since then, Haussmann has worked as a freelance director and has made two films about life in divided Berlin.