Winterstein, Eduard von

(Eduard, Baron von Wangenheim, 1871-1961)

   Actor. In an extraordinarily long and distinguished career, Winterstein worked with the most significant of 20th-century German theater artists. He began performing with touring troupes, moving up to small provincial theaters, and made his Berlin debut in 1895 at the Schiller Theater. In 1898 Otto Brahm hired him for numerous Gerhart Hauptmann premieres, and in 1905 Winterstein began his lengthy association with Max Reinhardt. In the 1920s he also appeared extensively in productions at the Prussian State Theater under Leopold Jessner. During the Third Reich, Winterstein was a member of the Schiller Theater company, and after the war he remained in East Germany until his retirement. He appeared in several world premieres, including Carl Zuckmayer's Der fröhliche Weinberg (The Merry Vineyard) and DerHauptmann von Köpenick (The Captain of Köpenick). Winterstein also appeared in the German-language premiere of George Bernard Shaw's The Apple Cart, but the Germantranslation premiere for which he gained the widest notoriety was Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, in which he played the title role. Winterstein also appeared in scores of films, beginning in 1910. The most notable among them were Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) in 1931 with Marlene Dietrich and Münchhausen in 1943 with Hans Albers; Winterstein completed his last film shortly before he died.