Wohlbrück, Adolf

(Anton Walbrook, 1896-1967)

   Actor. Wohlbrück was one of the few German actors in the 20th century who enjoyed a successful career in both British and German theaters and films. The descendant of a long line of circus performers, Wohlbrück completed a liberal arts education before enrolling in Max Reinhardt's acting school in Vienna. Upon completion of his acting studies, Wohlbrück established himself as an outstanding member of the Dresden State Theater company during the 1920s before making his Berlin debut in 1930. Working in Berlin gave him new opportunities to work in film, and between 1931 and 1936 he appeared in more than two dozen German films. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he accepted an offer to work in London, and under the name Anton Walbrook, he began his English career, both in films and on the stage—particularly in West End musicals. In 1951 Gustaf Gründgens convinced Walbrook to return to Germany, specifically to Düsseldorf where he appeared in several popular comedies by Curt Goetz. He continued working with Gründgens through the 1950s, and that decade also witnessed his return to German films (and to the name Adolf Wohlbrück as well). He continued working well into the 1960s, especially in German television.