Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthdate
1880-04-12
Day of Death
1943-04-08
Place of Birth
Montrouge, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], Île-de-France, France
Harry Baur
Biography
Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic Beethoven's Great Love (Un grand amour de Beethoven, 1936), directed by Abel Gance, and as Jean Valjean in Raymond Bernard's version of Les Misérables (1934). He also acted in Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset's silent film, Beethoven (1909), and in La voyante (1923), Sarah Bernhardt's last film. In 1942, while in Berlin, to star in his last film Symphone eines Lebens, Baur's wife was arrested by the Gestapo and charged with espionage. His effort to secure her release led to his own arrest and torture. He was being falsely labelled as a Jew but confirmed freemason. He was released in April 1943, but died in Paris shortly after in mysterious circumstances. Academy Award-winning American actor Rod Steiger cited Baur as one of his favorite actors who had exerted a major influence on his craft and career.
Filmography (46)
Stars Never Die
1957
Symphonie eines Lebens
1943
Sins of Youth
1941
Who Killed Santa Claus?
1941
Volpone
1941
African Diary
1940
President Haudecoeur
1940
The Patriot
1938
The Postmaster's Daughter
1938
The Rebel Son
1938
Rasputin
1938
Hatred
1938
Life Dances On
1937
The Secrets of the Red Sea
1937
