John Gottowt | WatchedThis

John Gottowt

John Gottowt

Acting

Biography

John Gottowt (born Isidor Gesang; 15 June 1881 – 29 August 1942) was an Austrian actor, stage director and film director for theatres and silent movies. Gottowt was born in Lemberg, Austria-Hungary (present-day Lviv, Ukraine) into a Jewish family. After his education in Vienna, he joined the Deutsches Theater in Berlin in 1905, working for Max Reinhardt as an actor and director. Gottowt was mainly active in different theatres in Berlin as a character actor and director. His first silent film appearance was in Paul Wegener’s Der Student von Prag ("The Student of Prague") (1913). In 1920 he appeared in Robert Wiene's Genuine and took the main role in the early science fiction film Algol. In 1921 he played Professor Bulwer (Abraham van Helsing) in the classic silent film Nosferatu directed by F.W. Murnau. Gottowt made also several films with his brother-in-law Henrik Galeen but, as a Jew, was banned in 1933 from working as a professional actor. After a few years in Denmark he moved to Kraków in Poland. He was murdered in 1942 by an SS officer while in hiding in Wieliczka, disguised as a Roman Catholic priest.

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for Nosferatu
MOVIE

Nosferatu

7.7(2.4K)
Nosferatu
Professor Bulwer
Poster for Morphium
MOVIE

Morphium

9.0(0.0K)
Morphium
Poster for The Student of Prague
MOVIE

The Student of Prague

6.1(0.1K)
The Student of Prague
Scapinelli - An Old Adventurer
Poster for The Living Dead
MOVIE

The Living Dead

6.6(0.0K)
The Living Dead
Beamter des Mechanischen Museums
Poster for Genuine: The Tragedy of a Vampire
MOVIE

Genuine: The Tragedy of a Vampire

5.6(0.0K)
Genuine: The Tragedy of a Vampire
Guyard
Poster for The Flight in the Night
MOVIE

The Flight in the Night

The Flight in the Night
Bediensteter
Der schwarze SternMOVIE
MOVIE

Der schwarze Stern

Der schwarze Stern
Brennendes LandMOVIE
MOVIE
Brennendes Land
Wladislaus
The Night of Queen IsabeauMOVIE
MOVIE

The Night of Queen Isabeau

8.0(0.0K)
The Night of Queen Isabeau
Buckliger Narr
Poster for Algol: Tragedy of Power
MOVIE

Algol: Tragedy of Power

6.5(0.0K)
Algol: Tragedy of Power
Algol

Production

Poster for Das schwarze Los
MOVIE

Das schwarze Los

10.0(0.0K)
Das schwarze Los
Director

Gallery

John Gottowt portrait