Gustaf Gründgens (December 22, 1899 - October 7, 1963)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Gustaf Gründgens (1899–1963) was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the XX century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. His career continued unimpeded through the years of the Nazi regime; the extent to which this can be considered as deliberate collaboration with the Nazis is hotly disputed. In 1923 he joined the Kammerspiele in Hamburg, where he also appeared as a director for the first time, collaborating with the author Klaus Mann, the son of Thomas Mann, and his sister Erika. Gründgens married Erika Mann in 1926; they divorced three years later. From 1936 to 1946, Gründgens was married to the famous German actress Marianne Hoppe in what was widely seen as a lavender marriage. On October 7, 1963, while traveling around the world, Gründgens died in Manila of an internal hemorrhage. It has never been ascertained whether or not he committed suicide by an overdose of sleeping pills. His last words, written on an envelope, were, "I believe I have taken too many sleeping pills; I feel a bit weird, let me sleep ."

Timeline & Places:

• December 22, 1899: born.

• October 7, 1963: died. Buried at Friedhof Ohlsdorf, Fuhlsbüttler Str. 756, 22337 Hamburg, Germania

References:

Queer Places, Vol. 3.2: Retracing the Steps of LGBTQ people around the World
ISBN-13: 978-1544068435 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1544068433
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Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1544068433/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZXI10E/?tag=elimyrevandra-20