Remembering Albert Venohr

Albert Venohr was born on September 4, 1902 in Magdeburg, Germany. He took acting classes with Louise Dumont in Düsseldorf and made his stage debut in 1919 in Gera at the Reuss Theater. In 1921 he played an engagement at the Castle Park Theater in Berlin. In Berlin he became an actor and director, on the Volksbühne and Piscator stages. In 1928 he appeared in the role of Ede in the world premiere of Brecht's The Three Penny Opera. During World War II, he also appeared at the Mannheim National Theatre.

He appeared in films for the first time in 1918 in a small role, but it wasn’t until the 1930s, before he was frequently seen on the screen. Albert Venohr never played a starring role, but was seen in small supporting roles. He appeared in one Euro-western “Women for Golden Hill” (1938).

In 1946 he worked as an actor and director at the State Theatre Meiningen, before returning to Berlin. There he made some additional theater performances. Particularly at the adult stage and in the Theater am Kurfürstendamm.  He then took part in several DEFA films, where he worked from 1952 as a dubbing director. In 1956 he was awarded for his work as a dubbing director with the Heinrich Greif Prize II class for the synchronization of the French film "Red and Black".

After the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 Venohr became active in West Berlin. He is remembered for his role in the television series “The Forellenhof” (1965) with Hans Söhnker, Jane Tilden, Gerhart Lippert and Helga Anders and tour – “Ballet Dances Around the World” (1970) with Maria Litto, Edith Schultze-Westrum, Gerhart Lippert and Harry Wüstenhagen. In 1966 he played the role of the sheriff in the TV western film “Prairie-Saloon”. In 1967 he appeared in the role of Lev Borisovich Kamenev in the main cast of the 5-part documentary television film “Civil War in Russia”. The other main characters were played by Nikolaj Rytkov, Frederick G. Beck House, Hubert Suschka and Friedrich Schütter.

Venohr was married in 1942 to actress Maria Griem [1911-1986] until his death in West Berlin, Germany on June 22, 1979. Today we remember Albert Venohr on what would have been his 110^th birthday.