Hans Albers
German actor and singer, biggest male star from 1930 to 1960.
Hans Philipp August Albers, nicknamed “der blonde Hans,” lived from 22 September 1891 to 24 July 1960. He worked as a German actor and singer, and from 1930 to 1960 he was the top male movie star in Germany, ranking among the most beloved German actors of the twentieth century.
Albers was born in Hamburg to a butcher and raised in the St. Georg district. By his late teens, he had a strong interest in acting and secretly took classes. Drafted into the German Army in 1915 during World War I, he was wounded early on. After treatment at a hospital in Wiesbaden, he performed at the local Residenztheater in comedies, antics, and operettas. After the war, he moved to Berlin and worked as a comedic actor in various Weimar-era theatres. His big break came playing a waiter in the play *Verbrecher* (Criminals). In Berlin, he began a long-term relationship with Jewish actress Hansi Burg (1898–1975), which lasted until his death in 1960.
After appearing in over one hundred silent films, Albers starred in an early German talkie, *Die Nacht gehört uns* (1929)—though the first German talkie was actually *Melodie der Welt* (1929). Soon after, he played the loud, strong Mazeppa in *Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht* (1930), not in *Der blaue Engel*, which starred Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings. He rose to fame in 1930 with *The Copper* and kept boosting his star status with similar daredevil roles throughout the 1930s. He was at his best when paired with fellow German legend Heinz Rühmann, as in *Bombs on Monte Carlo* (1931) and *Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war* (1937). Many songs from his films became huge hits, and some remain popular today.
When the Nazis took power in 1933, Albers and his Jewish girlfriend Hansi Burg moved to Lake Starnberg in Bavaria. They never married, though they remained lifelong partners, and his contract with UFA was canceled. Albers never publicly supported the Nazi regime, yet he became the most popular actor under Nazi rule. He avoided being too closely associated with them in public. As a sign of his popularity, the Nazis silently tolerated his relationship with Hansi Burg for a long time, but he eventually gave in to pressure. She left for Switzerland and then Great Britain in 1939, though they secretly remained a couple, and he sent her financial support. They reunited after the war when she returned to Germany in a British uniform.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Hans Philipp August Albers
- Birth Date
- 1891-09-22
- Birth Place
- Hamburg, German Empire
- Death Date
- 1960-07-24
- Death Place
- Starnberg, West Germany
- Years Active
- 1918–1960
- Occupation
- Actor, singer
- Partner
- Hansi Burg
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Hans Albers was born in Hamburg, the son of a butcher, and grew up in the district of St. Georg. He took acting classes without his parents' knowledge. In 1915 he was drafted into the German Army in World War I, but was wounded early on. After treatment in a hospital in Wiesbaden, he performed at the local Residenztheater in comedies, antics, and operettas. After the war he moved to Berlin, where he worked as a comedic actor in various Weimar-era theatres. His breakthrough performance was that of a waiter in the play Verbrecher (Criminals). In Berlin he began a long-term relationship with Jewish actress Hansi Burg, which ended only when he died in 1960.
After roles in over one hundred silent films, Albers starred in the early sound film Die Nacht gehört uns (1929), though Germany's first talkie was Melodie der Welt (1929). He later played the role of Mazeppa in Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht (1930), not in Der blaue Engel. Albers and Hansi Burg never married, despite their long-term relationship.
Reader's Guide
Hans Albers remains a towering figure in German cinema and music. His name is closely associated with Hamburg, especially the district of St. Pauli, where a square named Hans-Albers-Platz honors him. Today he is probably better known for his music than his films; some of his songs have remained familiar to later generations of Germans. Outside Northern Europe, Albers remains virtually unknown, but the image of an older man in a seaman's cap and raincoat playing accordion and singing is recognized internationally—McDonald's used such an image in an American television ad campaign in 1986. Albers had no significant experience on the water, this being restricted to a one-day trip to Heligoland. Many of his songs were humorous tales of drunken, womanizing sailors on shore-leave, with double entendres. His songs were often peppered with expressions in Low German. One of his signature songs, 'Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins,' has become one of the best-known songs about Hamburg and an unofficial anthem of the St. Pauli district. Hans-Albers-Platz features a statue of Albers created by artist Jörg Immendorff.
Did You Know?
- Albers was known by the nickname 'der blonde Hans' (The Blond Hans).
- He had a long-term relationship with Jewish actress Hansi Burg that ended only when he died in 1960.
- His signature song 'Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins' is an unofficial anthem of the St. Pauli district.
- Albers had no significant experience on the water, his only sea trip being a one-day visit to Heligoland.
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