Anecdotes

German leading actor, briefly in vogue during the late 1920's and early 30's, his most prominent screen performance being in the anti-war epic Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie (1930). He was trained at the acting school of the Deutschen Theater in Berlin and later joined the ensemble of the Volksbühne (1926-35). His left-wing political leanings limited his acting opportunities during the NS period. After World War II, he worked as a stage director and then directed several films for the East German Defa company.

At the beginning of the 30's he already experienced the height of his short film career.

From the middle of the 30's his cinematic activity dropped off and he worked more often at the theater.

His nephew is the famous director of photography, Michael Ballhaus.