Studied law and art history. Acting classes in Leipzig. With Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater in Berlin, 1906-20. Toured North and South America with his own acting troupe. Film debut in 1913 as actor in
Der Student von Prag (1913). Having learned the art of expressionist lighting from Reinhardt, he began to direct at the same time, specialising in mysticism, the grotesque and the macabre. Of imposing stature, large-faced, with high cheek bones, narrow eyes and a small mouth, he was physically well-suited for playing monstrous or demonic characters, most famously in the 'Golem' films.
