Trivia

Joined the Nazi Party, directed a Nazi propaganda movie and was a member of Hitler's Gottbegnadeten list.

Member of the ensemble of the Vienna Burgtheater, 1956 to 1962.

His first wife was the German actress Ursula Grabley, his second the Japanese actress and singer Michiko Tanaka.

From 1945 to 1950, he was manager of the Berliner Tribüne.

German leading actor, singer, writer and director, educated the Art Academy in Dresden. Initially wanted to study theology, but instead learned acting under Erich Ponto. He made his theatrical debut in 1922, thereafter playing youthful bon vivants and romantic leads, as well as performing in classic plays by Shakespeare and Shaw. In films, usually in charming roles, graduating to character parts after the war. Gave arguably his best performance as SS-Gruppenführer Schmidt-Lausitz in The Devil's General (1955).

Despite his involvement into Nazi cinema, de Kowa's film and theatre career quickly proceeded after the war.

During the Third Reich he joined the Nazi Party, directing the propaganda movie Kopf hoch, Johannes! in 1941. The film idealized the education of the German youth in National Political Institutes of Education, which earned de Kowa an entry on the Gottbegnadeten list to evade his Wehrmacht conscription, though Minister Goebbels was disillusioned with his directing.

He continued his acting during the war, but his pacifism resulted in trouble with the authorities, according to Androom Archives.

After the war he intensified his work at the theater and was also active in the post-war film.

First theater engagements led him to Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Berlin.

He first entered a career as a poster and fashion drawer, but eventually he abandoned the education and took acting lessons by the famous actor Erich Ponto.

From the 60's he worked for the cinema as well as for television.

Beside an actor de Kowa was also chanson singer, director, narrator and comic poet.

He made his film debut with "Katharina Knie" (1929). Some years later he became a decided darling of the female public of the 30's with his very individual play in lover roles.

After World War II he also carried on his earlier acquired talent of painting, produced some movies and wrote plays.

As chairman of the trade unions for art, culture and media, he was also a board director of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB).