Bruno Kastner

German actor Bruno Kastner (1890-1932) was one of the most beloved stars of the 1910s and 1920s. His parts as the elegant and charming dandy made him a heartthrob of the German silent cinema.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 434/2, 1919-1924. Photo: Heinz Rosenberger, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 181/4. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot, no. 220/1. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin. With Ida Wüst.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 436/2, 1919-1924. Photo: A. Eberth, Berlin.

Equipped with a winning smile

Bruno Richard Otto Kastner was born in Forst, Lausitz, Germany, in 1890. He was the son of a collector. After grammar school, Kastner went to the army, but he was expelled after only 17 days. He then took acting classes from the actor Paul Biensfeldt in Berlin and was engaged by the Stadttheater Harburg. From 1911 to 1921 he worked as a choir singer and actor at the Meinhard-und Bernauer-Bühnen in Berlin.

After the start of the First World War, the unfit-for-service Kastner had his breakthrough in the cinema, while most of the other actors were serving at the front. In 1914 he was discovered by the Danish director Urban Gad, who gave him a part in the film Engelein/Little Angel (Urban Gad, 1914), and the sequel Engeleins Hochzeit/The Marriage of Little Angel (Urban Gad, 1916) next to Asta Nielsen.

He also appeared opposite the other German diva, Henny Porten in Das Schicksal der Gabriele Stark/The Destiny of Gabriele Stark (Rudolf Biebrach, 1915). Kastner, young, handsome and equipped with a winning smile, became a heartthrob, who received laundry baskets full of love letters from his female admirers.

He was the partner and female lust object in the series of stars like Dorrit Weixler (Dorrits Eheglück/Dorrit’s marital Bliss (Paul Otto, 1916)), Lotte Neumann (Die Bettlerin von St. Marien/The Beggar-woman of St. Marien (Alfred Halm, 1916) and Mia May (Hilde Warren und der Tod/Hilde Warren and Death (Joe May, 1917) written by Fritz Lang).

The male public gave Bruno less flattering names as 'Kleiderbügel' (clothes hanger) and had lively discussions in journals and film magazines about Kastner.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 516/2. Photo: May-Film. Mia May and Bruno Kastner in Ein Lichtstrahl im Dunkel/A Ray of Light in the Dark (Joe May, 1917).


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 516/8. Photo: May-Film / Becker & Maass. Mia May and Bruno Kastner in Der Schwarze Chauffeur/The Black Chauffeur (Joe May, 1917).


German postcard by Verlag Ross, no. 590. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanni Weisse in the German silent film Zwischen zwei Welten/Between two worlds (Adolf Gärtner, 1919). The first card of a series of four. The portrait in the back is a classic one of Karl Marx.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 607/1. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Ria Jende in the German silent film Die goldene Lüge (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 618/3. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanne Brinkmann in the German silent film Artistentreue/Faithful to the Species (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 622/4. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in the German silent film Das Herz des Casanova/The Heart of Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 65/1. Photo: Aafa-Film. Mady Christians and Bruno Kastner in Die geschiedene Frau/The Divorcée (Victor Janson, 1926).

Money spinners

Bruno Kastner also appeared with Alwin Neuß in detective films like the Joe Deebs series (Die Hochzeit im Excentricclub/Wedding in the Eccentric Club (Joe May, 1917) again written by Fritz Lang).

All his films were money-spinners. In 1918 he married actress Ida Wüst, with whom he played in films and also wrote screenplays.

From 1918 on he worked for the Ring-Film GmbH often under the direction of Erik Lund (pseudonym for producer and director Manfred Liebenau) in such films as Nur ein Diener/Just an Attendant (Erik Lund, 1919) written by Kastner and Wüst.

In 1921 he was chosen as the best (in fact most popular) actor in Germany - he was even ahead of Harry Liedtke and Max Landa.

The following year he started his own film company, which produced films like Masken Fallen/When the Mask Falls (Erik Lund, 1922) and Die Lüge eines Sommers/The Lie of a Summer (Erik Lund, 1922).


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 138/3, 1916-1919. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 181/2. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne Series, no. 190/4. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 191/1, 1916-1919. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 191/2, 1916-1919. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.

Fallen star

In 1924 Bruno Kastner had a serious accident with his motorcycle in Lugano and he had to take a break for one year. The accident left him depressed. The accident caused him to be not a man any longer, literally.

He was able to continue his film career, and appeared in Der Mann, der sich verkaufte/The man Who Sold Himself (Hans Steinhoff, 1925) with Vivian Gibson, Die vom anderen Ufer/Those of the Other Side of the River (Arthur Bergen, 1926), Die Brüder Schellenberg/The Schellenberg Brothers (Karl Grune, 1926) with Conrad Veidt, and Wehe, wenn sie losgelassen/Woe, when they let go (Carl Froelich, 1926) with Henny Porten.

In the mid-1920s his star started to fall. His last important roles were Du Stollst Nicht Stehlen/The Love Commandment (Victor Janson, 1928) with Lilian Harvey, the biography Luther (Hans Kyser, 1928) and Angst/Fear (Hans Steinhoff, 1928) with Gustav Fröhlich.

Kastner had a stammering problem and the sound film made it hard for him to keep his fans. He made two sound films, Das Land des Lächelns/The Land of Smiles (Max Reichmann, 1930) with Richard Tauber, and Tingel-Tangel (Jaap Speyer, 1930) with Ernst Verebes, but these roles were no successes. He had become too old for the part of the young and charming dandy and Bon vivant.

In 1932 Bruno Kastner committed suicide by hanging himself in his hotel room in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, only 42 years old. He was married to Ida Wüst from 1918 to 1927.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 346/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Becker & Maass / RF.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 921/3, 1925-1926. Photo: Becker & Maass.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1356/2, 1927-1928. Photo: Atelier Hanni Schwarz.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3163/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Hanni Schwarz, Berlin.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3124/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Aafa Film.

Sources: Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Filmportal (German), Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 6 December 2024.

Three films starring Bruno Kastner: Die goldene Lüge (1919), La bodega de Los Cuerros (1919) and Artistentreue (1919)

German actor Bruno Kastner (1890-1932) was the heartthrob of German silent cinema. His parts as the elegant and charming dandy made him one of the most beloved stars of the 1910s and 1920s. In this film special, we present three of his films from 1919: Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie, Artistentreue/Devoted Artists and La bodega de Los Cuerros/The Bodega of Los Cuerros, all directed by Erik Lind.

Die goldene Lüge (1919)

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 607/1. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Ria Jende in the German silent film Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 607/2. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie (Erik Lund, 1919).

Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie (1919) Bruno Kastner plays Ralf Sporeck, the son of a count in great debt. He marries a banker's daughter (Ria Jende). When he finds out he isn't a count at all, he wants to leave.

The film was scripted by Georg Kaiser and cinematographed by Curt Courant. Sets may have been by Siegfried Wroblewsky. Leopold von Ledebur played either the old count or the banker. In April 1919 the film was screened at the Berlin Tauentzienpalast.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 607/3. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 607/4. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Ria Jende in the German silent film Die goldene Lüge/The Golden Lie (Erik Lund, 1919).

Die Bodega von Los Cuerros (1919)

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 617/1. Photo: Ring Film. Bruno Kastner in Die Bodega von Los Cuerros/The Bodega of Los Cuerros (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 617/2. Photo: Ring Film. Bruno Kastner (left) in Die Bodega von Los Cuerros/The Bodega of Los Cuerros (Erik Lund, 1919).

Die Bodega von Los Cuerros/The Bodega of Los Cuerros (1919) was directed by Erik Lund, scripted by Ruth Goetz and cinematographed by Curt Courant. Little is known about this film, starring Bruno Kastner and costarring Ria Jende, Leopold von Ledebur, Rosa Liechtenstein, Paul Biensfeldt, Hermann Picha and others, must have been a crime and adventure film, possibly with Kastner as a detective. The film premiered in Berlin on 2 August 1919, so half a year after the armistice that ended the First World War.

Director Erik Lund was born Manfred Liebenau in Berlin in 1893. He began his career as an architect before being engaged by director-producer Joe May as manager. In 1918 he founded the company Ring-Film GmbH and became its producer. In the same year, Lund married May's daughter Eva May and also became film director at Ring-Film. The first films of Ring-Film such as Erträumtes (1918) with Eva May were still directed by Adolf Gärtner, but quite soon Lund became co-director or sole director.

Ring Film flourished in the years 1918-1921. From 1918 Lund directed many films with his wife Eva May, such as Sadja (1918), Staatsanwalt Jordan (1919), Die verwunschene Prinzessin (1919), Das törichte Herz (1919), and Die Fee von Saint Ménard (1919). From 1919 many of the scripts for Ring-Film were written by Ruth Goetz, while Curt Courant was the regular cinematographer.

From 1919 Lund also directed the beloved male star Bruno Kastner in many films, such as Die Bodega von Los Cuerros (1919), Die goldene Lüge (1919), and Das Herz des Casanova (1919). For many of those films, he was also responsible as the producer, and for a few of them, he also wrote the screenplay. In the early 1920s, he made his last films as director, e.g. Präsident Barrada (1920) with Michael Bohnen, but most were with Bruno Kastner in the lead, such as Weisse Rosen (1920), the serial film Der Silberkönig (1921), Der bekannte Unbekannte (1922), and Das Geheimnis von Schloss Ronay (1922). The latter two were produced by Kastner's own film company Kastner Film.

From 1921, Lund worked for Delta Film, Kastner Film, and Ring-Film AG, not to be confused with Lund's former company. Ring-Film AG is mostly known for the Harry Piel films of 1927-1928. Apart from a last producer's job with Ring-Film AG, the period piece Götz von Berlingen (1925) starring Eugen Klöpfer, Lund did not work in film after 1922. From 1930 Lund retook his work in the German - by now sound - film industry, but now as production manager and under his original name, e.g. for Das Land des Lächelns (Max Reichmann, 1930) and Die große Attraktion (Max Reichmann, 1931). After 1931 Lund definitely left the German film world. It is unknown where and when he died.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 617/4. Photo: Ring Film. Bruno Kastner and Ria Jende in Die Bodega von Los Cuerros/The Bodega of Los Cuerros (Erik Lund, 1919). The man in the middle could well be Leopold von Ledebur.

Artistentreue (1919)

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 618/1. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Artistentreue/Devoted Artists (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 618/2. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanne Brinkmann in Artistentreue/Devoted Artists (Erik Lund, 1919).

John Lind, a presumed cousin (Leopold von Ledebur) of a count (Karl von Platen), abducts the count's daughter (Hanne Brinkmann), but he is unmasked by circus artist James (Bruno Kastner). The hero gets the girl as a reward.

Artistentreue (1919) was scripted by Georg Kaiser, cinematographed by Curt Courant, while sets were (probably) by Siegfried Wroblewsky. The film premiered at the Berlin cinema Biophon in December 1919.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 618/3. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanne Brinkmann in Artistentreue/Devoted Artists (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 618/4. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanne Brinkmann in Artistentreue/Devoted Artists (Erik Lund, 1919).

Sources: Early Cinema, Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.

Zwischen zwei Welten (1919)

In the German silent film Zwischen zwei Welten/Between two worlds (Adolf Gärtner, 1919), the two popular stars Bruno Kastner and Hanni Weisse played a romantic couple. Ross Verlag made a series of four sepia cards with scenes from the film. Only a portrait of Karl Marx in the background of one of the postcards indicates that the film had political content.


German postcard by Verlag Ross, no. 590. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanni Weisse in the German silent film Zwischen zwei Welten/Between two worlds (Adolf Gärtner, 1919). This was the first card of a series of four. The portrait in the back is a classic one of Karl Marx.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 591. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanni Weisse in Zwischen zwei Welten (Adolf Gärtner, 1919).

Forbidden for juveniles

In Zwischen zwei Welten/Between two worlds, workers in a factory have a conflict with the managing director Lüders (Magnus Stifter). They won't elect him.

The manager (Bruno Kastner) stands by them, but he is consequently fired. Then the Social-Democrats put him forward as their candidate.

Zwischen zwei Welten was scripted by Bruno Kastner, Paul Rosenhayn and Adolf Gärtner. In addition to Kastner, Hanni Weisse, and Stifter, the other actors in the cast were Olga Engl, Max Laurence, Lina Paulsen, Lucie Mannheim and Gustav Roos.

In February 1919, the German censor decided that Zwischen zwei Welten/Between two worlds was forbidden for juveniles.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 592. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner and Hanni Weisse in Zwischen zwei Welten (Adolf Gärtner, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 593. Photo: Ring-Film. Magnus Stifter (left) and Bruno Kastner (right) in Zwischen zwei Welten (Adolf Gärtner, 1919).

Sources: The German Early Cinema Database, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

Die Fürstin von Beranien (1918)

In the silent German drama Die Fürstin von Beranien/The Princess of Berania (Ernst Reicher, 1918), heartthrob Bruno Kastner plays a prince who falls for the princess of Berania, played by Stella Harf. But in this story the couple does not live happily ever after...


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2329. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien/The Princess of Berania (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2330. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2331. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2332. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Photochemie, Berlin, no. K. 2334. Photo: Alba-Film, Berlin. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).

A Last Sidestep

In Die Fürstin von Beranien/The Princess of Berania (Ernst Reicher, 1918), Bruno Kastner starred as prince Heinrich von Waldstein aka Dr. Heinrich von Wald. Director Ernst Reicher's wife, Stella Harf, played the title role, princess Elisabeth Maria von Beranien.

Prince Ernst von Beranien (Leopold von Ledebur) announces his daughter Elisabeth will become crown princess. She asks for a last sidestep, and as a 'common countess', she is granted to take a holiday in the mountains, though escorted by the stern countess Elvira (Frida Richard) and her daughter Kitty.

The princess meets and falls in love with the sympathetic Dr. Heinrich von Wald, but when he proposes to her she flees, as the class difference would never permit such a marriage.

When her father dies, Elisabeth agrees to become the next ruler and must pick a husband of her class, her father's favourite Duke Rudolph (Kurt von Möllendorf). The military party opposes and rather sees her married to prince Von Waldstein. They assault the castle but when the prince and princess meet they recognise each other as the winter sports lovers.

Then the plot takes an unusal, tragic shift. Heinrich is captured but released. During a last farewell of Heinrich at Elisabeth's balcony, the guard misunderstands the situation and shoots him, mortally. After Heinrich's death Elisabeth marries her father's favourite.

Die Fürstin von Beranien premiered in April 1918 at the Berlin cinema Tauentzienpalast. The script was written by Richard Hutter. Sets were designed by future director Manfred Noa, and cinematography was done by Hans Bloch.


German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin, no. 3267. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin, no. 3266. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Leopold von Ledebur in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin, no. 3256. Photo: Alba-Film. Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).


German postcard by Verlag Hermann Leiser, Berlin, no. 3254. Photo: Alba-Film. Stella Harf and Bruno Kastner in Die Fürstin von Beranien (Ernst Reicher, 1918).

Source: Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.

Das Herz des Casanova (1919)

Bruno Kastner was beloved as the elegant dandy and charming bonvivant of the German silent cinema. Das Herz des Casanova/The Heart of Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919) was one of the silent films on which his fame as a heartthrob was based. Ross Verlag made a series of sepia postcards for the film, of which we show four below.


Bruno Kastner. erman postcard by Rotophot in the Film Sterne series, no. 181/2. Photo: Becker & Maass, Berlin.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 622/2. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Das Herz des Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919). The actress on the left is Ria Jende.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 622/2. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Das Herz des Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919). The actor on the right may be Karl Platen.

Slim, good-looking, young - and unfit for military service

Bruno Kastner was discovered by Danish film diva Asta Nielsen. He made his film debut opposite her in the short comedy Engelein/Little Angel (Urban Gad, 1914), with Fred Immler and Hanns Kräly. He followed the success of this film with the sequel Engeleins Hochzeit/Little Angel's Wedding (Urban Gad, 1916).

Most men of his age were in the war, the demand for actors was bigger than the offer. Bruno Kastner was slim, good-looking, young - and unfit for military service. During the First World War, Kastner quickly became a matinee idol in Germany, especially popular with female fans. His picture decorated many bedside tables.

The German press commented on Kastner's rise to stardom and how vexed postmen were having to transport love letters from fans to Kastner in laundry baskets. Kastner cemented his romantic image by appearing as the ardent suitor to such popular actresses Dorrit Weixler, Lotte Neumann and Mia May in a number of films of the era.

Male filmgoers were less fond of Kastner's image of a handsome dandy and gave him the nickname 'Kleiderbügel' (coat hanger) - a reference to his slim build and fashionable wardrobe.

Bruno Kastner himself wrote the screenplay for Das Herz des Casanova, together with Erich Rennspies. It was one of the four films that he would star in and for which he would write the script. The others were Nur ein Diener/Only a Servant, Der letzte Sonnensohn/The Last Sun Son and Der Weltmeister/The World Champion. All were directed and produced by Erik Lund (pseudonym for director-producer Manfred Liebenau) for the Berlin-based firm Ring-Film and were released in 1919.

His co-stars in Das Herz des Casanova/The Heart of Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919) were Ria Jende, Rosa Lichtenstein and Karl Platen. Not much else is known about the film, except that the sets were created by Siegfried Wroblewsky and that Curt Courant was behind the camera.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 622/4. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Das Herz des Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 622/7. Photo: Ring-Film. Bruno Kastner in Das Herz des Casanova (Erik Lund, 1919).

Sources: Hans-Michael Bock (Filmportal.de - German)Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.