Hans Twardowski

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Hans Twardowski was born Hans Heinrich von Twardowski on May 5, 1898 in Stettin, Germany about 80 miles northeast of Berlin (today it is Szczecin, Poland). Twardowski was one of many actors that fled Germany after the Nazis came to power in 1933. Twardowski's reason for fleeing was not because he was Jewish, as was the case with many others, but because he was a homosexual.

Twardowski's first movie was a large role in the 1920 classic German silent horror movie Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) which starred Conrad Veidt. In the movie, Twardowski's character Alan is found murdered. He would go on to appear in over 20 movies in Germany during the 1920's. In 1921, Twardowski portrayed Joshua Nesbitt, British hero Lord Horatio Nelson's stepson, in the silent film Lady Hamilton about the life of British legend Nelson (portrayed by Conrad Veidt), and his mistress Lady Hamilton. Twardowski appeared in the silent films Der Falsche Dimitri and Es leuchtet meine Liebe the following year.

In 1927, Twardowski appeared in the melodramatic silent film Die Weber (The Weaver) about man fighting against the machines. The following year, he appeared in the Fritz Lang spy thriller Spione (Spies). A year later, he portrayed Otto von Wittelsbach in the silent movie Ludwig der Zweite, König von Bayern (Ludwig II, King of Bavaria). His first sound movie was Der König von Paris (The King of Paris) in 1930. His last movie in Germany was the 1931 Der Herzog von Reichstadt.

With the growth of Nazi power in Germany in the early 1930's, Twardowski came to the United States. He became a refugee to escape the Nazi regime not because he was Jewish but because he was a homosexual. Shortly after, he appeared in the 1932 drama Scandal For Sale starring Pat O'Brien. In 1933; he played Von Bergen in the war drama Private Jones, a prince in Adorable and a lawyer in The Devil's in Love.

The following year, Twardowski played Ivan Shuvolov in The Scarlet Empress, about the life of Catherine the Great, starring Marlene Dietrich in the title role. In 1935, Twardowski appeared as Count Nicholas of Hungary in the Cecil B. DeMille film The Crusades starring Loretta Young. It would be two years before Twardowski appeared in another movie and that was a small part in the romance Thin Ice starring Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power. Because of the time he spent directing and appearing in on stage, it would be another two years before he worked in another movie.

With World War II about to began in 1939, Twardowski's career picked up as he appeared in two of Warner Bros. anti-Nazi movies. First as Max Helldorf in the spy thriller Confessions of a Nazi spy starring Edward G. Robinson. Next Twardowski appeared in another spy thriller Espionage Agent starring Joel McCrea which was released just three weeks after Germany invaded Poland to start the Second World War.

Later in 1939, Twardowski appeared in the highly controversial anti-Nazi movie Hitler - Beast of Berlin (it was actually banned in New York City until it was edited) featuring Alan Ladd. Twardowski plays Albert Stalhelm, a SS storm trooper who is disillusioned about the brutality the Nazi's. His character accidentally betrays his anti-Nazi friends to his fellow SS members, who in turn murder him.

With the outbreak of World War II and the subsequent increase in war movies, Twardowski received uncredited rolls as Nazi's. He portrayed storm troopers, U-Boat captains, army officers and even Nazi SS Commandant Reinhard Heydrich. It would be three years before he got another part in a movie but 1942 and 1943 would be busy years for Twardowski. He appeared in seven films in 1942, including a large role as Captain Gemmler in the Nazi spy thriller Dawn Express. He next received an uncredited role as a sergeant in The Pied Piper starring Monty Woolley as an Englishman trying to get out of German occupied France with an increasing amount of children. Otto Preminger portrayed the villainous Major Diessen. Next, he appeared in the comedy Joan of Ozark.

Next, Twardowski appeared as one of the many German soldiers in Desperate Journey with Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. He received a bit part as a U-Boat captain in RKO's The Navy Comes Through starring Pat O'Brien. He had another bit part in the comedy Once Upon a Honeymoon starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rodgers.

In June of 1942, Twardowski, age 44, received a small part in Casablanca playing, of course, a German officer. He is seen Rick's Cafe with Yvonne (Madeleine LaBeau) and gets into a fight with a French officer (Alberto Morin) who is very upset with Yvonne for being with a German.

1943 was just as busy as Twardowski appeared in the Fritz Lang movie Hangman Also Die, portraying the notorious Nazi SS Commandant Reinhard Heydrich known as "The Hangman" and also starring Brian Donlevy and Walter Brennen. All of his lines in this movie were in German. Twardowski received two uncredited roles after this. First as a German officer in Raoul Walsh's Background To Danger starring George Raft, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. This was followed by a bit part as a Nazi captain in the war drama First Comes Courage.

Next Twardowski appeared in The Strange Death of Adolph Hitler. Later that year, he had a small part in the war drama The Cross of Lorraine starring Gene Kelly, Cedric Hardwicke and Lorre.

Twardowski's last two movies were 1944 war dramas; first he appeared as a doctor in The Hitler Gang showing the rise of Adolf Hitler and later as a German Red Cross representative in Resisting Enemy Interrogation.

With the end of the Second World War came the end of Twardowski's movie acting career. However, he continued to write and direct plays. He originally starred on stage as the Dauphin in Schiller's productions of "Die Jungfrau von Orleans." In the thirties, Twardowski directed and appeared in the stage productions of "The Brothers Karamazov" and "Old Heidelberg" in the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1939, he produced a play in Brooklyn's St. Felix Street Playhouse called "Shakespeare Merchant - 1939" that he wrote based on the Shakespeare play "Merchant of Venice." Twardowski also sang tenor in a number of musicals.

Twardowski died of a heart attack on November 19, 1958 in his New York City apartment at age 60.