Albert Lieven


Albert Lieven was a German actor.

Early life

Lieven was born in Hohenstein, German Empire. His father was the head physician of the Tuberculosis sanatorium Hohenstein, where Lieven grew up. He started to study medicine but stopped the studies for financial reasons.

Career

Lieven started his career at theaters in Gera and Königsberg. His first screen role was in the German film Annemarie, die Braut der Kompanie in 1932. During the next four years he appeared in another sixteen films, including the German film adaptation of Charley's Aunt.
Owing to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and his wife Tatjana being Jewish, they moved to Britain in 1937. However, he spent the years of the Second World War mainly in roles depicting Nazis in British films, not finding them overly challenging as an actor.
Lieven appeared on the London stage in 1939 in the comedy Rake's Progress, but was largely acting in films. In 1943 he appeared in the West End production The Lisbon Story.
Lieven appeared in many cinema productions, and in 1940, he was credited in seven, in all of which he played the role of a German.
He was under contract to Rank for five years from 1945. It has been claimed that he only appeared in one film during this contract, Sleeping Car to Trieste. In fact, however, he appeared in several other films for companies controlled by Rank during this period, as part of his contract. These included Marry Me!, which was made for Gainsborough Pictures, and Frieda, made for Ealing Studios, both of which were subsidiaries of Rank.
He returned to Germany in 1951, and appeared in many films made there. He also was in films both in Britain and Hollywood.

Family

Married four times, Lieven is the grandfather of the England rugby union player Toby Flood. Lieven died in London.

Selected filmography

  • Annemarie, die Braut der Kompanie as Fähnrich Werner v. Schumann
  • I by Day, You by Night as Wolf
  • Kampf um Blond as Victor
  • Ripening Youth as Knud Sengebusch, Abiturient
  • Die vom Niederrhein as Hans Steinherr
  • Es tut sich was um Mitternacht as Nikolaus 'Nicki' Durmann
  • Charley's Aunt as Jack Chesney
  • Krach um Jolanthe as Wesemeier, der neue Lehrer
  • Miss Liselott as Peter Wendt, Architekt
  • Trouble with Jolanthe as Wesemeier, der neue Lehrer
  • Eine Siebzehnjährige as Walter
  • Glückspilze as Hans Berding
  • Hermine and the Seven Upright Men as Karl
  • Make Me Happy as William Davenport
  • Carnival in Flanders as Johann Brueghel
  • Kater Lampe as Fritz Neumerkel – Schnitzergeselle
  • A Woman of No Importance as Gerald Arbuthnot
  • Victoria the Great as Minor Role
  • The Deacon and the Jewess as Simon
  • Spy for a Day as Capt. Hausemann
  • For Freedom as Fritz
  • Convoy as U-Boat Commander U.37
  • Let George Do It! as German Radio Operator
  • Night Train to Munich as Concentration Camp Guard
  • Neutral Port as Capt. Grosskraft
  • Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light as German
  • Jeannie as Count von Wittgestein
  • The Big Blockade as German: Gunter
  • The Young Mr. Pitt as Talleyrand
  • The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as von Ritter
  • The Yellow Canary as Captain Jan Orlock
  • English Without Tears as Felix Dembrowski
  • The Seventh Veil as Maxwell Leydon
  • Beware of Pity as Lt. Anton Marek
  • Frieda as Richard
  • Sleeping Car to Trieste as Zurta
  • Marry Me! as Louis
  • The Dark Light as Mark
  • Hotel Sahara as Lt von Heillicke
  • The Dubarry as Alfred Collien
  • Klettermaxe as Max Malien
  • Fritz and Friederike as Henry de Voss
  • Desperate Moment as Paul Ravitch
  • The Rose of Stamboul as Achmed Bey
  • Beloved Life as Joachim von Bolin
  • Homesick for Germany as Fred Berger
  • Spring Song as Dr. Andermatt
  • The Confession of Ina Kahr as Dr. Pleyer
  • The Song of Kaprun as Peter Dahle
  • Des Teufels General as Oberst Friedrich Eilers
  • Ripening Youth as Studienrat Dr. Crusius
  • The Fisherman from Heiligensee as Wolfgang von Döring
  • Night of Decision as Albert Vernon
  • Loser Takes All as Hotel Manager
  • The House of Intrigue as Matt
  • The Battalion in the Shadows
  • All the Sins of the Earth as Judge
  • ' as Pierre de Motestant
  • Subway in the Sky as Carl
  • Conspiracy of Hearts as Col. Horstein
  • Brainwashed as Hartmann
  • Foxhole in Cairo as Gen. Erwin Rommel
  • Frau Irene Besser
  • The Guns of Navarone as Commandant
  • The Devil's Daffodil as Raymond Lyne
  • ' as Terry Morris
  • Death Trap as Paul Heindrick
  • The Devil's Agent, as Inspector Huebling
  • Freddy and the Song of the South Pacific as Siebzehnstern
  • Mystery Submarine as Captain Neymarck
  • The Victors as Herr Metzger
  • Death Drums Along the River as Dr. Franz Weiss
  • Traitor's Gate as Trayne
  • ' as Detective Inspector Hyde
  • City of Fear as Dr. Paul Kovac
  • African Gold as Karl Du Val
  • The Avengers, episode 4-9 as Dr. Sturm
  • The Gorilla of Soho as Henry Parker
  • ' as Gordon Stewart
  • Die Feuerzangenbowle as Member of the Round table