Einar Zangenberg

Biography

Though stage-trained in Copenhagen, Einar Zangenberg quickly gravitated towards the nascent world of silent films, securing steady and thrilling employment from 1908. He rapidly cemented his status as early Danish silent cinema's quintessential daredevil. Audiences were consistently captivated by his audacious feats, whether as a skilled swimmer, a fearless motorist, or even an intrepid airman. Driven by a restless spirit, Zangenberg transcended single roles and national borders, leaving an indelible mark as an actor, director, and writer across Denmark, Sweden, and eventually Germany, where he took up residence in 1914. While his German and Austrian films have tragically faded into obscurity, lost to the annals of time, they once stood as popular action and adventure spectacles that thoroughly thrilled the movie-going public of his era. In Germany, he maintained a significant association with Flora-Film. Married to actress Alfi Zangenberg, his dynamic life was abruptly extinguished at the age of 35 in Vienna, Austria, a casualty of the devastating Spanish Influenza.