F
Felix Basch
actor, director, writer
- Born:
- 1885-09-16, Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
- Died:
- 1944-05-17, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Professions:
- actor, director, writer
Biography
Viennese streets hummed with waltz on 16 September 1885 when Felix Basch first opened his eyes; decades later Hollywood lights would dim in his honor. Between those poles he built a double life: one moment seducing the camera as an actor, the next commanding it as a director. Audiences remember the roguish spark he brought to Desperate Journey (1942), the aching silence of Schicksal (1925), and the nimble comedy of Schatz, mach’ Kasse (1926). Off-screen he shared every frame with his wife, Gretl Basch. The final curtain fell in Los Angeles on 17 May 1944, but the reels he left behind still flicker.
