Anecdotes

Character actor with distinctive grey beard and crew cut, the son of a teacher and an opera singer. Trained under Max Reinhardt in Berlin and on stage from 1920. Ensemble member of the Wiener Volkstheater from 1930 to 1936. Played Mephisto under Reinhardt's direction at the Salzburg Festival in 1936. Ensemble member at the Volksbühne Berlin, 1937-45. Prolific in films from 1927, usually in patriarchal roles: attorneys, magistrates, physicians, noblemen or heads of state, as well as occasional villains.

He made his film debut in the silent movie era with "Die Frauengasse von Algier" (1927). In the 30's he appeared among others in the movies "Der Hexer" (1932) and "Nanu, Sie kennen Korff noch nicht?" (1939).

Franz Schafheitlin continued his career undiminished after the war and impersonated many roles, especially in the 50's.

The actor Franz Schafheitlin was a busy support actor who was very popular because of his likeable charisma.

Till the end of World War II followed numerous engagements.To his well-known movies of those years belong "Bismarck" (1940), "Kora Terry" (1940), "Ich klage an" (1941), "Ohm Krüger" (1941), "Münchhausen" (1942), "Der grosse König" (1942), "Paracelsus" (43), "Titanic" (1943) and "Kolberg" (1945).

The film offers dropped off in the 60's but he ennobled many movies with his expressiveness and gave strong contours to his support roles.