Biografia

A difficult eye operation ended the film career of Paul Richter at the end of the 50's.

With Joe May's "Das indische Grabmal" (1921) Richter became famous to a wide public for the first time, but only with "Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler" (22) and especially with "Die Nibelungen" (1924) - both directed by Fritz Lang - he became a sex symbol in the 20's. At last Germany was able to present a pendant to the American stars Ramon Novarro and Rudolph Valentino.

The success of his Siegfried performance led to offers of other heroic parts for Richter in Peter the Pirate (1925) and Dagfin (1926).

During the shooting to "Die Nibelungen" there were often arguments behind the scenes between director and actor. This found its peak when Richter should had to present himself nude in front of the camera for the bath scene in the blood of the dragon. Because he refused to play this part without swimming trunks, Fritz Lang brought Rudolf Klein-Rogge into play as his stand-in for this key scene. But even this solution didn't please him by no means because now the audience would suppose that the back of Rudolf Klein-Rogge would be the that of him. But Fritz Lang succeeded in getting to finish the part with Klein-Rogge.

Step-father of Georg Richter.