Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Friedrich Rudolf Klein-Rogge (November 24, 1885 – May 29, 1955) was a German film actor. Klein-Rogge is known for playing sinister figures in films in the 1920s and 1930s as well as being a main-stay in director Fritz Lang's Weimar-era films.

Biography

Klein-Rogge was born in Cologne, Germany. He began taking acting lessons while studying art history in Berlin and Bonn. Klein-Rogge made his acting debut at in 1909, playing Cassius in Julius Caesar in Halberstadt. Klein-Rogge went on to play in theaters located in Düsseldorf, Kiel and Aachen. In Aachen, Klein-Rogge met actress and screenwriter Thea von Harbou. The two married in 1914. In 1915, Klein-Rogge joined Nuremberg's Städtische Bühnen theatre as both an actor and director.

In 1919, Klein-Rogge began acting in films. He appeared in an uncredited role as the criminal in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. During this time, von Harbou was having affairs with director Fritz Lang and eventually left Klein-Rogge to marry Lang. Despite the split, Klein-Rogge made several films that were written by von...
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