Heinrich Bethmann
Heinrich Levin Bethmann (* 1774 in Rosenthal near Hildesheim ; † April 8, 1857 in Halle ) was a German actor and director .
Life
At the age of 18, Bethmann was hired by the principal Friedrich Wilhelm Bossann in Bad Kreuznach for his ensemble. In 1805 Bethmann married the actress Friederike Bethmann-Unzelmann in Berlin . With her he had the son Carl Georg Bethmann (* 1805), who also became an actor.
Between 1794 and 1815 Bethmann worked at the Berlin "Königlichen Nationaltheater" (from 1811 "Königliche Schauspiele") under August Wilhelm Iffland's direction. There he was one of the most important actors in the ensemble. He had great success in the field of the lover. But he also excelled in tragic-comic roles. His portrayal of the Kalaf in Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of Carlo Gozzi's Turandot , which had premieres in Berlin on April 5, 1802, was praised. In Schiller's Wilhelm Tell he played the role of Ulrich von Rudenz (premiere July 4, 1804), in August von Kotzebue's "Die Sonnenjungfrau" he played Don Alonzo (premiere August 28, 1799). When his wife died unexpectedly in 1815, he withdrew into private life. At the age of 50 he was entrusted with the management of the Königsstädtisches Theater , but two years later he gave this office back due to arguments with his donors. In Berlin he was a member of the Urania Freemason Lodge on Immortality .
From 1826 Bethmann worked at various theaters in Aachen , Dessau , Königsberg and Magdeburg as an actor and sometimes also as a director. In his last professional years he rejoined a touring stage .
Bethmann settled in Halle and had to live on a meager pension in poor conditions.
Fonts
- My Christmas present to the Königsstädtisches Theater . Krause, Berlin 1826
- (Under the pseudonym Michael Vindex) The standing theater in Neu-Abdera . A dramatic pill prescribed to all Abderites for a blessed effect and to all non-Abderites for warning and amusement. With a lithographed view of the theater at Neu-Abdera. Wienbrack, Leipzig 1829
literature
- Ludwig Eisenberg : Large biographical lexicon of the German stage in the XIX. Century . Published by Paul List , Leipzig 1903, p. 90 f.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bethmann, Heinrich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bethmann, Heinrich Levin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German actor and theater director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1774 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rosenthal near Hildesheim |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 8, 1857 |
| Place of death | Hall |