Albert Lieven


Albert Lieven was a German actor.

Early life

Lieven was born in Hohenstein, East Prussia. His father was the head physician of the Tuberculosis sanatorium Hohenstein, where Lieven grew up. He started to study medicine but stopped the studies for financial reasons.

Career

Lieven started his career at theaters in Gera and Königsberg, his first screen role was in the German film Annemarie, die Braut der Kompanie in 1932. During the next four years he appeared in another sixteen films, including the German film adaptation of Charley's Aunt.
Owing to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and his wife Tatjana being Jewish, they moved to Britain in 1937. He spent the years of the Second World War though mainly in roles depicting Nazis in British films, not finding them overly challenging as an actor.
Lieven appeared on the London stage in 1939 in the comedy Rake's Progress, but was largely acting in films.
Lieven appeared in many cinema productions, and in the year 1940, he was credited in seven, in all of which he played the role of a German.
He was under contract to Rank for five years from 1945. It has been claimed that he only appeared in one film during this contract, Sleeping Car to Trieste. In fact, however, he appeared in several other films for companies controlled by Rank during this period, as part of his contract. These included Marry Me!, which was made for Gainsborough Pictures, which by that date was a subsidiary of Rank.
He returned to Germany in 1951, and appeared in many films made there. He also was in films both in Britain and Hollywood.

Family

Married four times, Lieven is the grandfather of the England rugby union player Toby Flood. Lieven died in London.

Selected filmography