Käthe Haack


Käthe Haack was a German stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 200 films and 30 television productions between 1915 and 1985.

Life and career

Käthe Haack was born Käte Lisbeth Minna Sophie Isolde Haack in Berlin, Germany. After finishing school education, Käthe Haack had her first engagement as an actress in Göttingen. Since 1915, she regularly appeared in Berlin theatres like Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, Volksbühne and Deutsches Theater. Between 1934 and 1945, she worked at the Konzerthaus Berlin under direction of Gustaf Gründgens. She also appeared in the original production of The Captain of Köpenick. Haack remained in demand as a stage actress for the rest of her life, for example as Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady during the 1960s.
Haack started her film career as early as 1915 with the Max Mack's silent film Der Katzensteg. She was initially cast as Lola-Lola in the film The Blue Angel and her contract was signed, but then was replaced by Marlene Dietrich. She mostly played love interests during the silent era, later she successfully transitioned to character roles as a mother, wife, grandmother or wealthy lady. Among her best-known film roles is Baronin Münchhausen in Münchhausen, an expensive film adaption about Baron Munchausen starring Hans Albers. She also appeared in Emil and the Detectives, No Greater Love and The Last Pedestrian. Haack played her last role in the television series Ein Heim für Tiere in 1985, 70 years after her film career had started.
She was married to actor Heinrich Schroth since 1922, with whom she had a daughter, actress Hannelore Schroth in 1922.

Selected filmography