Ludwig (real name Leopold Dessauer) Dessoir

* 27.12.1810 in Poznań; ✝ 30.12.1874 in Berlin

Actor

Biography

Dessoir’s stage career began in Mainz, Breslau and Mannheim (along with short engagements elsewhere), until, in 1839, the Court Theatre in Karlsruhe acquired him as the successor to Carl Devrient. From there he moved to the Berlin Court Theatre, to which he was loyal until 1872.

Dessoir was best known in heroic roles, for the realization of which he relied not on superficial elements, but instead focused his efforts on bringing out each character’s inner development. He was greatly respected by numerous contemporary authors, for example, Theodor Fontane, Gustav Freytag, and Albert E. Brachvogel. Dessoir won great acclaim when he appeared in the latter’s tragedy Narziss (1856). Mention is frequently made of the recognition with which London audiences greeted his 1853 guest appearance as Othello.

Shakespeare Roles

• Hamlet (Hamlet)
• Lear (King Lear)
• Othello (Othello)
• Richard III. (Richard III)
• Shylock (The Merchant of Venice)

Literature

Secondary Literature

• Gensichen, Otto Franz: Berliner Hofschauspieler. Silhouetten. Berlin, 1872.
• Ring, Max: Aus dem Leben deutscher Schauspieler. Ludwig Dessoir. Berlin, 1875.
• Sander, Christiane: Ludwig Dessoir, ein Schauspieler des 19. Jahrhunderts. Rekonstruktionsversuch seiner Schauspielkunst. Berlin, 1967.

Album pages with this person

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