Paul Hubschmid

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Paul Hubschmid
Publicity still for Bagdad (1949)
Born	(1917-07-20)20 July 1917 Schoenenwerd, Switzerland
Died	1 January 2002(2002-01-01) (aged 84) Berlin, Germany
Years active	1938-1992
Spouse(s)	Ursula von Teubern (1942-1963) (her death) Eva Renzi (1967-1980) (divorced) Irene Schiesser (1985-2002) (his death)

Paul Hubschmid (German: [paʊ̯l ˈhuːpˌʃmiːt] ^ⓘ; 20 July 1917 – 1 January 2002) was a Swiss actor. He was most notable for his role as Henry Higgins in the German stage production of My Fair Lady. In some of his Hollywood films he was billed as Paul Christian. He appeared in dozens of films and television series between 1938 and 1991, many of which were German and International productions.

His parents were Paul Hubschmid Sr., a canteen manager at the Bally shoe factory in Schönenwerd,^[1] and Alice Noël, daughter of a chef and a journalist. She wrote for the Aargauer Tagblatt and later managed an advice column for the Swiss magazine femina. Hubschmid had two younger siblings, Fritz and Alice. After graduating from the Old Cantonal School of Aarau, he studied acting from 1936 to 1937 at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna. To finance his studies, his mother requested a scholarship from Iwan Bally, the Swiss co-owner of the Bally shoe company.^[2]

After completing his training, he made his stage debut at the German Volkstheater in Vienna. He then performed at the Theater in der Josefstadt and had guest appearances in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt. In 1938, Hubschmid landed his first film role in the Swiss feature Fusilier Wipf, based on the novel by Robert Faesi. His portrayal of recruit “Füsilier Wipf” made the 21-year-old actor famous throughout Switzerland.^[3] In 1940, he played the role of schoolmaster Wilhelm in Die missbrauchten Liebesbriefe, based on an episode from Gottfried Keller’s novella cycle Die Leute von Seldwyla. Both films were directed by Leopold Lindtberg.

In 1948, Hubschmid signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures. He was billed as Paul Christian, due to the studio's concern that his real name might not be marketable in America.

With his stature and striking looks, Christian was often cast as a hero or romantic leads. His first Hollywood starring role was alongside Maureen O'Hara and Vincent Price in Bagdad. He also starred in The Thief of Venice, filmed on location, and worked with director Don Siegel on the comedy No Time for Flowers, filmed in Vienna.

Upon returning to Hollywood, Christian starred in the science-fiction film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, based on the story by Ray Bradbury. The film became a cult classic and was one of the first movies to feature stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen.

In 1953, his Universal contract at an end, Hubschmid returned to Germany, resumed his real name, and took on leading roles alongside Marika Rökk in Mask in Blue and Lilo Pulver in Die Zürcher Verlobung. He was considered the “handsomest man in post-war German cinema.”^[3]

Hubschmid went on to star in the The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb, directed by Fritz Lang. This double feature was an updated and revised remake of two silent film classics originally conceived and written by Lang with Thea von Harbou and directed by Joe May. With these, Hubschmid achieved international fame.^[3]

In 1961, he was cast as Professor Higgins in the German premiere of My Fair Lady at the Theater des Westens in Berlin. The role became his most iconic performance, and he played it over 2000 times. He called it the “greatest stroke of luck” in his stage career.^[3]

Into the early 1990s, Hubschmid worked in film and television, appearing in numerous European productions and also in British and American films including Funeral in Berlin and Skullduggery. His performances remained highly regarded, and his deep, resonant voice made him a sought-after narrator for documentaries and roles in plays produced for radio.

In recognition of his contributions to cinema and theatre, Hubschmid was awarded the Filmband in Gold in 1980.

In his later years, Hubschmid suffered from health issues, including Parkinson’s. He passed away January 1, 2002, due to a pulmonary embolism.^[4] His ashes were reportedly scattered in Provence.^[5]

• 1980: Filmband in Gold

• Halliwell, Leslie (1981) Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies. Harper-Collins ISBN 0-06-093507-3
• Katz, Ephraim The Film Encyclopedia; 5th ed., revised by Fred Klein & Ronald Dean Nolen. New York: Collins ISBN 0-06-074214-3
• "Füsilier Wipf is dead" (in German). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• Stephanie D’heil (ed.). "Paul Hubschmid". Steffi-Line.de. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• "Actors 8". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• Iwan Bally in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.Error in template * unknown parameter name (Template:HDS): "Access; Date; Author"

• Paul Hubschmid in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.Error in template * unknown parameter name (Template:HDS): "Author"
• Hermann J. Huber: Langen Müller’s Actor Lexicon of the Present. Germany. Austria. Switzerland. Albert Langen • Georg Müller Verlag GmbH, Munich • Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-7844-2058-3, p. 442.
• Irène Hubschmid: Paul Hubschmid – Beloved Man, What Now? Memories. Militzke Verlag, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-86189-745-8.
• Paul Hubschmid: Handsome Man, What Now? Memories. Albrecht Knaus, Munich 1998, ISBN 978-3-8135-2593-9.
• Andreas Kotte, ed. (2005). "Paul Hubschmid". Theaterlexikon der Schweiz / Dictionnaire du théâtre en Suisse / Dizionario Teatrale Svizzero / Lexicon da teater svizzer [Theater Dictionary of Switzerland]. Vol. 2. Zürich: Chronos. pp. 885–886. ISBN 978-3-0340-0715-3. LCCN 2007423414. OCLC 62309181.
• Kay Weniger: The Great Encyclopedia of Film Personalities. The actors, directors, cinematographers, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, designers, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, makeup artists, and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 4: H – L. Botho Höfer – Richard Lester. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3, p. 96 f.
• Michael Wenk: Charmer with Self-Irony. [On the 100th birthday of Paul Hubschmid]. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, July 19, 2017.

• Paul Hubschmid at IMDb
• Photographs of Paul Hubschmid