Paul Verhoeven (German director)

German actor and director (1901–1975)

Paul Joseph Verhoeven (23 June 1901 – 22 March 1975) was a German actor as well as a film and theatre director.

Verhoeven was born in the town of Unna. He had 13 siblings. The family lived in modest circumstances.

He directed and acted in over 50 films. He wrote over 20 film scripts, the first of which was Das kleine Hofkonzert in 1935, an operetta with music by Edmund Nick based on a comedy by Verhoeven and Toni Impekoven. From 1945 to 1948 he was artistic director at the Residenz Theatre/Staatsschauspiel in Munich.

Verhoeven was married to the actress Doris Kiesow, with whom he had three children: Lis Verhoeven, who became an actress and was the first wife of Mario Adorf; Michael Verhoeven, who became a film director and married Senta Berger; and Monika Verhoeven. From his relationship with the actress Edith Schultze Westrum, he had a son, Thomas Schultze Westrum, who became a zoologist and maker of animal documentaries. Paul Verhoeven died on stage of a heart attack in 1975 while delivering the eulogy for the recently deceased actress Therese Giehse at the Munich Kammerspiele. He was buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof next to his wife.

1936: Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (dir. Luis Trenker), as Barmixer Billy
1938: The Stars Shine (dir. Hans H. Zerlett), as Gebauer
1940: The Three Codonas (dir. Arthur Maria Rabenalt), as Juwelen Max
1959: People in the Net (dir. Franz Peter Wirth), as Karel
1961: Hamlet (dir. Franz Peter Wirth, TV film), as Gravedigger
1965: lt=Bernhard Lichtenberg (dir. Peter Beauvais, TV film), as Bernhard Lichtenberg
1967: The Dance of Death (dir. Michael Verhoeven), as Edgar
1968: de (dir. Peter Beauvais, TV miniseries, based on Francis Durbridge), as Samuel Fielding
1968: (dir. Wolfgang Becker, TV miniseries), as Körner
1969: lt=The Rats (dir. Peter Beauvais, TV film), as Harro Hassenreuter, former theatrical manager
1973: de (dir. Franz Peter Wirth), as Monsignore Berghammer

1936: The Court Concert (dir. Douglas Sirk)