Harry Meyen

German actor (1924–1979)

Anneliese Römer

(m. 1953; div. 1966)

Romy Schneider

(m. 1966; div. 1975)

Children1

Harry Meyen (born Harald Haubenstock; 31 August 1924 – 15 April 1979) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films and television productions between 1948 and 1975. In the 1960s he also worked as a theatre director in West Germany.

Personal life

Meyen was born in Hamburg, the son of a Jewish merchant who was deported to a concentration camp during the Nazi regime. The 18-year-old Meyen himself was incarcerated^[1] as a Mischling and survived the Neuengamme concentration camp.

After the war, he began his career with Willy Maertens at the Hamburg Thalia Theater. From 1952 he performed at the Theater Aachen and from 1955 moved to Berlin. Also starring in films directed by Helmut Käutner, Falk Harnack and Wolfgang Staudte, he played the role of a young Luftwaffe officer in the 1955 movie Des Teufels General side by side with Curd Jürgens. He also worked as a dubbing actor giving his voice to Dirk Bogarde, Robert Mitchum, Michel Piccoli, Peter Sellers, and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

From 1953 to 1966 he was married to actress Anneliese Römer. In July 1966 he married Romy Schneider in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Their son David Christopher was born 3 December 1966; the family lived in Berlin and later in Hamburg. Meyen dealt with the production of theatre plays and operas, however with moderate success. The couple finally divorced in 1975, and Schneider took their son with her to France.

Meyen suffered from depression caused by the torture he had received from the Nazis for being half-Jewish.^[2] In 1979, Meyen hanged himself at home in Hamburg. He is buried in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. His son David Meyen died in an accident two years later.^[3]

Selected filmography

Nora's Ark (1948) – Peter Stoll
K – Das Haus des Schweigens [de] (1951) – Roger
The Sergeant's Daughter (1952) – Leutnant Robert Kroldt
Alraune (1952) – Count Geroldingen
We're Dancing on the Rainbow (1952) – Grigory
Beloved Life (1953) – Jürgen von Bolin
Regina Amstetten (1954) – Jürgen von Bredow
The Faithful Hussar (1954) – Fred Wacker
The Telephone Operator (1954) – Curt Cramer
Des Teufels General (1955) – Leutnant Hartmann
Miracle Mile (1956) – Philip Ardent
My Sixteen Sons (1956)
Night of Decision (1956)
Junger Mann, der alles kann [de] (1957) – Hubert Rombach, Kunsthändler
Scandal in Bad Ischl (1957) – Dr. Balsam, Assistenzarzt
Escape from Sahara (1958) – Jean de Maire
Petersburger Nächte [de] (1958)
Iron Gustav (1958) – Assessor
Freddy, the Guitar and the Sea (1959) – Lothar Brückner
Old Heidelberg (1959) – Graf Detlev v. Asterberg
The High Life (1960) – Heinrich
Sweetheart of the Gods (1960) – Volker Hellberg
Storm in a Water Glass (1960) – George
A Woman for Life (1960) – Leutnant Karl Degenhardt
Lebensborn (1961) – Hauptsturmführer Dr. Hagen
Mörderspiel (1961) – Klaus Troger
Doctor Sibelius (1962) – Dr. Möllendorf
Redhead (1962) – Herbert Lucas
Enough Rope (1963) – Tony
The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964) – Inspector Angel
Is Paris Burning? (1966) – Lieutenant von Arnim
Triple Cross (1966) – Lieutenant Keller
Photo Finish [de] (directed by Harry Meyen, 1970, TV film) – Sam Kinsale
Derrick: "Kamillas junger Freund" (1975, TV) – Dr. Hauffe
Derrick: "Mord im TEE 91" (1977, TV) – Harris

References

^ "Die Königin der Schmerzen" by Matthias Matussek and Lars-Olav Beier, Der Spiegel (21 May 2007) (in German)
^ Connolly, Kate (29 September 2008). "The rehabilitation of Romy Schneider". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^ "The son of actress Romy Schneider was killed Sunday..." United Press International. 6 July 1981. Retrieved 4 January 2021.