Felix Basch

Felix Basch, who lived from 1885 to 1944, was an American-Austrian actor, screenwriter and film director. He first acted in Vienna and became a producer and director for the German film company UFA, directing silent and early sound films from 1919 to 1931, among them The Rose of Stamboul, Miss Julie, Destiny, Her Husband's Wife, The Girl on a Swing and Zwei Krawatten. After the Nazi takeover in 1933 forced the Jewish Basch out of German film, he went into exile in the United States, where he appeared in many films in character roles. He was married to the actress and singer Grete Freund and was the father of Peter Basch. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood on 18 May 1944.