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{{short description|German actor, filmmaker (1892–1963)}}
{{Short description|German actor, filmmaker (1892–1963)}}
{{distinguish|Harry Peel (disambiguation){{!}}Harry Peel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Harry Piel
| name = Harry Piel
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| birth_place = [[Düsseldorf]], [[German Empire]]
| birth_place = [[Düsseldorf]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1963|3|27|1892|7|12|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1963|3|27|1892|7|12|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Munich]], [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]]
| death_place = [[Munich]], [[Bavaria]], [[West Germany]]
| occupation = Actor
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1912–1953
| yearsactive = 1912–1953
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| spouse = [[Dary Holm]]
| spouse = [[Dary Holm]]
}}
}}

'''Heinrich Piel''' (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as '''Harry Piel''', was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films.
'''Heinrich Piel''' (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as '''Harry Piel''', was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films.


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[[File:HarryPiel2.jpg|thumb|Harry Piel acting in a film{{which|date=February 2020}}]]
[[File:HarryPiel2.jpg|thumb|Harry Piel acting in a film{{which|date=February 2020}}]]


This was followed by a number of films between 1918–1919, in which he played the detective "[[Joe Deebs]]" eight times and with the film ''To the Large Unknown Quantity'' (1919) began to be credited by the name "Harry Peel" internationally.
This was followed by a number of films between 1918 and 1919, in which he played the detective "[[Joe Deebs]]" eight times and with the film ''To the Large Unknown Quantity'' (1919) began to be credited by the name "Harry Peel" internationally.

In 1927 he cast himself in a double role together with [[Marlene Dietrich]] in the film ''His Greatest Bluff''. Also, in 1927 Piel married the actress [[Dary Holm]] (1897–1960), who appeared in several of his films{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}


In 1930 he directed the comedy ''Him or Me'' (1930), and many successful adventure films were to follow, such as ''Shade of the Underworld'' (1931), ''Johnny Steals Europe'' (1932), ''The Ship Without a Port'', ''The Call of the Jungle'' (1935) and ''His Best Friend'' (1937).
In 1930 he directed the comedy ''Him or Me'' (1930), and many successful adventure films were to follow, such as ''Shade of the Underworld'' (1931), ''Johnny Steals Europe'' (1932), ''The Ship Without a Port'', ''The Call of the Jungle'' (1935) and ''His Best Friend'' (1937).
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In 1933 Harry Piel became a [[Förderndes Mitglied der SS|patron member]] of the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] and also joined the [[NSDAP]].<ref>{{cite book | first = Ernst | last = Klee | title = Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich: wer war was vor und nach 1945 | publisher = S. Fischer | location = Frankfurt | year = 2007 | language = de | isbn = 978-3-10-039326-5 | page = 457 }}</ref>
In 1933 Harry Piel became a [[Förderndes Mitglied der SS|patron member]] of the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] and also joined the [[NSDAP]].<ref>{{cite book | first = Ernst | last = Klee | title = Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich: wer war was vor und nach 1945 | publisher = S. Fischer | location = Frankfurt | year = 2007 | language = de | isbn = 978-3-10-039326-5 | page = 457 }}</ref>


This, however, did not avert difficulties with the [[Nazi]]s, and his film ''Panik'' (1943) was banned for its all too realistic air attacks. It depicted a German hero who traps wild animals in Africa for German zoos. At the film's climax, an air-raid on a German city frees the zoo animals from their cages; when they run loose in the streets, the people are terrified and only the heroic trapper can recapture the beasts. During World War II, this film was suppressed by [[German Empire|Reich]] censors who did not want the German people to believe that Germany was in danger from aerial bombardments. In the final stages of World War II, [[Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda]] [[Joseph Goebbels]] included Piel on the [[Gottbegnadeten list|''Gottbegnadeten'' list]], a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich|last=Klee|page=457|first=Ernst|date=2007|publisher=[[S. Fischer Verlag]]|location=Frankfurt am Main|isbn=978-3-10-039326-5|language=de}}</ref>
This, however, did not avert difficulties with the [[Nazi]]s, and his film ''Panik'' (1943) was banned for its all too realistic air attacks. It depicted a German hero who traps wild animals in Africa for German zoos. At the film's climax, an air-raid on a German city frees the zoo animals from their cages; when they run loose in the streets, the people are terrified and only the heroic trapper can recapture the beasts. During World War II, this film was suppressed by [[German Empire|Reich]] censors who did not want the German people to believe that Germany was in danger from aerial bombardments. In the final stages of World War II, [[Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda]] [[Joseph Goebbels]] included Piel on the [[Gottbegnadeten list|''Gottbegnadeten'' list]], a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich|last=Klee|page=457|first=Ernst|date=2007|publisher=[[S. Fischer Verlag]]|location=Frankfurt am Main|isbn=978-3-10-039326-5|language=de}}</ref>


Seventy-two negatives of his films, nearly all his silent film, were destroyed in an air attack. After the collapse of the Third Reich, Harry Piel, who had been a sustaining member of the SS, and had at first concealed this, was sentenced to six months detention and five years professional disqualification. After his [[denazification]], he founded "Ariel Film" in 1950 in Hamburg with which he had only moderate success.
Seventy-two negatives of his films, nearly all his silent film, were destroyed in an air attack. After the collapse of the Third Reich, Harry Piel, who had been a sustaining member of the SS, and had at first concealed this, was sentenced to six months detention and five years professional disqualification. After his [[denazification]], he founded "Ariel Film" in 1950 in Hamburg with which he had only moderate success.
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*''[[Der rätselhafte Klub]]'' (1919)
*''[[Der rätselhafte Klub]]'' (1919)
*''[[Der grosse Coup]]'' (1919)
*''[[Der grosse Coup]]'' (1919)
*''[[Über den Wolken]]'' (1919)
*''Über den Wolken'' (1919)
*''[[Die Geheimnisse des Zirkus Barré]]'' (1920)
*''[[Die Geheimnisse des Zirkus Barré]]'' (1920)
* ''[[The Air Pirates (film)|The Air Pirates]]'' (1920)
* ''[[The Air Pirates (film)|The Air Pirates]]'' (1920)
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* ''[[Dangerous Clues]]'' (1924)
* ''[[Dangerous Clues]]'' (1924)
* ''[[The Man Without Nerves]]'' (1924)
* ''[[The Man Without Nerves]]'' (1924)
*''[[Schneller als der Tod (1925)|Schneller als der Tod]]'' (1925)
* ''[[Swifter Than Death]]'' (1925)
* ''[[Zigano]]'' (1925)
* ''[[Zigano]]'' (1925)
*''[[Adventure on the Night Express]]'' (1925)
*''[[Adventure on the Night Express]]'' (1925)
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* ''[[Night of Mystery (1927 film)|Night of Mystery]]'' (1927)
* ''[[Night of Mystery (1927 film)|Night of Mystery]]'' (1927)
*''[[Panic (1928 film)|Panic]]'' (1928)
*''[[Panic (1928 film)|Panic]]'' (1928)
* ''[[Man Against Man]]'' (1928)
* ''[[Man Against Man (1928 film)|Man Against Man]]'' (1928)
* ''[[His Strongest Weapon]]'' (1928)
* ''[[His Strongest Weapon]]'' (1928)
* ''[[Taxi at Midnight]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Taxi at Midnight]]'' (1929)
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*''[[The Black Forest Girl (1933 film)|The Black Forest Girl]]'' (1933, producer)
*''[[The Black Forest Girl (1933 film)|The Black Forest Girl]]'' (1933, producer)
* ''[[The World Without a Mask]]'' (1934)
* ''[[The World Without a Mask]]'' (1934)
*''[[Master of the World (1934 film)|Der Herr der Welt]]'' (1934)
*''[[Master of the World (1934 film)|Master of the World]]'' (1934)
*''[[Artisten]]'' (1935)
*''[[Artisten]]'' (1935)
* ''[[The Call of the Jungle]]'' (1936)
* ''[[The Call of the Jungle]]'' (1936)
*''[[90 Minuten Aufenthalt]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Ninety Minute Stopover]]'' (1936)
* ''[[His Best Friend (1937 film)|His Best Friend]]'' (1937)
*''[[Wie einst im Mai (1938 film)|Wie einst im Mai]]'' (1938)
*''[[Wie einst im Mai (1938 film)|Wie einst im Mai]]'' (1938)
* ''[[The Impossible Mister Pitt]]'' (1938)
* ''[[The Impossible Mister Pitt]]'' (1938)
*''[[Menschen, Tiere, Sensationen]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Men, Animals and Sensations]]'' (1938)
*''[[Panik (1943)|Panik]]'' (1943)
* ''[[The Big Number]]'' (1943, screenplay)
*''[[The Man in the Saddle (1945 film)|The Man in the Saddle]]'' (1945)
*''[[Die grosse Nummer]]'' (1942)
*''[[Mann im Sattel]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Tiger Akbar]]'' (1951)
* ''[[The Tiger Akbar]]'' (1951)
*''[[Elephant Fury]]'' (1953)
*''[[Elephant Fury]]'' (1953)
*''[[Affenliebe (film)|Affenliebe]]'' (1955)
*''[[Wenn Tiere erwachen]]'' (1955)
*''[[Wenn Tiere betteln]]'' (1955)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


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[[Category:German male film actors]]
[[Category:German male film actors]]
[[Category:Film people from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Film people from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Actors from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Male actors from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Förderndes Mitglied der SS]]
[[Category:Förderndes Mitglied der SS]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]
[[Category:Nazi Party members]]

Latest revision as of 17:53, 25 August 2024

Not to be confused with Harry Peel.

Harry Piel
autographed photo, date unknown
Born
Heinrich Piel

(1892-07-12)12 July 1892
Düsseldorf, German Empire
Died27 March 1963(1963-03-27) (aged 70)
Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
OccupationActor
Years active1912–1953
SpouseDary Holm

Heinrich Piel (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as Harry Piel, was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films.

Piel became a director in 1912, turning out such box-office successes as Mann Gegen Mann (1928), Achtung! - Auto-Diebe! (1930) and Artisten (1935). His last directorial effort was 1953's Gesprengte Gitter (Elephant Fury, a.k.a. Panic), which he also produced, wrote, and starred.

Early life

[edit]

After attending elementary school in Benrath and High School in Derendorf, Piel became a cadet in 1909 on a sailing ship, the Grand Duchess Elizabeth. In 1911, however, he finished his cadet hood and moved to Berlin in 1912 where he created the "Art Film Publishing House Company" and made, as a director, screenwriter and producer, his first feature Black Blood (1912) with Curt Goetz in the lead role. Further films followed, based on adventure and action.

Career

[edit]

Piel received the nickname "the dynamite director" because of his penchant for including explosion sequences in his films. These were authentic: Piel had befriended a demolition engineer who was often commissioned to dynamite bridges and other condemned structures slated for demolition. The engineer notified Piel of these assignments in advance: Piel filmed the explosions, then inserted the footage into his films.

In 1915, Piel became bored with just standing behind the camera and he started to act. The first film with him as a leading actor, Die große Wette [de], was a science fiction adventure, where he had to deal with robots. Unter heißer Zone [de], 1916 included for the first time scenes with wild animals, which he had partly trained himself and which he used later in other films.

Harry Piel acting in a film[which?]

This was followed by a number of films between 1918 and 1919, in which he played the detective "Joe Deebs" eight times and with the film To the Large Unknown Quantity (1919) began to be credited by the name "Harry Peel" internationally.

In 1930 he directed the comedy Him or Me (1930), and many successful adventure films were to follow, such as Shade of the Underworld (1931), Johnny Steals Europe (1932), The Ship Without a Port, The Call of the Jungle (1935) and His Best Friend (1937).

In 1933 Harry Piel became a patron member of the SS and also joined the NSDAP.[1]

This, however, did not avert difficulties with the Nazis, and his film Panik (1943) was banned for its all too realistic air attacks. It depicted a German hero who traps wild animals in Africa for German zoos. At the film's climax, an air-raid on a German city frees the zoo animals from their cages; when they run loose in the streets, the people are terrified and only the heroic trapper can recapture the beasts. During World War II, this film was suppressed by Reich censors who did not want the German people to believe that Germany was in danger from aerial bombardments. In the final stages of World War II, Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels included Piel on the Gottbegnadeten list, a 36-page list of artists considered crucial to Nazi culture.[2]

Seventy-two negatives of his films, nearly all his silent film, were destroyed in an air attack. After the collapse of the Third Reich, Harry Piel, who had been a sustaining member of the SS, and had at first concealed this, was sentenced to six months detention and five years professional disqualification. After his denazification, he founded "Ariel Film" in 1950 in Hamburg with which he had only moderate success.

After Gesprengte Gitter (Elephant Fury, 1953), Piel withdrew from filmmaking. He died in 1963.

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Klee, Ernst (2007). Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich: wer war was vor und nach 1945 (in German). Frankfurt: S. Fischer. p. 457. ISBN 978-3-10-039326-5.
  2. ^ Klee, Ernst (2007). Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich (in German). Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer Verlag. p. 457. ISBN 978-3-10-039326-5.
  • Ramm, Gerald (1997). Das märkische Grabmal. Vergessene Filmlegenden zweier Drehorte (in German). Woltersdorf: Gerald Ramm. p. 158. ISBN 978-3-930958-06-1.
[edit]
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