Paul Hubschmid

He appeared in dozens of films and television series between 1938 and 1992, many of which were German and International productions.

Hubschmid's parents were Paul Hubschmid Snr., a canteen manager at the Bally shoe factory in Schönenwerd, 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 studied acting for two years 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.

After completing his training, Hubschmid made his stage debut at the German Volkstheater in Vienna. He then performed at the Theater in Josefstadt and went on to appear in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt. In 1938, Hubschmid landed his first film role, in the Swiss feature Fusilier Wipf. His portrayal of the title character, recruit “Füsilier Wipf”, made the 21-year-old Hubschmid famous in Switzerland.

As a Swiss citizen in Germany during the Nazi regime, where all movie production was controlled by the government, Hubschmid acted in State Films (Staatsauftragsfilme). As a result, after the war, he was unable to secure roles in Switzerland. He later wrote in his memoir that he was ashamed not to have drawn clearer conclusions in view of the "atrocities of the Nazi regime" and that it was "explainable at most by my youth and my Swiss passport".

In 1941, Hubschmid married actress Ursula von Teubern in Vienna. In January 1945, their son (Peter Christian Hubschmid) was born in Bad Ischl, far from the war, where Hubschmid was making a romantic comedy. After the death of his wife in 1963, Hubschmid remarried. He wed actress Eva Renzi in 1967, and adopted her daughter Anouschka. The couple divorced in 1980. Hubschmid married a third time, in 1985 to actress Irène Schiesser (1950–2018), with whom he lived until his death.

In 1948, Hubschmid signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures. He was billed as Paul Christian, owing to concerns that his real name was not marketable in the U.S. With his stature and striking looks, Christian played heroes and 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 opposite Marika Rökk in Mask in Blue and Lilo Pulver in The Zürich Engagement. He was considered the “handsomest man in post-war German cinema.” Hubschmid starred in Fritz Lang's heavily revised remake of two classic silent films he originally conceived and co-wrote with Thea von Harbou. With The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb, Hubschmid achieved international fame. 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.

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. Hubschmid retired from acting in 1993 at the age of 76. In his final years, he battled numerous health issues, most notably Parkinson’s Disease. He died on January 1, 2002, aged 84, from a pulmonary embolism. His ashes were scattered in Provence.