# Berthold Held

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{{Short description|German actor, director, and acting teacher}}

'''Berthold Held''' (20 November 1868 – 27 February 1931) was a German actor, director, and acting teacher of Jewish descent. In 1914, he became head of the [acting school of the Deutsches Theaters](/source/Ernst_Busch_Academy_of_Dramatic_Arts) in Berlin, greatly impacting its direction and the next generation of German actors.

== Life and work ==
Berthold Held was born to Philip Held and Lina Brauchbar in [Kroměříž](/source/Krom%C4%9B%C5%99%C3%AD%C5%BE), Moravia. In 1901, he married Clara Minna Martha Heuer in [Berlin-Charlottenburg](/source/Berlin-Charlottenburg).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Familia Austria – Zufallsfunde |url=https://familia-austria.at/index.php/datensammlungen/zufallsfunde/serendipity/4210 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=familia-austria.at}}</ref> This was the same year that he founded the theater Schall und Rauch (English: Sound and Smoke) with his childhood friend from [Salzburg](/source/Salzburg), [Max Reinhardt](/source/Max_Reinhardt), and [Friedrich Kayssler](/source/Friedrich_Kayssler).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Berthold Held |url=http://www.berliner-schauspielschule.de/held.htm |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.berliner-schauspielschule.de}}</ref> He worked as an actor and director at the Kleines Theater, Neues Theater, and [Deutsches Theater](/source/Deutsches_Theater_(Berlin)) Berlin. Beginning in 1905, Held directed the chorus and crowd scenes in Reinhardt's productions.

In 1914, he took over management of the acting school of the Deutsches Theaters while Reinhardt turned his full attention toward the theater business. As director of the school, Held was committed to comprehensive acting training, which included technique, voice training, role study and physical training in subjects such as gymnastics, [fencing](/source/fencing) and dance. One of his students was [Arnold Neuweiler](/source/Julien_Dinou) who dedicated his book on ''Massenregie'' (1919) to Berthold Held.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neuweiler |first=Arnold |title=Massenregie: Eine Studie über die Schauspielchöre, ihre Wirkung und ihre Behandlung [Directing the Masses: A study of the acting choirs, their effect and their treatment] |year=1919 |location=Berlin-Friedenau}}</ref>

In the 1920s, he campaigned for a state subsidy for the school. In 1924–25, he succeeded in gaining municipal funding; however, this was soon withdrawn. He founded a board of trustees in 1926, consisting of such personalities as Max Reinhardt and [Harry Graf Kessler](/source/Harry_von_Kessler), to strengthen the educational and financial stability of the school.

=== Pedagogical Vision ===
Held was of the opinion that actors should receive a well-rounded education, not only being trained technically, but being educated as complete people. This included the mastery of physical, emotional and intellectual skills. His approach was characterized by Max Reinhardt's maxim of training actors to "shape human characters" and aimed at "training in freedom."<ref>Hochschule für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch" Berlin: ein Querschnitt durch Geschichte und Ausbildungspraxis ; [2000/2001]. 1. Auflage. Hentrich und Hentrich, Teetz 2000, ISBN 978-3-933471-16-1.</ref> As the head of the school for many years, he influenced generations of German-speaking theater artists.

== Publication (selection) ==

* 1905: ''Die Drehbühne'', in: ''Bühne und Welt''

== Directing (selection) ==

* 1911: ''[Die schöne Helena](/source/La_belle_H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne)'' ([Münchner Künstlertheater](/source/Munich_Art_Theatre)), based on a production by Max Reinhardt, Music: [Jacques Offenbach](/source/Jacques_Offenbach), Stage design: [Ernst Stern](/source/Ernst_Stern)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Ernst |title=Die schöne Helena |url=https://www.performing-arts.eu/discovery/Record/DTMA_206468 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.performing-arts.eu}}</ref>
* 1916: ''Die Mottenburger'' (Deutsches Theater Berlin), Text: [David Kalisch](/source/David_Kalisch) and August Weirauch<ref>{{Cite web |title=:: FID Darstellende Kunst |url=https://www.performing-arts.eu/discovery/Record/TSBA_7700 |access-date=2025-07-17 |website=www.performing-arts.eu |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{imdb name|nm2080643}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Held, Berthold}}
Category:1931 deaths
Category:1868 births 
Category:20th-century German male actors
Category:German theatre directors
Category:German male stage actors

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Berthold Held](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Held) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Held?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.