Lichtbild aus "Das Haus am Krögel" 1927

1904 - 1959

He became established as a very busy actor in the next years and impersonated roles in well-known productions like "Die Bettelgräfin vom Kurfürstendamm" (21), "Die rote Nacht" (21), "Der Roman einer armen Sünderin" (22), "Niniche" (24), "Das Geheimnis der alten Mamsell" (25) and "Der Bankraub unter den Linden" (25).

In the second part of the 20's he appeared among others in the movies "Annemarie und ihr Ulan" (26), "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick" (26), "Die Weber" (27), "Bigamie" (27), "Die Siebzehnjährigen" (28), "Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen" (29) and "Kolonne X" (29).

With the rise of the talkies he retired from the film business. He only took part in few more movies like "Liebeskommando" (31) and "Unter falscher Flagge" (32).

As a "Half-Jew" his career ended definitely in the now National Socialist Germany in 1933. He still was able to produce some short movies but finally he left Germany and went to England where he got married in 1937. 

After the war he returned to his hometown Berlin and became a co-owner of the production company "Sonne Film GmbH" together with Franz Fiedler. However he never acted again in front of the camera.

Gerhard Ritterband got to feel Ernst Lubitsch's special humor during the filming of "Die Puppe" (19). Jakob Tiedtke reminded Ritterband in a letter on the occasion of Gerhard Ritterband's upcoming wedding in 1956 as follows:
"My dear rascal!
When I heard that you wanted to get married, I remembered a nice little episode from our collaboration back then, which I would like to recall to your memory on this occasion.
It was during the recording of "Puppe", when you had to take a particularly hard slap in the face in a scene and our good Ernst Lubitsch granted you a special fee of 50 marks for it. The receipt for this was presented to you so cleverly that you didn't get to read the exact wording. The next day, one of our ensemble members - I don't remember who was the first - abruptly slapped you in the face, and when you were wide-eyed, he showed you your receipt from the day before, which read:
The owner of this receipt is entitled to slap me. Gerhard Ritterband". With a 5 mark surcharge each, this receipt then traveled through the entire studio from man to man down to the lighting technicians. So everyone had the right to smack you around. Only Ernst Lubitsch finally put an end to the magic and gave you the receipt with the accumulated money a few days later for your birthday; I think it had become about two hundred marks in the meantime.
Yes, my good rascal, those were the days. I hope that you remember them as fondly as I do. And now all the best for the new phase of your life.
Your old man Jakob Tiedte wishes you all the best with all his heart."
 

Other movies with Gerhard Ritterband:
Sklaven des Kapitals (19) Piccoo-Liebchen (19) Der Boxer-Adi (20) Die Erbschaft von New York (20) Va banque (20) Tschetschensen-Rache (20) Die Prinzessin vom Nil (20) Die Berliner Range (20) Kaliber fünf Komma zwei (20) Die gestörte Hochzeitsnacht (21) Die Liebesabenteuer der schönen Evelyne oder die Mordmühle auf Evanshill (21) Die grosse und die kleine Welt (21) Die Geheimnisse von Berlin (21) Der Tanz um Liebe und Glück (21) Ein ungeklärter Fall (21) Loge Nr. 11 (21) Ihr Kammerdiener (22) Maciste und die Tochter des Silberkönigs (22) Das Strassenmädchen von Berlin (22) Im Kampf mit dem unsichtbaren Feind (22) Die fünf Frankfurter (22) Maciste und die chinesische Truhe (23) Finale der Liebe (25) Die Kleine aus der Konfektion (25) Die Motorbraut (25) Des Lebens Würfelspiel (25) Die Grossstadt der Zukunft (25) Die Mühle von Sanssouci (26) Schatz, mach' Kasse (26) Die Flucht in den Zirkus (26) Benno Stehkragen (27) Die Frau mit dem Weltrekord (27) § 182 Minderjährig (27) Das Haus am Krögel (27) Jahrmarkt des Lebens (27) Der Sieg der Jugend (27) Die raffinierteste Frau Berlins (27) Das Fräulein aus Argentinien (28) Ariadne in Hoppegarten (28) Der Tanzstudent (28) O Jugend, wie bist du so schön (28) Vertauschte Gesichter (29) Vererbte Triebe/Erbsünde (29) Kolonne X (29) Hütet Euch vor leichten Frauen (29) Das Mädel mit der Peitsche (29) Das lockende Ziel (30) Ein Lied, ein Kuss, ein Mädel/Csardas und Belcanto (32) Hochzeit am Wolfgangsee (33)