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Willy Rosen

   

1894 - 1944

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The filmcomposer and actor Willy Rosen was born as Wilhelm Rosenbaum.

He began his artistic career during World War I when he composed first songs for a front theater. Shortly afterwards he founded the band Rosen.

After the war he became established as a cabaret artist in Berlin, first at the cabaret Schwarzer Kater, later at the cabarets Die Spinne, Rakete and Kabarett der Komiker.
He soon became popular for a huge audience, among others also for his musical comedies he wrote. During his career he published over 50 records.

He joined the film business in 1929.
He not only made his debut as a filmcomposer with "Wenn du einmal dein Herz verschenkst" (29) this year but he also impersonated his first roles in front of the camera for "Treppenwitze von Wilhelm Bendow und Paul Morgan" (29) and "Ehe in Not" (29).

At the beginning of the 30s he wrote the music for the productions "Die zärtlichen Verwandten" (30), "Moritz macht sein Glück" (31), "Zurück zur Natur" (31), "Holzapfel weiss alles" (32), "Kampf um Blond" (33), "Manolescu, der Fürst der Diebe" (33) and "Es war einmal ein Musikus" (33).

As an actor he took part in the movies "Die zärtlichen Verwandten" (30) and "Aafa-Kunterbunt" (32).

But with the rise of National Socialists his career came to an end. As a Jew he was no longer allowed to work in Germany and he escaped abroad. In 1937 he emigrated to the Netherlands where he founded the cabaret "Theater der Prominenten". But with the invasion of the National Socialists in the Netherlands his career ended there as well. A planed departure to the USA failed and Willy Rosen was arrested. Via Westerbork he was deported to Theresienstadt and afterwards to Auschwitz where he was gassed at the end of October 1944.

 
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