Friedrich Gustav Max Schreck
(Berlin-Friedenau, September 6, 1879 – Munich, February 20, 1936) was a German actor who became famous when Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau chose him to play the role of Count Orlok in his masterpiece Nosferatu (1922).
At that point, he became one of the most famous horror icons in cinema history.
Some still claim that his portrayal of the infamous Count of the Carpathians is the best rendition on the big screen. Certainly, one of the most impactful in the collective imagination…
His unique on-set physicality is unmistakable: the pointed ears, the hollow gaze filled with pain and anger, but especially the long, slender fingers (later adopted by Burton in Dark Shadows) give us a gothic and dark image of the Prince of the Night that will remain forever engraved in our dark hearts.
A legend surrounds the figure of Count Orlok (the name Dracula was changed due to copyright issues…) played by Schreck.
It is said that under the monstrous makeup was not the actor but Murnau himself, rendered unrecognizable by the makeup…
Another legend, however, claims that Murnau traveled to the Carpathians to find a real vampire…
This latter story was fueled by a peculiar coincidence:
The name Max Schreck in German sounds like “Maximum Fright”…
In reality, although the coincidence of the name is curious (and was exploited by Murnau himself), the hypothesis of Schreck as an actor is confirmed by theater annals, where mentions of a certain Max Schreck can be found among minor protagonists.
Homages
The film Nosferatu was the subject of a 2000 film, directed by Merhige, titled Shadow of the Vampire, in which Murnau is played by John Malkovich and Schreck by Willem Dafoe…
In this film, the fascinating theory that Max Schreck was a real vampire and not an actor is explored… but, of course, this is just another legend…
A bit of his filmography
In 1923, Schreck acted in the social drama The Street by Karl Grune, while in 1925 he received excellent reviews for his role as the pharmacist in Krieg im Frieden by Carl Boese.
In 1927, he worked again with Grune in the pacifist film Am Rande der Welt.
He then returned to the Munich Kammerspiele, working both in theater and in other silent films with Max Ophüls, Bertolt Brecht, and Karl Valentin.
Overall, he participated in over forty films in various roles (including Ritter der Nacht in 1928).
In 1934, he dubbed the role of Abbot Faria in Rowland V. Lee’s German version of The Count of Monte Cristo.
In February 1933, he performed in Erika Mann’s cabaret show Die Pfeffermühle at the Münchner Bonbonniere.
He played the second part of this antifascist show titled Der Koch.
Schreck suddenly died at the age of 56 after performing as the Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlos.
On March 14, 1936, he was buried at the Wilmersdorfer Waldfriedhof cemetery in Güterfelde, near Berlin (grave U-UR 670).
In 2011, a new commemorative headstone was made in memory of Friedrich Gustav Max Schreck.
