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Alfred Abel (12 March, 1879 – 12 December, 1937), was a German film actor, director, and producer. He appeared in over 140 silent and sound films between 1913 and 1938. Abel is also known as the “Lewis Stone of German films.” His most famous performance is his role as Joh Fredersen in Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis.

Early life
Born in Leipzig, Germany on March 12, 1879, Alfred Peter Abel was the son of Louis Abel, a peddler, and Anna Maria Selma. Abel had several careers before becoming an actor. In his early adulthood, Abel first studied to be a forester and later studied gardening in Saxon Mittweida. He then changed his area of study to business in hopes of becoming a businessman. A short study of art drafting then followed at the Liepzig Academy. During this time, Abel attended private acting classes.

Stage Career
Abel received his first acting job in the city of Lucerne, Switzerland. He continued acting in numerous theaters in the Lucerne canton, until he finally moved on to perform at the Baranowsky Theater in Berlin under the direction of Max Reinhardt. He quickly gained fame and was called to do several other acting jobs.

Abel acted alongside Fritzi Massary in Erich Engles’ production of The First Mrs. Shelby at the Königgrätzer Straße Theater. He then garnered international success with his guest performance at the Irving Place Theatre in New York City. By the recommendation of fellow actor Rudolf Christians, Abel appeared with the acting ensemble at the Deutschen Theater in Berlin in 1904, where he remained for the next ten years. At this point, he had performed in every theater in Berlin.

Film Career
During the first part of the twentieth century, Abel began working towards a film career. In 1913, he caught the eye of Asta Nielsen, who helped him break into the film industry. That same year, he made his screen debut playing the lead role of Anselmus Aselmeyer in Max Reinhardt’s silent movie, ‘’Eine Venezianische Nacht.’’ Abel acted in over one hundred silent films by well-renowned directors including Ernst Lubitsch, F. W. Murnau, and Richard Oswald. He acted alongside several famous silent film stars including Pola Negri, Henny Porten, Jenny Jugo, and Asta Nielsen. Abel’s more notable silent film roles include his performances as Lorenz Lubota in Phantom (1922), as Richard Fleury in Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), as Gaston in Die Flamme (1923), and as Alphonse Gunderman in the French film, L’Argent (1928). Abel’s most famous silent film performance was in Fritz Lang’s futuristic film, Metropolis (1927). In the film, he plays the arrogant Joh Fredersen, leader of the metropolis.

Abel was renowned for his acting style characterized by his avoidance of dramatic gesturing. He learned to show the psychology and internal tensions of his characters with reserved expressions. Many actors of his day struggled to change their acting styles for film after transitioning from stage acting and were often mocked later as sound film was introduced.

With the beginning of talkies, Abel remained a much desired actor and starred in 38 films. He stood in front of the camera of many renowned directors such as Detlef Sierk, Anatole Litvak, and Paul Martin. Some of his well-known talkie films include Anatole Litvak’s ‘’Dolly's Way to Stardom’’ (1930) as Count Eberhard, Heinz Ruehmann’s ‘’Meine Frau, die Hochstaplerin’’ (1931), Reinhold Schuenzel’s romance ‘’Beautiful Adventure’’ (1932) as Count d’Eguzon, and Franz Liszt’s ‘’The Court Concert’’ (1936) as Dichter Knips. Abel also played the starring role of Sir John Menier in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mary (1931), the German version of the Hitchcock’s Murder! Abel’s final film role was as Daffinger in Herbert Maisch’s Frau Sylvelin (1938), which was not released until after his death.

Directing Career
At the beginning of the 1920s, Abel began considering a career as a director and created the production company Artifex Film. The first and only film produced by this company was the film ‘’The Strike of the Thieves’’ (1921), which was directed by Abel himself. The film was a box office failure. Abel did not direct another film until 1929 with what is considered his most ambitious work, ‘’Narcose.’’ Following ‘’Narcose,’’ Abel directed two more films, ‘’Bon Voyage’’ (1933) and “Everything for a Woman’’ (1935). Abel also assisted Carl Hoffman as the dialogue director in the film ‘’Viktoria’’ (1935).

Personal Life
Abel was married to Elizabeth Seidel with whom he had one daughter, Ursula (1915-1951). Ursula, like her father, also became a film actress. However, in 1935 after the Nazi Regime took control of Germany, she was prohibited from appearing in any films after her failure produce ancestry papers (Ariernachweis) for her father proving he was not of Jewish decent.

Death
After battling a longtime illness, Abel died on December 12, 1937 at the age of 58. He was buried in the Friedhof Heerstraße cemetery in Berlin. His tombstone has since been lost, and his burial place is currently unknown.

Select Filmography

 * Eine Venezianische Nacht (1913)
 * Sinning Mother (1918)
 * The Secret of Bombay (1921)
 * Mad Love (1921)
 * The False Dimitri (1922)
 * Phantom (1922)
 * Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922)
 * Die Flamme (1923)
 * Finances of the Grand Duke (1924)
 * The Guardsman (1925)
 * Dancing Vienna (1927)
 * Metropolis (1927)
 * Art of Love (1928)
 * Strauss, the Waltz King (1928)
 * L’Argent (1928)
 * Dolly’s Way to Stardom (1930)
 * Mary (1931)
 * The Fate of Renate Langen (1931)
 * The Office Manager (1931)
 * Meine Frau, die Hochstaplerin (1931)
 * Beautiful Adventure (1932)
 * Viennese Waltz (1932)
 * The Gala Performance (1932)
 * The Burning Secret (1933)
 * The Little Crook (1933)
 * The Court Concert (1936)
 * A Strange Guest (1936)
 * Seven Slaps (1937)
 * Frau Sylvelin (1938)

Directoral Work

 * The Strike of the Thieves (1921)
 * Narcose (1929)
 * Bon Voyage (1933)
 * Everything for a Woman (1935)