Film director
Son of the cinematographer Carl Hoffmann.
German director of light entertainments, popular in the 1950s and 60s. Hoffmann trained as an assistant under Robert Siodmak and Reinhold Schnzel during the 1930s. From 1939, he began directing comedies and idyllic romances which fared extremely well at the box office: Quax, der Bruchpilot , Das fliegende Klassenzimmer , Ich denke oft an Piroschka and Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull . He was also credited with discovering the actress Liselotte Pulver for the screen.
Kurt Hoffmann wasnt able go on in the 60s from former successes and he retired gradually from the film business.
The director Kurt Hoffmann came to Erik Charell after the examination as an unpaid trainee through his father. The first contact to the film business was done and it didnt last long till Kurt Hoffmann was engaged as an assistant director.
Kurt Hoffmanns first movie as a director came 1939 into being and was called "Paradies der Junggesellen". The leading role was played by Heinz Rhmann with whom he shot a total of seven movies.
Apart from three short movies where he was in evidence as a director - "Wochenendfrieden" , "Der Skarabus" and "Andere Lnder, andere Sitten" - he carried on the job of an assistant director.
Was married form 1994 till his death with Luise Schneider.
Besides countless awards, among others several Filmbnder in Gold of the German Filmpreis, he also was one of few German directors who were achieved with the Golden Globe for his movies "Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Kruss" and "Wir Wunderkinder ".
After his return to Germany he shot his first post-war movie "Das verlorene Gesicht" , an earnest movie with a great Marianne Hoppe in the leading role.
His 1960 film The Haunted Castle was entered into the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Silver Prize.
Especially for director Reinhold Schnzel he was engaged for a total of nine movies as an assistant director.
In the 50s he came back to the comedy movies and realised some very huge successes like "Hokuspokus" and "Drei Mnner im Schnee" by Erich Kstner.
His 1961 film The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.
At about the end of World War II he had to enter the military and was taken prisoner. He was only released in 1946.
He was since 1938 married with Betti Grimm -who died in 1989-, sister of director Hans Grimm and photographer 1Arthur Grimm.
His 1958 film Wir Wunderkinder was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival.
Kurt Hoffmann got the top of German directors when he shot nine more movies from 1955 with his discovery Liselotte Pulver from the movie "Klettermaxe" (1952) which all achieved an enormous popularity in Germany.
