Thea von Harbou (December 27, 1888 – July 1, 1954) was a German actress and author.

In 1905, she published her first novel in the Deutsche Roman-Zeitung. However, she then started to work as an actress, starting in 1906 in Düsseldorf, then moving to Weimar (1908), Chemnitz (1911) and Aachen (1913). In Aachen she also met her first husband, the actor and director Rudolf Klein-Rogge , whom she married in 1914.

In 1920, she wrote her first movie script Das indische Grabmal (Mysteries of India), together with Fritz Lang. Fritz Lang became her second husband in 1922, and they collaborated a lot in the following years. They separated in October 1931.

In 1932, one year before Adolf Hitler came to power, she joined the NSDAP; consequently, husband Fritz Lang filed for divorce and subsequently fled Germany to the United States, where he worked in Hollywood for many years.

Harbou wrote the script for "Der Herrscher" 1937, directed by Veit Harlan and starring Emil Jannings. The movie celebrates unconditional submission under absolute authority, eventually finding reward in total victory.

After the war she was detained by the British military government, and then did some unskilled labor, like cleaning up the rubble from the bombing. After receiving a working permit she did some synchronizing of movies, but also continued to write scripts.

Scripts (selection)

• Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse, King of Crime) (1922)
• Metropolis (1927)
• Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon) (1929)
• M (1931)

External links