Benno Besson

Benno Besson (born René-Benjamin Besson; 4 November 1922 in Yverdon-les-Bains – 16 February 2006 in Berlin, Germany) was a Swiss actor and director. He had great success as director at Volksbühne Berlin, Deutsches Theater and Berliner Ensemble in East Berlin, where he went by an invitation of Bertolt Brecht in 1949.[1]

Benno Besson, 1983
The Théâtre Benno Besson in Yverdon, named in his honour

Some of his acquainted stagings were The Dragon by Evgeny Schwartz, so that he travelled with Deutsches Theater all-around Europe and Asia (also in Japan), and Der Frieden (Aristophanes edited by Peter Hacks).[2]

He became the Intendant at Volksbühne in the 1960s and worked often with Heiner Müller.[3][4] In his plays, he worked amongst others with the popular actors Fred Düren,[5] Eberhard Esche[6] and Ursula Karusseit.[7] He had six children, including actress Katharina Thalbach.[1]

References
  1. Seifert, Sabine (19 May 1992). "Genug ist nicht weniger genug". Die Tageszeitung (in German). p. 15. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  2. "Benno Besson". Alexander Verlag Berlin (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. "1966". Internationale Heiner Müller Gesellschaft (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  4. "Zum Tod des großen Schweizer Regisseurs Benno Besson, der in Ost-Berlin berühmt wurde: Lasst Luft in das Theater". Berliner Zeitung (in German). 23 February 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  5. "Düren, Fred". Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. "Einer der großen Charakterdarsteller der DDR". Deutschlandfunk (in German). 23 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  7. "Ursula Karusseit". Stiftung Defa Filme (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2022.

Further reading
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