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Curt Lowens

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Curt Lowens
Born
Kurt Löwenstein

(1925-11-17)November 17, 1925
Allenstein, East Prussia, Germany
(now Olsztyn, Poland)
DiedMay 8, 2017(2017-05-08) (aged 91)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Other namesBen Joosten, Kurt Lowens
OccupationActor
Years active1959–2017

Curt Lowens (born Kurt Löwenstein; November 17, 1925 – May 8, 2017[1]) was a German-American actor. A Holocaust survivor and rescuer, Lowens saved about 150 Jewish children during the Holocaust as a member of the Dutch resistance. After World War II, Lowens emigrated to the United States, where he became a film and stage actor.[2]

Early life

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Born Kurt Löwenstein in the East Prussian town of Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland),[3] his father was a respected lawyer, and his mother was active with several local Jewish community organizations. His father's career declined due to loss of clients after the Nazis' takeover of Germany, so the family moved to Berlin hoping that the city's large Jewish community could provide more protection. Young Curt continued to receive an education and to prepare for his bar mitzvah under the guidance of Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky of the Fasanenstrasse Synagogue. After the violence of Kristallnacht (also known as the November Pogrom) in November 1938, the Nazis closed his school. In early 1939, Lowens received his bar mitzvah in a school auditorium with 34 other youths.

World War II and Holocaust

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Lowens' older brother Heinz successfully emigrated to Britain a few months before the start of World War II. Curt and his parents planned to emigrate to the United States via the neutral Netherlands in early 1940. While waiting to depart from Rotterdam, however, the Germans invaded the Netherlands on the intended day of their departure. During the first two years of the German occupation, Curt's father worked at a desk job for the Jewish Council in Amsterdam, which initially saved the family from deportation to Auschwitz. Nonetheless, Curt and his mother were rounded up, unexpectedly, and deported to Westerbork in June 1943, but they were released through his father's connections.[4]

The family subsequently went into hiding, each separately since individuals were more readily placed in homes of rescuers. Curt took on the false identity of "Ben Joosten". He managed to visit his mother when she, also under a false name, was treated at a hospital run by Catholic nuns; she died in January 1944. Curt, meanwhile, had become active in a network of Dutch rescuers, including Hanna Van de Voort [nl] and Nico Dohmen [nl], aiding Jewish children in hiding. By war's end, some 150 Jewish children were rescued by this group alone. Curt Lowens also aided two downed American Army Air Corps flyers, for which he later received a commendation from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. After liberation, he joined the British Eighth Corps as an interpreter, aiding the British in their house arrest of the remaining Nazi leaders in Flensburg, Germany in mid-May 1945.[5]

Acting career

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In 1947, Curt, his father, and step-mother emigrated to the United States, and he became a naturalized American citizen. He trained to become an actor, studying at the HB Studio in New York City. He made his Broadway debut in 1951, playing a prison camp guard in Stalag 17.[2] He subsequently appeared in productions of The First Gentleman and The Sound of Music, among others.[6]

In 1959, during the Hollywood on the Tiber era, he moved to Rome. He appeared in a string of Italian films, including Vittorio De Sica's Two Women (1960) and Nanni Loy's The Four Days of Naples (1962). He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, where he'd spend the rest of his life.

He appeared in over 100 films and TV shows.[7][8] He was the voice of Abraham Van Helsing in the English dub of the anime OVA Hellsing Ultimate, and provided voice over work for video games like Lighthouse: The Dark Being[9] and Medal of Honor. He also did German-language dubbing for Enter the Dragon (Roy Chiao), Animal House (John Vernon), Scarface (Harris Yulin), and Man on Fire (Giancarlo Giannini).[10]

Death

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Lowens died on 8 May 2017 at the age of 91 in Beverly Hills.[11][1]

Partial filmography

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Partial stage credits

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Curt Lowens, Holocaust Survivor and Wartime Hero Turned Actor, Dies at 91".
  2. 1 2 "Curt Lowens: Acting with Heroism | About the Hero". Lowell Milken Center. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Wolff, Carlo (1 November 2012). "Holocaust gathering hopes to keep memories alive". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Flax, Peter; Baum, Gary; Roxborough, Scott; Guthrie, Marisa; Lewis, Andy (16 December 2015). "Hollywood's Last Survivors of the Holocaust share their stories". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Curt Lowens," in Holocaust Survivors: The Indestructible Spirit, Chapman University, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Curt Lowens | AboutTheArtists". AboutTheArtists.
  7. ↑ "The indestructible spirit of Holocaust survivors". Jewish Journal. 1 May 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Robbins, Gary (8 October 2009). "Chapman donor who survived Holocaust to portray Nazi". OC Register. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "Curt Lowens (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Deutsche Synchronkartei | Filme | Scarface". www.synchronkartei.de. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Fallece curt lowens, el protagonista de el terror de los lobos". La Cosa (in Spanish). 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "Curt Lowens – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Curt Lowens". Ovrtur. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
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