Paul Verhoeven

Who was Paul Verhoeven?

Paul Verhoeven was a German actor, writer, and film and theatre director.

He had 13 siblings and the family lived in modest circumstances.

He directed and acted in over 50 films, and wrote over 20 film scripts, the first of which was Das kleine Hofkonzert in 1935, an operetta with music by Edmund Nick based on a comedy by Verhoeven and Toni Impekoven.

From 1945 to 1948 he was artistic director at the Residenz Theatre/Staatsschauspiel in Munich.

Verhoeven was married to the actress Doris Kiesow, with whom he had three children: Lis Verhoeven, who became an actress and was the first wife of Mario Adorf; Michael Verhoeven, who became a film director and married Senta Berger; and Monika Verhoeven.

By his relationship with the actress Edith Schultze-Westrum he had a son, Thomas Schultze-Westrum, who became a zoologist and maker of animal documentaries.

Verhoeven died on stage in 1975 while he was delivering the eulogy for the recently deceased actress Therese Giehse at the Munich Kammerspiele. He was buried in the Munich Waldfriedhof with his wife.