Ernst Winar

Biography

The Dutch actor Ernst Winar made his film debut at the Filmfabriek Hollandia under director-manager Maurits H. Binger. At Hollandia, he met the actress Annie Bos, who taught and helped prepare him for his stage debut at Alex Frank’s Casino Ensemble.

Shortly afterwards, he left for Germany, where he lived until 1932 (in 1924 and 1925 he stayed briefly in Great Britain because his wife, actress Colette Brettel, had contractual obligations). In Germany, he worked as an actor and director on the silent films De man op de achtergrond, Das Haus am Krogel, Der Neffe aus Amerika, and Der Hafenbaron. He also took to the stage in Berlin with Adele Sandrock and Adolphe Engers.

In 1932, Winar returned to the Netherlands, where he produced and directed several short cine-films with synchronized sound for Cinetone. In the Netherlands, he made the following films: Nederlands Cabaretalbum, De kribbebijter, Op stap, De laatste dagen van een eiland, Dik Trom en zijn dorpsgenoten, Kees de zoon van de stroper, and Vier jongens en een jeep.

He specialized in audio dubbing. During the war, Winar was the administrative officer for the air-raid defence in Leiden. After the liberation and until well after his retirement, he worked for the Stichting Film en Wetenschap. In the 1970s, he played several more roles in television productions.