Werner Schmidt-Boelcke

Werner Albert Anton Paul Schmidt, known professionally as Werner Schmidt-Boelcke, was born on July 28, 1903, in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany. He began performing publicly at age 14 and studied at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin from 1920 to 1923. Schmidt-Boelcke worked as a conductor for various theaters and became the chief conductor of all cinema halls of Munich's Emelka Film Company in 1928. He composed original scores for silent films, including "Dich hab’ ich geliebt" (1929). In 1934, he became the principal conductor at Berlin’s Metropoltheater, leading successful operettas like Maske in Blau. During World War II, he worked for the Reich Broadcasting Corporation in Berlin. Post-war, Schmidt-Boelcke joined Radio Hamburg and later led the orchestra of Radio München. He retired in 1968 but continued working with ZDF on reconstructing old silent film music. Notable awards include the Federal Cross of Merit (1974) and the Filmband in Gold (1980). Schmidt-Boelcke passed away on November 6, 1985.