Wolfgang Langhoff worked as an actor from 1928 in Dusseldorf and was politically active for the KPD. In 1933 he was charged with "preparing a coup d'état". This was an excuse to put him into "protective custody", torture him and incarcerate him in the Börgermoor concentration camp.

After 13 months in prison he was released on 31 March 1934 - without any explanation. Professionally, however, he was ruined because he was rejected everywhere – nobody dared to employ Langhoff. Finally, when the Reich Chamber of Culture rejected his continued membership, it was clear that he had no future in Germany and that exile was inevitable. The Zurich Schauspielhaus - which offered him an acting job for the next season - was the last place he dropped anchor. When his passport was denied him, he decided to leave Germany immediately - despite having no valid papers.

From the start of the 1934/35 season Wolfgang Langhoff was a member of the Schauspielhaus Zurich ensemble, which he remained until 1945. Exiles in Switzerland were forbidden to engage in political activity, accordingly the ensemble members attempted to influence the repertoire as an indirect means of expressing their position. Langhoff returned to Germany on 21 November 1945.

Major work:
Die Moorsoldaten, 13 Monate Konzentrationslager (historical novel 1935)

Further reading:
Christa Neubert-Herwig (Hg.), Wolfgang Langhoff, Schauspieler, Regisseur, Intendant, Berlin 1991.
Wolfgang Langhoff, Die Moorsoldaten. 13 Monate Konzentrationslager, Essen 1993.