How did Ernst Lubitsch begin his career in Berlin’s theater world?

Ernst Lubitsch began his career in Berlin while working in his father’s clothing store during the day and acting at night. In 1911, at the age of 19, he joined the company of the renowned stage director Max Reinhardt.1

Lubitsch performed minor stage roles until shortly before World War I, when he transitioned into film by acting in one-reel silent comedies. In these films, he portrayed the character of Meyer, a well-meaning Jewish bungler, which helped him become one of Germany's most popular comic actors. He eventually began writing and directing these films himself, and by 1915, he had moved on to directing feature-length comedies, leading him to leave Reinhardt’s company to pursue a full-time career in cinema.1