Born in 1883, Fritz Gerlich, was the son of a merchant and wholesale fish seller. The oldest of three children, Gerlich attended the Stettiner Marienstifts Gymnasium (high school), a Catholic institution famed for its humanistic education. Passionate about learning, Gerlich was an exemplary student who later moved to Munich to pursue his studies. In 1907, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Munich.
In 1913, Gerlich published his first book, History and Theory of Capitalism, which led to his activities in politics and journalism. By 1917, he had become an accomplished journalist who very early on put his life on the line to expose the truth about Adolf Hitler to the German people. Gerlich witnessed the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 in which Hitler rashly attempted a takeover of the Bavarian state. Convinced that deception, treachery and ruthless violence were at the heart of Hitler's character, Gerlich determined that he would use his expertise and influence as a journalist to do his best to expose Hitler in any way he could.
Over the course of the next decade, Gerlich repeatedly wrote anti-Hitler articles for Munchener Neueste Nachrichten, one of the city's most conservative newspapers, and later for Der Gerade Weg (The Straight Path), a publication he created. On March 9, 1933, more than five weeks after Hitler assumed the position of Chancellor, Gerlich prepared to publish what would become his final anti-Hitler attack. A last-ditch effort to derail Hitler, the contents of Gerlich's March 9th report remain unknown. On that day, storm troopers burst into his newspaper office, arrested Gerlich and sent him off to Dachau, a German concentration camp. Imprisoned for more than a year, Gerlich was eventually murdered. In lieu of a death notice, his bloodied spectacles were mailed to his wife.
Matthew Modine was nominated for an Emmy Award for "And The Band Played On" and a Golden Globe Award for "What The Deaf Man Heard," a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on CBS. His other television credits include the movies "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story" and "Flowers for Algernon," both also on CBS. His feature films include "Any Given Sunday," "Notting Hill," "Pacific Heights," "Full Metal Jacket," "Mrs. Soffel" and "Birdy."
In 1913, Gerlich published his first book, History and Theory of Capitalism, which led to his activities in politics and journalism. By 1917, he had become an accomplished journalist who very early on put his life on the line to expose the truth about Adolf Hitler to the German people. Gerlich witnessed the Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 in which Hitler rashly attempted a takeover of the Bavarian state. Convinced that deception, treachery and ruthless violence were at the heart of Hitler's character, Gerlich determined that he would use his expertise and influence as a journalist to do his best to expose Hitler in any way he could.
Over the course of the next decade, Gerlich repeatedly wrote anti-Hitler articles for Munchener Neueste Nachrichten, one of the city's most conservative newspapers, and later for Der Gerade Weg (The Straight Path), a publication he created. On March 9, 1933, more than five weeks after Hitler assumed the position of Chancellor, Gerlich prepared to publish what would become his final anti-Hitler attack. A last-ditch effort to derail Hitler, the contents of Gerlich's March 9th report remain unknown. On that day, storm troopers burst into his newspaper office, arrested Gerlich and sent him off to Dachau, a German concentration camp. Imprisoned for more than a year, Gerlich was eventually murdered. In lieu of a death notice, his bloodied spectacles were mailed to his wife.
Matthew Modine was nominated for an Emmy Award for "And The Band Played On" and a Golden Globe Award for "What The Deaf Man Heard," a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on CBS. His other television credits include the movies "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story" and "Flowers for Algernon," both also on CBS. His feature films include "Any Given Sunday," "Notting Hill," "Pacific Heights," "Full Metal Jacket," "Mrs. Soffel" and "Birdy."