Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr., known as Lex Barker, was an American actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, and portraying leading characters from Karl May's novels, notably as Old Shatterhand in a film series by the West German studio Constantin Film. At the height of his fame, he was one of the most popular actors in German-speaking cinema, and received Bambi Award and Bravo Otto nominations for the honor.
Lex Barker (1951)
Barker with his fiancée Karen Kondazian in on May 1, 1973, a few days before Barker's death
Karl Friedrich May was a German author. He is best known for his novels of travels and adventures, set in the American Old West, the Orient, the Middle East, Latin America, China and Germany. He also wrote poetry, a play, and composed music. He was a proficient player of several musical instruments. Many of his works were adapted for film, theatre, audio dramas and comics. Later in his career, May turned to philosophical and spiritual genres. He is one of the best-selling German writers of all time, with about 200,000,000 copies sold worldwide.
Karl May
The family house then on Niedergasse 111, where Karl May was born in Hohenstein-Ernstthal. The house was inherited by May's mother in 1838 and sold in 1845 (photo 1910).
The house where Karl May was born is now located on Karl-May-Straße (photo 2005). The street was named in his honor. Next to the house is a modern Karl May depository, literary museum and research center that was established in July 2022.
May and Sascha Schneider, 1904