Austrian-born Max Reinhardt (1873-1943) was one of the most celebrated theatrical producers and directors of his day. He came to Berlin in 1894 as an actor, and soon distinguished himself as a director and producer of leading contemporary works. In 1904, he was named head of the Deutsches Theater, which he built into one of Germany’s most celebrated stages. In 1920, he co-founded the Salzburg Festival together with composer Richard Strauss and writer Hugo von Hoffmansthal. Reinhardt’s monumental productions set new standards of theatrical illusion and featured the leading actors and actresses of the day. He is considered a pioneer of the modern theater for his merging of the roles of general manager, producer, and director to aesthetic experimenter and artistic coordinator in control of the total production. In 1933, he emigrated to the United States, where died in 1943.