Max Haufler

Max Haufler (Basel, 1910 – Zurich, 1965) was a Swiss painter who became best known as an actor, film director and screenwriter. Before turning to film he trained as an open-air painter, travelled across Europe and joined the expressionist group Gruppe Rot-Blau and the antifascist artists' society Gruppe 33, both based in Basel.

His interest in cinema began in 1936, when he set out to make quality films in Switzerland. He made his directing debut with Farinet and then shot Menschen, die vorüberziehen… (1942), which critics praised though it did not achieve the expected box-office results. His last film as director was Der Geist von Allenwil (1951). Chronic depression, excessive spending and a difficult temperament prevented him from directing again, and from 1942 he worked mainly as an actor on radio, stage and screen, becoming one of the most popular Swiss actors of his time.