John Gottowt (15 June 1881-29 August 1942) was a German actor, stage director and film director for theatres and silent movies.
He was born as Isidor Gesang in Lemberg, Austria-Hungary. After his education in Vienna, he joined the Deutsches Theater in Berlin in 1905, working for Max Reinhardt as an actor and director. Gottowt was mainly active in different theatres in Berlin as a character actor and director.
His first silent film appearance was in Paul Wegener’s Der Student von Prag ("The Student of Prague") (1913). In 1920 he appeared in Robert Wiene's Genuine and took the main role in the early science fiction film Algol ("Algol: Tragedy of Power"). In 1921 he played Professor Bulwer (van Helsing) in the classic silent film Nosferatu directed by F.W. Murnau.
Gottowt made also several films with his brother-in-law Henrik Galeen but as a Jew was banned in 1933 from working as a professional actor. After a few years in Denmark he moved to Cracow in Poland. He was murdered in 1942 by the SS in Wieliczka.
