From Oppenheimer to Ophüls

Born Maximillian Oppenheimer to a Jewish family, he adopted the stage name Max Ophüls early in his German theatrical career (Ophüls/Ophuls spelling varies by language) (filmportal.de; FranceArchives). The change separated his artistic identity from his birth surname.

Career across Germany, France, and Hollywood

Ophüls directed elegant, camera-mobile melodramas: German/French work including Liebelei and La Ronde, Hollywood titles such as Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), then late French masterpieces Le Plaisir, The Earrings of Madame de…, and Lola Montès. He is celebrated for long takes and circling camera movement (filmportal.de).

He died in Hamburg in 1957. Son Marcel Ophüls became a noted documentary filmmaker.

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray/DVD The Earrings of Madame de… Criterion La Ronde / Le Plaisir Blu-ray

Why the "real name" question matters

Search interest in a celebrity's "real name" usually means a shortened everyday form, a middle name used as a handle, or a true stage/legal change. This page states which case applies and cites sources rather than gossip.

Readers comparing credits across IMDb, Wikipedia, and national filmographies sometimes find spelling variants (accents, hyphenation, maternal surnames). Where two reliable sources disagree on a middle name or exact birthplace wording, this draft notes both rather than inventing a single form.