 Gottfried attended the Französisches Gymnasium Berlin and began his career as an actor and director at his father's stage.In 1932, he went on a study visit to the US, where he remained after the Nazi "Machtergreifung" in Germany on 30 January 1933.In Hollywood, he became assistant director of Ernst Lubitsch, later a production assistant at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, contributing to the making of the 1938 film "The Great Waltz".