 Raised in Osnabrück, Wiesbaden and Berlin, where he studied four terms of philosophy, history of art and languages, Wieman wanted to actually become an airplane technical designer and flier.He started his acting career on the stage in Berlin under the direction of Max Reinhardt at the Deutsches Theater.In the early 1920s, he was a member of the Holtorf-Truppe, a stock theater group that included future director Veit Harlan.