Karl Zander was born as Carl Walter Zander on September 10, 1891, in Berlin-Moabit, Germany. His mother, Emma Elisabeth Zander, was an unmarried milliner. Zander received his acting education under Adolph L’Arronge and Emanuel Reicher in Berlin and further developed his skills as a character actor at the Hoftheater in Meiningen under Max Grube. Max Reinhardt later brought him to the Deutsches Theater in Berlin from Frankfurt am Main. During World War I, Zander served as a soldier and was interned in America, returning to Berlin in 1921 to resume his work at the Deutsches Theater.

In addition to acting, Zander was a reciter and composer, creating popular music such as the tango "Sei mir ein bißchen gut!" (1930) and the waltz "Vergißmeinnicht" (1932). He worked as a speaker for record labels like Homocord, Parlophon, and Artiphon, often producing content with German nationalist and anti-French themes, such as "Auswanderer" and "Fremdenlegionär." In 1935, he directed the short film "Postlagernd XYZ" for UFA.

Zander joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) in May 1937. He also used several pseudonyms throughout his career, including Hans Joachim Baumgart, Billy Berndt, Dr. Kurt Bessel, Julius Eckert, José Tavéra, and Hans Wolfgang. Karl Zander passed away on April 4, 1950.