In 1908 Liedtke worked at the New German Theatre in New York City and in 1909 at the Deutsches Theater Berlin.

In 1912 Liedtke appeared for the first time in the silent movie Zu spät and from then onwards usually as a young "Charming Boy" and gentleman.

With Ernst Lubitsch he made movies like Das fidele Gefängnis (1917), Die Augen der Mumie Ma (1918), Carmen (1918), Die Austernprinzessin (1919), Madame DuBarry (1919), Sumurun (1920) and Das Weib des Pharao (1921).

[2] On 28 April 1945 Liedtke was murdered by Red Army soldiers in his house at Bad Saarow-Pieskow east of Berlin together with his wife Christa Tordy.

[3] While attempting to save Tordy from being raped and murdered, he died after either being smashed on the head with a beer bottle,[4] or after being clubbed to death.