In the 1940s, he lived in poverty and had to rely on the support of the Goebbels-supported foundation for people who worked in the arts, "Künstlerdank.".
In 1910, he appeared in New York City, and in 1911, he was a stage actor in Berlin. A year later, he took roles in the still undervalued cinema.
Pittschau personified elegant lovers and was a partner of Hanni Weiße and Henny Porten, among others.
The actor Ernst Pittschau began his film career at the beginning of the 10's when the film business was still in its process of development.
In the 20s, his film roles became smaller; after that, he barely received work. He now mostly played at the Theater am Kurfürstendamm, at the Komödie and at the Tribüne.