Background
He was born to a Jewish family and studied law, and for some time was engaged in active practise, but abandoned the profession for a literary career.
He was born to a Jewish family and studied law, and for some time was engaged in active practise, but abandoned the profession for a literary career.
Although he had received his degree of "doctor of law", he attended the lectures of Giesebrecht and M. Bernays at Munich on literary subjects.
Fired by the eloquence and enthusiasm of the latter, he undertook the study of Beaumarchais" life and writings, and, to this end, resolved to make original investigations in the libraries of London, Paris, The Hague, Carlsruhe, and Spain. After an extended tour through Germany, France, England, and Spain, Bettelheim became, in 1880, the feuilleton editor of the Vienna "Presse". He retained this position until 1884, when he became editor of the "Deutsche Wochenschrift".
In 1886 he joined the editorial staff of the "Deutsche Zeitung", which position he resigned shortly after to publish the "Biographische Blätter", subsequently issued as "Biographisches Jahrbuch und Deutscher Nekrolog".
Bettelheim was married to the writer and graphic Helene Bettelheim-Gabillon (1857–1946), a daughter of the actors-couple Ludwig (1828–1896)and Zerline (1834–1892) Gabillon. Their children, Ministerialrat Doctor Ludwig Bettelheim-Gabillon and Friederike Bunzel were murdered in Theresienstadt concentration camp.
He was a younger brother of Caroline von Gomperz-Bettelheim.