Elisabeth Bergner visit to Israel (997008136432705171)

Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Escape Me Never'', a play written for her by

Margaret Kennedy Margaret Moore Kennedy (23 April 1896 – 31 July 1967) was an English novelist and playwright. Her most successful work, as a novel and as a play, was '' The Constant Nymph''. She was a productive writer and several of her works were filmed. T ...

. She played Gemma first in London and then in the Broadway debut, and in a

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

for which she was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

. In 1943, Bergner returned to Broadway in the play ''The Two Mrs. Carrolls'', for which she won the Distinguished Performance Medal from the Drama League.

Life and career

She was born Ella (Ettel) Bergner in

Drohobych Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hro ...

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(present-day Ukraine) to Sara (née Wagner) and Emil (Schmelke Juda) Bergner, a merchant. She grew up in a secular Jewish home. The Hebrew she heard in her childhood was associated with Yom Kippur and Pesach, and on her visits to Israel, she apologized for not knowing the language. She first acted on stage at age 14, and appeared in Innsbruck a year later. In Vienna at age 16, she toured Austrian and German provinces with a Shakespearean company. She worked as an artist's model, posing for sculptor

Wilhelm Lehmbruck Wilhelm Lehmbruck (4 January 188125 March 1919) was a German sculptor. Biography Born in Meiderich (part of Duisburg from 1905), he was the fourth of eight children born to the miner Wilhelm Lehmbruck and his wife Margaretha. He was able to stu ...

, who fell in love with her. She eventually moved to Munich and later Berlin.Profile
jwa.org; accessed March 6, 2015. In 1923, she made her film debut in ''Der Evangelimann''. With the rise of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

, Bergner moved to London with director

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

, and they married in 1933. Her stage work in London included ''The Boy David'' (1936) by

J.M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, his last play, which he wrote especially for her, and '' Escape Me Never'' by

. ''

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

'' was banned in Germany because of the government's racial policies, according to ''Time'' on 26 March 1934. She was nominated for an

for the film version of ''Escape Me Never'' (1935). She repeated her stage role of Rosalind, opposite

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

's Orlando, in the 1936 film ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', the first sound film version of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play, and the first sound film of any Shakespeare play filmed in England. Bergner previously played the role on the German stage, and several critics found that her accent got in the way of their enjoyment of the film, which was not a success. She returned intermittently to the stage, for instance in the title role of

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

's ''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...

'' in 1946. Bergner temporarily returned to Germany in 1954, where she acted in movies and on the stage; the Berlin district of

Steglitz Steglitz () is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is a Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German . Steglitz was also a borough from 1920 to 2000. It contained the ...

named a city park after her. In 1973, she starred in ''Der Fußgänger'' (English title: ''

The Pedestrian "The Pedestrian" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in the August 7, 1951 issue of '' The Reporter'' by The Fortnightly Publishing Company. It is included in the collection ''T ...

''), which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and which won the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film of 1974. In 1980, Austria awarded her the Cross of Merit for Science and Art, and in 1982, she won the Eleonora Duse Prize Asolo.

Death

She later moved to London, where she died aged 88 from cancer. She was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

on 15 May 1986, where she is commemorated with an oval memorial tablet in the West Cloister.

''All About Eve''

According to The New York Times obituary for writer Mary Orr, Bergner told Orr about an experience that provided her with the inspiration for the short story that gave birth to the character of Eve Harrington. "

The Wisdom of Eve Mary Caswell Orr (December 21, 1910 – September 22, 2006) was an American actress and author whose short story "The Wisdom of Eve", published in the May 1946 issue of '' Cosmopolitan'', was the basis of the Academy Award-winning film '' ...

" appeared in ''Cosmopolitan'' in 1946. The play based on that story was the basis for

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career, and won both the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best A ...

's ''

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does ...

''. The episode occurred when Bergner was performing in the play '' The Two Mrs. Carrolls''. Bergner took pity on a "waif-like" young woman who stood outside the theater for days on end. She gave her a job as her secretary, and the young actress tried to "take over" Bergner's life.

Literary references

The character of Dora Martin in the novel ''

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

'' by

Klaus Mann Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo ...

reportedly is based on her.''Mephisto''
, Rowohlt.de; accessed 18 May 2015.

Bibliography

* Anne Jespersen: Toedliche Wahrheit oder raffinierte Taeuschung. "Die Frauen in den Filmen Elisabeth Bergners" in Michael Omasta, Brigitte Mayr, Christian Cargnelli (eds.): ''Carl Mayer, Scenarist: Ein Script von ihm war schon ein Film'' – "A script by

Carl Mayer Carl Mayer (20 November 1894 – 1 July 1944) was an Austrians, Austrian screenwriter who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), ''The Head of Janus'' (1920), ''The Haunted Castle (1921 film), The Haunted C ...

was already a film". Synema, Vienna 2003;

Partial filmography

*'' The Evangelist'' (1924) - Magdalena *'' Husbands or Lovers'' (1924) - Nju *''

The Fiddler of Florence ''The Fiddler of Florence'' (german: Der Geiger von Florenz) is a 1926 German silent comedy film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Conrad Veidt, and Nora Gregor. The film was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin and on loc ...

'' (1926) - Renée *''Liebe'' (1927) - Herzogin von Langeais *'' Doña Juana'' (1928) - Doña Juana *'' Fräulein Else'' (1929) - Else Thalhof *'' Ariane'' (1931) - Ariane Kusnetzowa *'' Dreaming Lips'' (1932) - Gaby *''

The Rise of Catherine the Great ''The Rise of Catherine the Great'' (also titled ''Catherine the Great'') is a 1934 British historical film about the rise to power of Catherine the Great. It was directed by Paul Czinner, and stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine, Douglas Fa ...

'' (1934) - Catherine *'' Escape Me Never'' (1935) - Gemma Jones *''

'' (1936) - Rosalind *'' Dreaming Lips'' (1937) - Gaby Lawrence *'' Stolen Life'' (1939) - Sylvina Lawrence / Martina Lawrence *'' 49th Parallel'' (1941) - Anna (replaced by Glynis Johns) (scenes deleted) *''

Paris Calling ''Paris Calling'' is a 1941 war film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Randolph Scott, Elisabeth Bergner, and Basil Rathbone. Plot Cast * Elisabeth Bergner as Marianne Jannetier * Randolph Scott as Lt. Nicholas 'Nick' Jordan * ...

'' (1941) - Marianne Jannetier *''

The Happy Years of the Thorwalds ''The Happy Years of the Thorwalds'' (German: ''Die glücklichen Jahre der Thorwalds'') is a 1962 West German drama film directed by Wolfgang Staudte and , starring Elisabeth Bergner, Hansjörg Felmy and Dietmar Schönherr.Bock & Bergfelder p.40 ...

'' (1962) - Frau Thorwald *''

Cry of the Banshee ''Cry of the Banshee'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price as an evil witchhunter. The film was released by American International Pictures. The film costars Elisabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, and Hu ...

'' (1970) - Oona *'' Strogoff'' (1970) - Marfa Strogoff *''

'' (1973) - Frau Lilienthal *' (1978) - Margarete Johannsen *''

High Society Limited ''High Society Limited'' (german: Feine Gesellschaft - beschränkte Haftung) is a 1982 West German comedy film directed by Ottokar Runze and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Lilli Palmer and Hardy Krüger.Bock & Bergfelder p.357 Cast * Elisabeth Bergn ...

'' (1982) - Else

References

External links

* *
Virtual History – Tobacco cards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergner, Elisabeth 1897 births 1986 deaths 20th-century English actresses 20th-century German actresses Deaths from cancer in England German stage actresses German film actresses German silent film actresses Jewish German actresses Best Actress German Film Award winners Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) People from Drohobych Austrian emigrants to Germany Austrian emigrants to England Jews who immigrated to the United Kingdom to escape Nazism German emigrants to England Ukrainian-Jewish emigrants to the United Kingdom