Elsa Bassermann (born Elsa Sarah Schiff; January 14, 1878 – May 30, 1961) was a German

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

. She was married to

Albert Bassermann Albert Bassermann (7 September 1867 – 15 May 1952) was a German stage and screen actor. He was considered to be one of the greatest German-speaking actors of his generation and received the famous Iffland-Ring. He was married to Elsa Schi ...

and often acted with him. As she was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

the couple had to leave

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and go into exile in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. She later returned to Germany, where she died in 1961.

Partial filmography

* ''Gerda Gerovius'' (1913) * ''Der letzte Tag'' (1913) * ''Urteil des Arztes'' (1914) * ''Du sollst keine anderen Götter haben'' (1917) * ''Der eiserne Wille'' (1917) * ''Herr und Diener'' (1917) * ''

Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to: Literature * ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse *Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen * ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Zaarden Brothers ''The Zaarden Brothers'' (German: ''Die Brüder von Zaarden'') is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by William Wauer and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Marija Leiko.Bock & Bergfelder p.28 Cast * Albert Bassermann * Elsa B ...

'' (1918) * ''

Doctor Schotte ''Doctor Schotte'' (German: ''Dr. Schotte'') is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by William Wauer and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Käthe Wittenberg.Wedel p.132 It was shot at the Weissensee Studios in Berlin. Cast * ...

'' (1918) * ''

Lorenzo Burghardt ''Lorenzo Burghardt'' is a 1918 German silent film directed by William Wauer and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Käthe Haack.Grange p.10 Cast * Albert Bassermann * Elsa Bassermann * Emilie Croll * Käthe Haack * Paul Rehkopf Pa ...

'' (1918) * ''Das Werk seines Lebens'' (1919) - Friedel * ''Eine schwache Stunde'' (1919) * ''Die Duplizität der Ereignisse'' (1920) * ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Sons of Count Dossy ''The Sons of Count Dossy'' (German: ''Die Söhne des Grafen Dossy'') is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Adolf Gärtner and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann and Gertrude Welcker.Das Ufa-Buch p.76 It was shot at the Weisse ...

'' (1920) - Gräfin * ''

Masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...

'' (1920) * ''

Dolls of Death ''Dolls of Death'' (german: Puppen des Todes) is a 1920 German silent crime film directed by Reinhard Bruck and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann, and Bernhard Goetzke Bernhard Goetzke (5 June 1884 – 7 October 1964) was a German ...

'' (1920) - Konstanze * ''Der Frauenarzt'' (1921) - Frau Dr. Holländer * '' The Last Witness'' (1921) * ''

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...

'' (1922) * ''

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

'' (1923) - Ehefrau des Columbus * ''

Alraune ''Alraune'' (German for ) is a novel by German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published in 1911. It is also the name of the female lead character. The book originally featured illustrations by Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald. Legend The basis of the story of ...

'' (1930) - A lady * '' Dreyfus'' (1930) - Parisian lady * ''

A Woman Branded ''A Woman Branded'' or ''Dangers of Love'' (German: ''Gefahren der Liebe'') is a 1931 German drama film directed by Eugen Thiele and starring Toni van Eyck, Elsa Bassermann and Hans Stüwe. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin.Klaus p.93 Th ...

'' (1931) - Frau Thorn, Ilses Mutter * '' Kadetten'' (1931) - Gräfin Kleist * '' Last Love'' (1935) - Hanna von Hooven * ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

'' (1940) - Mrs. Henning * ''

New Wine New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian evangelical organization based in the United Kingdom, that assists Christian churches with organizational leadership training and fundraising. The organization also holds its own annual summer conferences, ...

'' (1941) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Desperate Journey ''Desperate Journey'' is a 1942 American World War II action and aviation film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Raymond Massey, Alan Hale Sr., and Arthur Kennedy. The melodramati ...

'' (1942) - Frau Raeder * ''

Madame Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

'' (1943) - Madame Perot * '' The Captain from Köpenick'' (completed in 1941, released in 1945) (aka ''I Was a Criminal'') - Mrs. Marie Hoprecht * ''

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...

'' (1945) - Guest (uncredited) (final film role)

Bibliography

External links

* 1878 births 1961 deaths German stage actresses German film actresses German silent film actresses Film people from Leipzig Actors from Leipzig Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States German expatriates in Switzerland 20th-century German actresses German screenwriters American women screenwriters German women screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{Germany-film-actor-stub