Grethe Weiser (; 27 February 1903 – 2 October 1970) was a German actress.
Biography
Born in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, she spent her childhood in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
. She escaped from her dominant and sometimes violent father by marrying a Jewish confectionery manufacturer in 1920. Her only child, a son, was born in 1922. Quite quickly she established herself in the
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
scene in Berlin, especially after her husband became a leaseholder of a nightclub on the
Kurfürstendamm
The Kurfürstendamm (; colloquially ''Ku'damm'', ; en, Prince Elector Embankment) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former ''Kurfürsten'' (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevar ...
. Her film debut came soon after in 1927.
Weiser had a lifelong relationship with Hermann Schwerin, a
UFA
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...
film producer, which began in 1934, but the couple were not married until 1958. Her previous marriage had been dissolved in 1934. Weiser avoided becoming a member of the Nazi Party. She managed to finance and arrange for her previous husband and her son to survive the Nazi years in Switzerland, as well as at the same time continue her career in Germany.
She died after a road traffic accident, aged 67, in Untersteinbach near
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz (; Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Däiz'') is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.
History
Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tö ...
in Bavaria and is buried in an
honorary grave at the
Heerstraße Cemetery in Berlin.
Selected filmography
* ''
Salto Mortale'' (1931)
* ''
Gretel Wins First Prize
''Gretel Wins First Prize'' (german: Gretel zieht das große Los) is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Lucie Englisch, Leopold von Ledebur and Jakob Tiedtke. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Just Once a Great Lady'' (1934)
* ''
Bashful Felix
''Bashful Felix'' or ''Felix is Right on Target'' (german: Schützenkönig wird der Felix) is a 1934 German comedy film directed by Carl Boese and starring Rudolf Platte, Ursula Grabley, and Jakob Tiedtke.Bock & Bergfelder p. 367 It was made by ...
'' (1934)
* ''
One Too Many on Board'' (1935)
* ''
The Schimeck Family'' (1935)
* ''
Fresh Wind from Canada
''Fresh Wind from Canada'' (german: Frischer Wind aus Kanada) is a 1935 German comedy film directed by Erich Holder and starring Max Gülstorff, Dorit Kreysler and Paul Hörbiger.Kreimeier p. 236 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam o ...
'' (1935)
* ''
His Late Excellency'' (1935)
* ''
Fräulein Veronika'' (1936)
* ''
Hilde and the Volkswagen
''Hilde and the Volkswagen'' (german: Hilde und die vier PS) is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Heinz Paul and starring Ludwig Manfred Lommel, Grethe Weiser and Hilde Schneider. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin.Klaus p.97
Cast
* L ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Abduction of the Sabine Women'' (1936)
* ''
Escapade'' (1936)
* ''
Men Without a Fatherland
''Men Without a Fatherland'' (german: Menschen ohne Vaterland) is a 1937 German drama film directed by Herbert Maisch and starring Willy Fritsch, Maria von Tasnady and Willy Birgel.Richards p. 371
The film's sets were designed by the art directo ...
'' (1937)
* ''
My Friend Barbara'' (1937)
* ''
The Divine Jetta
''The Divine Jetta'' (german: Die göttliche Jette) is a 1937 German musical comedy film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Grethe Weiser, Viktor de Kowa, and Marina von Ditmar
Marina von Ditmar (30 October 1914 – 3 September 2014) was ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Women for Golden Hill
''Women for Golden Hill'' (German:'' Frauen für Golden Hill'') is a 1938 German drama film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Kirsten Heiberg, Viktor Staal and Elfie Mayerhofer. The fim's sets were designed by the art directors Gustav A. Kn ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Woman at the Wheel'' (1939)
* ''
Mistake of the Heart
''Mistake of the Heart'' (German: ''Irrtum des Herzens'') is a 1939 German romantic drama film directed by Bernd Hofmann and Alfred Stöger and starring Paul Hartmann, Leny Marenbach and Hans Söhnker. Klaus p.105 It was shot at the Bavaria Stud ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Marriage in Small Doses
''Marriage in Small Doses'' (german: Ehe in Dosen) is a 1939 German musical comedy film directed by Johannes Meyer and starring Leny Marenbach, Johannes Riemann, and Ralph Arthur Roberts.Bock & Bergfelder p. 518 It was based on a play, which wa ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Between Hamburg and Haiti
''Between Hamburg and Haiti'' (german: Zwischen Hamburg und Haiti) is a 1940 German drama film directed by Erich Waschneck and starring Gustav Knuth, Gisela Uhlen and Albert Florath. A German plantation owner rescues a young German woman who has b ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Left of the Isar, Right of the Spree'' (1940)
* ''
We Make Music
''We Make Music'' (german: Wir machen Musik) is a 1942 German musical comedy film directed by Helmut Käutner, starring Ilse Werner, Viktor de Kowa and Edith Oß.
Plot
It is a revue film, loosely based on the stage work ''Karl III. und Anna vo ...
'' (1942)
* ''
The Great Love'' (1942)
* ''
The Buchholz Family'' (1944)
* ''
Marriage of Affection'' (1944)
* ''
The Master Detective
''The Master Detective'' (german: Der Meisterdetektiv) is a 1944 German comedy film directed by Hubert Marischka and starring Rudolf Platte who plays a private detective. The film's art direction was by Gustav A. Knauer and Arthur Schwarz.
C ...
'' (1944)
* ''
Somewhere in Berlin
''Somewhere in Berlin'' (german: Irgendwo in Berlin) is a film produced in the Soviet occupation zone of Allied-occupied Germany, the area that later became East Germany. It was released in 1946, and was the third DEFA film. It sold 4,179,651 tick ...
'' (1946)
* ''
''_(1948)
*_''Tromba_(film).html" ;"title="ilm directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt">ilm.html" ;"title="omedy [film">omedy [film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Ellen Schwa ...
'' (1948)
* ''Tromba (film)">Tromba'' (1949)
* ''My Wife's Friends'' (1949)
* ''The Trip to Marrakesh'' (1949)
* ''Artists' Blood'' (1949)
* ''Nothing But Coincidence'' (1949)
* ''Love '47'' (1949)
* ''Amico (film), Amico'' (1949)
* ''Third from the Right'' (1950)
* ''
* Hans Borgelt: ''Grethe Weiser. Herz mit Schnauze''. (Sonderausgabe.) Schneekluth, München 1983