Leopoldine Konstantin (born Leopoldine Eugenie Amelie Konstanti; 12 March 1886 – 14 December 1965) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

actress. She played in

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the de ...

's ''Spring Awakening'' (1907),

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 ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1907), ''

A Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' (1908), and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1910).

Early life

Leopoldine Konstantin was born as Leopoldine Eugenie Amelie Konstanti on 12 March 1886 in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

.Portrait of the actress Leopoldine Konstantin by Thomas Staedeli
/ref> She made her debut in the Deutsches Theater in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1907. From 1911 she was to be found at the Kammerspiele in Berlin and became known in the Berlin salons. She moved to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1916 and by 1924 she was playing the title role in

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

's ''Mary Stuart''.

Career

Starting in 1912 she also played in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s, initially in title roles. She turned away from this medium when, after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she was offered increasingly minor parts. In 1923 she had a house built in Westerland for herself and her son Alexander. From 1933 she returned to film work, and in 1935 she returned to Austria. In that same year she moved to 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 ...

via

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. She spoke no English at that time, and had to take a job as a factory worker until, after intensive language study, she landed a supporting role in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's 1946 film '' Notorious'', in which she played

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...

' mother, although she was only three years older than him.

Personal life

Konstantin took acting lessons with Alexander Strakosch, whom she married shortly afterwards in 1906. They divorced in 1924. In the same year, she married Hungarian counsellor and author Géza Herczeg, and had a son, Alexander. They divorced in 1938.

Later years and death

She performed in two television series in 1948 and returned to Vienna. Her last acting work involved sporadic theatre roles and poetry readings on the radio. She died on 14 December 1965 in

Hietzing Hietzing () is the 13th municipal District of Vienna (german: 13. Bezirk, Hietzing). It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling. Hietzing is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings, but also contains lar ...

Vienna, Austria en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

at the age of 79.

Filmography

*1910: ''Sumurûn'' - Tänzerin *1912: ''Gebannt und erlöst'' (''Banned and redeemed'') (Short) *1912: ''Die Heldin der schwarzen Berge'' (''The Heroine of the Black Mountains'') *1913: ''Schuldig'' - Tochter Julia Lehr *1913: ''Die Insel der Seligen'' (''The Isle of the Blessed'') - Circe *1913: ''Ultimo'' - Gouvernante *1913: ''Die Hand des Schicksals'' (''The Hand of Fate'') *1913: ''Vater und Sohn'' (''Father and Son'') (Short) *1914: ''Maria Magdalena'' - Klara, Anton's Tochter *1914: ''Verhängnisvolles Glück'' *1914: ''Kleine weiße Sklaven'' (''Little White Slaves'') - Schwester Luise Sanden *1915: ''Der Dolch im Strumpfband'' *1915: ''Die zerbrochene Puppe'' (''The Smashed Doll'') (Short) *1915: '' The Dancer'' *1916: ''Das Wiegenlied'' (''The Lullaby'') *1916: ''Der Radiumraub'' - Räuberin *1917: ''Aus vergessenen Akten'' (''From Forgotten Files'') - Täterin *1917: ''

The Onyx Head ''The Onyx Head'' (German: ''Der Onyxknopf'') is a 1917 German silent crime film directed by Joe May and starring Max Landa, Bruno Kastner and Leopoldine Konstantin. It was part of a series of Joe Deebs detective films. The film's sets were d ...

'' - Geliebte von Deebs *1917: ''Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer'' - Kunstschützin Celestine *1918: ''Der Volontär'' *1918: ''

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

'' - Lola Montez *1919: ''Der Volontär'' (''The Volunteer'') - A táncosnõ *1919: ''

Lilli's Marriage ''Lilli's Marriage'' (german: Lillis Ehe) is a 1919 German silent film directed by Jaap Speyer. It is a sequel to the film '' Lilli'', and premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by po ...

'' - Suse *1919: ''Der Verrat der Gräfin Leonie'' (''The Betrayal of Countess Leonie'') *1920: ''Können Gedanken töten?'' (''Can Thoughts Kill?'') - Frau Luda *1920: ''

Christian Wahnschaffe ''Christian Wahnschaffe'' is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Urban Gad and starring Conrad Veidt, Lillebil Ibsen, and Fritz Kortner. It was released in two parts ''World Ablaze'' (''Weltbrand'') in November 1920 and ''The Escape from ...

'' *1920: ''Der Shawl der Kaiserin Katharina II'' (''The Shawl of Empress Catherine II'') *1920: ''

President Barrada ''President Barrada'' (german: Präsident Barrada) is a 1920 German silent film directed by Erik Lund and Joseph Delmont.Bock & Bergfelder p. 74 The film's art direction was by Siegfried Wroblewsky. Cast In alphabetical order * Hermann Bach ...

'' *1921: ''Der Silberkönig'' (''The Silver King'') *1932: ''Ein toller Einfall'' *1933: ''

Season in Cairo ''Season in Cairo'' (german: Saison in Kairo) is a 1933 German musical comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Renate Müller, Willy Fritsch and Gustav Waldau.Bregfelder & Bock p. 346 A French-language version '' Idylle au Cair ...

'' - Ellinor Blackwell *1934: ''

A Precocious Girl ''A Precocious Girl'' (German title: ''Csibi, der Fratz'' aka ''Früchtchen'') is a 1934 Austrian comedy film directed by Max Neufeld and Richard Eichberg and starring Franciska Gaal, Leopoldine Konstantin and Herbert Hübner. The film's sets were ...

'' - Maria, her mother *1934: ''Es tut sich was um Mitternacht'' (''It's happening at midnight'') - Frau Dr. Wegener *1934: ''Liebe dumme Mama'' - Helene Burkardt *1934: '' Princess Turandot'' - Kaiserin *1935: ''

The Old and the Young King ''The Old and the Young King'' (German: ''Der alte und der junge König'') is a 1935 German historical drama film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Emil Jannings, Werner Hinz and Leopoldine Konstantin. The film's sets were designed by th ...

'' - Königin Sophie Dorothee *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 ...

'' - Frau Olden *1936: ''Mädchenpensionat'' - Fräulein Leers *1937: ''Und du, mein Schatz, fährst mit'' (''And you, my darling, go with them'') - Donna Juana de Villafranca *1937: '' Another World'' - Lady Brandmore *1946: '' Notorious'' - Madame Anna Sebastian

Gallery

Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0128-504, Leopoldine Konstantin.jpg, As ''Fortuna'' in the German theatre in 1911 Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0128-501, Leopoldine Konstantin.jpg, Leopoldine Konstantin as ''Everyone'' in 1912 Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0128-502, Leopoldine Konstantin und Kurt Götz.jpg, Konstantin in 1917 (with

Curt Goetz Curt Goetz (; 17 November 1888 – 12 September 1960), born Kurt Walter Götz, was a Swiss German writer, actor and film director. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant German comedy writers of his time. With his wife Valérie von Marten ...

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Konstantin, Leopoldine 1886 births 1965 deaths 20th-century Austrian actresses Austrian film actresses Austrian silent film actresses Austrian stage actresses