Marguerita Maria "Mady" Christians (January 19, 1892 – October 28, 1951) was an Austrian actress who had a successful acting career in theatre and film in the United States until she was
blacklisted during the
McCarthy period.
Biography
![Watch-on-the-Rhine-1941-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Watch-on-the-Rhine-1941-1.jpg)
She was born on January 19, 1892, to Rudolph Christians, a well-known German actor, and his wife, Bertha. Her family moved to
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 ...
when she was one year old, and to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 1912, where her father became the Irving Place Theatre's general manager.
Five years later she returned to Europe to study under
Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he i ...
.
She appeared in several European films before the early 1930s. In 1929, she starred in the first full
sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
made in Germany ''
It's You I Have Loved
''It's You I Have Loved'' (german: Dich hab ich geliebt) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Walter Jankuhn, and Hans Stüwe. It is considered the first full sound film to be made in Germa ...
''.
In 1933, she toured the United States in a play called ''Marching By'' and was offered a Broadway contract the following year that allowed her, as several other German artists, to seek refuge from the Nazi regime in the United States.
On
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, Christians played Queen Gertrude in ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' and Lady Percy in ''Henry IV, Part I'', staged by director
Margaret Webster
Margaret Webster (March 15, 1905 – November 13, 1972) was an American-British theater actress, producer and director. Critic George Jean Nathan described her as "the best director of the plays of Shakespeare that we have."
Life and care ...
. Webster was part of a small but influential group of lesbian producers, directors, and actors in the theater (a group that included
Eva Le Gallienne
Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, Le Gallienne gave up her Broadway appearances to devote herself to founding t ...
and
Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director.
Biography
Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City and ...
). Webster and Christians became close friends. According to Webster biographer Milly S. Barranger, it is likely that they also were lovers.
She also starred in
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...
's ''
Watch on the Rhine
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
''.
She originated the title role in the 1944 play ''
I Remember Mama''. Her last movie roles were in ''
All My Sons'', based on the play by
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
, and ''
Letter from an Unknown Woman'', both released in 1948.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Christians was involved in political work on behalf of refugees, rights for workers (especially in theater and film), and Russian War relief, political efforts that would bring her to the attention of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI) and other anti-communist institutions and organizations.
Blacklisting
In addition to her political work, Christians publicly criticized the
House Committee on Un-American Activities
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
in early 1941 and likened the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee's investigation of propaganda in US film to Nazi harassment of film and radio artists in the 1930s.
In 1950, the FBI's internal security division began investigating Christians, who had been identified as a "concealed communist" by a confidential informant.
When Christians' name appeared in
Red Channels
''Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television'' was an anti-Communist document published in the United States at the start of the 1950s. Issued by the right-wing journal ''Counterattack'' on June 22, 1950, the pamphle ...
, the so-called bible of the broadcast blacklist, her career was effectively over.
Death
On October 28, 1951, aged 59, Christians died of a cerebral hemorrhage, which some attributed to the stress of being subjected to FBI surveillance and being blacklisted.
Selected filmography
![Sátori Lipót Az elveszett paradicsom 1917](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/S%C3%A1tori_Lip%C3%B3t_Az_elveszett_paradicsom_1917.jpg)
* ''
Audrey
Audrey () is an English feminine given name. It is the Anglo-Norman form of the Anglo-Saxon name ''Æðelþryð'', composed of the elements '' æðel'' "noble" and ''þryð'' "strength". The Anglo-Norman form of the name was applied to Saint Aud ...
'' (1916) as Evelyn Byrd
* ''Die Krone von Kerkyra'' (1917)
* ''
The Lost Paradise'' (1917) as Edith Bernardi
* ''Die fremde Frau'' (1917)
* ''Am Scheidewege'' (1918) as Cornelia
* ''Frau Marias Erlebnis'' (1918) as Maria - ihre Tochter
* ''Die Verteidigerin'' (1918) as Linda Saltarin - Doktor der Rechte
* ''Die Dreizehn'' (1918)
* ''Eine junge Dame von Welt'' (1918)
* ' (1918) as Fürstin Tscharkowska
* ''Am anderen Ufer'' (1918)
* ''Fidelio'' (1919) as Sonja Maderewska - singer
* ''Die Sühne der Martha Marx'' (1919) as Mady
* ''
The Peruvian'' (1919) as Fernades Matamorer
* ''The Golden Club'' (1919) as Marga von Olsberg, junge Witwe
* ''Not und Verbrechen'' (1919) as Ruth
* ''Die Nacht des Grauens'' (1919)
* ''Die Gesunkenen'' (1919) as Reta de Lorni
* ''Der indische Tod'' (1920) as Inge, Frau von Ralph Leyen
* ''
Indian Revenge
''Indian Revenge'' (German: ''Indische Rache'') is a 1920 German silent adventure film directed by Georg Jacoby and Léo Lasko and starring Georg Alexander, Mady Christians, and Harry Liedtke.
The film's sets were designed by the art directo ...
'' (1920)
* ''Wer unter Euch ohne Sünde ist...'' (1921)
* ''
Peter Voss, Thief of Millions'' (1921, part 1–7) as Gert, seine Tochter
* ''
The Fateful Day
''The Fateful Day'' ( fa, روز واقعه) is a 1995 Iranian Islamic film based on a script of the same name by Bahram Beyzai. The film is directed by Shahram Assadi. Its cast includes many Iranian cinema stars. Wheeler W. Dixon describes it ...
'' (1921) as Felicitas / Harriet Steel / Jelena / Marietta
* ''
Today's Children
''Today's Children'' was a name shared by two thematically related American radio soap operas created and written by Irna Phillips, the earliest of which was her first nationally networked series.
1933-1938 series
The original series, which debut ...
'' (1922) as Eva
* ''
The Loves of Pharaoh
''The Loves of Pharaoh'' (german: Das Weib des Pharao, aka ''The Wife of the Pharaoh'') is a 1922 German historical epic film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Emil Jannings.
A complete version of the film had been considered lost for ye ...
'' (1922)
* ''
It Illuminates, My Dear'' (1922) as Jeanne, Marquiße von Chatelet
* ''
A Glass of Water'' (1923) as Königin Anna
* ''
The Buddenbrooks'' (1923) as Gerda Arnoldsen
* ''
The Lost Shoe
''The Lost Shoe'' (german: Der verlorene Schuh) is a 1923 German silent fantasy film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Helga Thomas, Paul Hartmann and Mady Christians. Its plot is loosely based on that of Cinderella. It was shot at the ...
'' (1923) as Violante
* ''
The Weather Station
The Weather Station is a Canadian folk music band fronted by Tamara Lindeman, formed in 2006. The band membership has changed over the years, and as of 2022 includes Lindeman (lead vocals, piano), Ben Whiteley (bass), Johnny Spence (keyboards), ...
'' (1923) as Die Dame
* ''
Finances of the Grand Duke
''The Grand Duke's Finances'' (german: Die Finanzen des Großherzogs) is a 1924 silent German comedy film directed by F. W. Murnau.
Plot
The Grand Duke of Abacco is heir to a small and heavily indebted Mediterranean island. The Grand Duke is ...
'' (1924) as Großfürstin Olga von Rußland
* ''
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
'' (1924) as Frau (uncredited)
* ''
Debit and Credit
Debits and credits in double-entry bookkeeping are entries made in account ledgers to record changes in value resulting from business transactions. A debit entry in an account represents a transfer of value ''to'' that account, and a credit e ...
'' (1924) as Baroneß Leonore vin Rothensattel
* ''
Man Against Man'' (1924)
* ''
Slums of Berlin
''Slums of Berlin'' (german: Die Verrufenen) is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Aud Egede-Nissen, Bernhard Goetzke, and Mady Christians. It was shot at the Marienfelde Studios in Berlin. The film's s ...
'' (1925) as Regine Lossen
* ''
In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine
''In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine'' (German: ''Die vom Niederrhein'') is a 1925 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Albert Steinrück, Erna Morena
Erna Morena (born Ernestine Maria Fuchs, ...
'' (1925, part 1–2) as Bettina von Wittelsbach
* ''
The Farmer from Texas
''The Farmer from Texas'' (german: Der Farmer aus Texas) is a 1925 German silent film, silent comedy film directed by Joe May and starring Mady Christians, Willy Fritsch, and Lillian Hall-Davis. It was based on the play ''Kolportage'' by Georg Ka ...
'' (1925) as Mabel Bratt
* ''
A Waltz Dream
' (''A Waltz Dream'') is an operetta by Oscar Straus with a German libretto by and , based on the novella ' (''Nux, the Prince Consort'') by Hans Müller-Einigen from his 1905 book ' (''Book of Adventures'').
The young Jacobson presented Stra ...
'' (1925) as Princess Alix
* ''
The Adventurers'' (1926) as Armely - seine Frau
* ''
Nanette Makes Everything
''Nanette Makes Everything'' (German: ''Nanette macht alles'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Carl Boese and starring Mady Christians, Georg Alexander and Vivian Gibson. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were d ...
'' (1926) as Nanette
* ''
Sword and Shield'' (1926) as Prinzessin Wilhelmine
* ''
The World Wants To Be Deceived'' (1926) as Sefi - seine Tochter
* ''
The Queen of Moulin Rouge
''The Queen of Moulin Rouge'' (German: ''Die Königin von Moulin Rouge'') is a 1926 Austrian silent film, silent comedy film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Mady Christians, André Roanne and Livio Pavanelli. The film is based on the 1902 ...
'' (1926) as Die Herzogin
* ''
The Divorcée'' (1926) as Gonda van der Loo
* ''
Vienna, How it Cries and Laughs
''Vienna, How it Cries and Laughs'' (German: ''Wien, wie es weint und lacht'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Fritz Greiner, John Mylong, and Mady Christians.Bock & Bergfelder p.72
Th ...
'' (1926) as Mery, seine Frau
* ''
Out of the Mist'' (1927) as Lore
* ''
Queen Louise'' (1927-1928, part 1, 2) as Luise von Mecklenburg, Königin von Preussen
* ''
Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America.
Grand Hotel may refer to:
Hotels Africa
* Grande Hotel Beir ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Homesick'' (1927) as Fürstin Lydia Trubezkoj
* ''
The Duel'' (1927)
* ''
Miss Chauffeur
''Miss Chauffeur'' (german: Fräulein Chauffeur) is a 1928 German comedy film directed by Jaap Speyer and starring Mady Christians, Johannes Riemann, and Lotte Lorring. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed and ...
'' (1928) as Steffi Walker
* ''
A Woman with Style
''A Woman with Style'' (german: Eine Frau von Format) is a 1928 German silent film directed by Fritz Wendhausen and starring Mady Christians, Peter C. Leska and Hans Thimig. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were desig ...
'' (1928) as Dschilly Bey
* ''
The Burning Heart'' (1929) as Dorothee Claudius
* ''
The Runaway Princess
''The Runaway Princess'' is a 1929 British-German silent drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and Fritz Wendhausen and starring Mady Christians, Fred Rains, Paul Cavanagh, and Anne Grey.
Production
The film was a co-production between Bri ...
'' (1929) as Princess Priscilla
* ''
My Sister and I'' (1929) as Prinzessin Matgarete von Marquardstein
* ''
It's You I Have Loved
''It's You I Have Loved'' (german: Dich hab ich geliebt) is a 1929 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Walter Jankuhn, and Hans Stüwe. It is considered the first full sound film to be made in Germa ...
'' (1929) as Inge Lund
* ''
Lieutenant, Were You Once a Hussar?
''Lieutenant, Were You Once a Hussar?'' (german: Leutnant warst Du einst bei den Husaren) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Mady Christians, Gustav Diessl and Georg Alexander.Schöning p. 19 It was made as a MLV ...
'' (1930) as Königin Alexandra von Gregorien
* ''
My Heart Incognito
''My Heart Incognito'' (french: Mon coeur incognito) is a 1931 comedy film directed by André-Paul Antoine and Manfred Noa and starring Mady Christians. It was made by Germany's Aafa-Film as the French-language version of ''Lieutenant, Were You ...
'' (1931) as La reine Alexandra
* ''
The Fate of Renate Langen
''The Fate of Renate Langen'' (german: Das Schicksal der Renate Langen) is a 1931 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Francis Lederer and Hilde Hildebrand.Bock & Bergfelder p. 72
Cast
* Mady Christians ...
'' (1931) as Renate Langen
* ''
The Woman They Talk About
''The Woman They Talk About'' (German: ''Die Frau von der man spricht'') is a 1931 German drama film directed by Victor Janson and starring Mady Christians, Hans Stüwe and Lilian Ellis.Waldman p.27 The film's art direction was by Botho Hoefer ...
'' (1931) as Vera Moretti
* ''
The Black Hussar'' (1932) as Marie Luise
* ''
Frederica'' (1932) as Friederike
* ''
The House of Dora Green
''The House of Dora Green'' (german: Salon Dora Green) is a 1933 German thriller film directed by Henrik Galeen and starring Mady Christians, Paul Hartmann, and Leonard Steckel. It was based on the novel ''Diplomatische Unterwelt'' by Hans Rudo ...
'' (1933) as Dora Green
* ''
The Empress and I
''The Empress and I'' (german: Ich und die Kaiserin) is a 1933 German musical comedy film directed by Friedrich Hollaender and starring Lilian Harvey, Mady Christians and Conrad Veidt.Bock & Bergfelder p. 209 It is also known by the alternative t ...
'' (1933) as Empress
* ''
Manolescu, Prince of Thieves
''Manolescu, Prince of Thieves'' (German: ''Manolescu, der Fürst der Diebe'') is a 1933 German comedy crime film directed by Georg C. Klaren and Willi Wolff and starring Iván Petrovich, Alfred Abel, Ellen Richter and Mady Christians.Giesen p.1 ...
'' (1933) as Comtesse Maria Freyenberg
* ''
The Only Girl'' (1933) as The Empress
* ''
A Wicked Woman
''A Wicked Woman'' is a 1934 drama film directed by Charles Brabin and starring Mady Christians as a woman who kills her abusive husband to protect her family and builds a new life to raise their four children. The film also stars Jean Parker and ...
'' (1934) as Naomi Trice
* ''
Escapade'' (1935) as Anita
* ''
Ship Cafe
''Ship Cafe'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Robert Florey.
Cast
* Carl Brisson as Chris Anderson
* Arline Judge as Ruby
* Mady Christians as Countess Boranoff
* William Frawley as Briney O'Brien
* Eddie Davis as Eddie Davis
* ...
'' (1935) as Countess Boranoff
* ''
Come and Get It'' (1936) as Karie Linbeck
* ''
Seventh Heaven'' (1937) as Marie
* ''
The Woman I Love'' (1937) as Florence
* ''
Heidi
''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Used ...
'' (1937) as Dete
* ''
Tender Comrade
''Tender Comrade'' is a 1943 black-and-white film released by RKO Radio Pictures, showing women on the home front living communally while their husbands are away at war.
The film stars Ginger Rogers, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey, and Kim Hunter and ...
'' (1943) as Manya Lodge
* ''
Address Unknown'' (1944) as Elsa Schulz
* ''
All My Sons'' (1948) as Kate Keller
* ''
Letter from an Unknown Woman'' (1948) as Frau Berndle
References
External links
*
*
*
ProfileVirtual-History.com; accessed February 23, 2015.
I Dare Say — Variety Spice of Life for Actress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christians, Mady
1892 births
1951 deaths
Austrian film actresses
Austrian stage actresses
Hollywood blacklist
Actresses from Vienna
Austrian expatriates in the United States
Austrian expatriates in Germany
20th-century Austrian actresses
People with acquired American citizenship