Manja Behrens (12 April 1914 – 18 January 2003) was a German

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 ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television 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 is best remembered as the mistress of ''

Reichsleiter ' (national leader or Reich leader) was the second-highest political rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), next only to the office of ''Führer''. ''Reichsleiter'' also served as a paramilitary rank within the NSDAP and was the highest position attaina ...

Martin Bormann Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery. He gained immense power by using his position as Adolf Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information ...

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 ...

. The actress moved to the

Maxim Gorki Theater The Maxim Gorki Theatre (german: Maxim Gorki Theater) is a theatre in Berlin-Mitte named after the Soviet writer, Maxim Gorky. In 2012, the Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit named Şermin Langhoff as the artist director of the theatre. History It i ...

in 1967, where she was on stage for almost 25 years until reunification. Despite the ban on filming, which lasted until around 1980, she appeared sporadically in small film roles in DFF television productions. Since 1980, larger film roles followed in GDR television films as well as in West German television films. Along the way, she also took guest roles at the

Burgtheater The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...

in Vienna, the Staatstheater in Bern and the Stadttheater in Ingolstadt. "She is one of the actresses who are essential to German theater," wrote Der Tagesspiegel on the occasion of her 85th birthday. After the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

, she devoted herself to theater appearances as well as lecture tours, among other things.

Selected filmography

* ''

Stronger Than Regulations ''Stronger Than Regulations'' (German: ''Stärker als Paragraphen'') is a 1936 German mystery film directed by Jürgen von Alten and starring Paul Hartmann, Karl Hellmer and Manja Behrens. It was shot at the Grunewald Studios in Berlin. The film' ...

'' (1936) * ''

Susanne in the Bath ''Susanne in the Bath'' (German: ''Susanne im Bade'') is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Jürgen von Alten and starring Manja Behrens, Max Gülstorff and Erich Fiedler.Waldman p.155 The title is an allusion to the biblical story of Susanna. ...

'' (1936) * '' Gejagt bis zum Morgen'' (1957) * ''

Ehesache Lorenz ''Ehesache Lorenz'' is an East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on ...

'' (1959) * ''

Seilergasse 8 ''Seilergasse 8'' is an East German film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, ...

'' (1960) * '' The Fair'' (1960)

References

Bibliography

* Waldman, Harry. ''Nazi Films in America, 1933–1942''. McFarland, 2008.

External links

* 1914 births 2003 deaths German film actresses German stage actresses Actresses from Dresden {{Germany-actor-stub