Xenia Desni (

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

: Ксенія Десні; 19 January 1894 – 27 May 1962) was a Ukrainian silent screen era actress who predominantly appeared in German films.

Early life

Densi was born Ksenia Desnytska in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. She and her family fled the Russian Revolution. They first moved to Constantinople, where she began her acting career in Vaudeville. She later moved to Berlin. She later was involved in films directed by

Johannes Guter Johannes Guter (born Jānis Gūters; 25 April 1882 – 18 March 1962) was a Latvians, Latvian-born German filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer. Although most of his work is now lost, he is considered a pioneer of German silent cin ...

Career

Desni began her successful career at the beginning of the 1920s with the movie ''Sappho'', followed by a number of successful productions such as ''

Leap Into Life ''Leap Into Life'' (german: Der Sprung ins Leben) is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Xenia Desni, Walter Rilla and Paul Heidemann. It features one the earliest film appearances of the future star Marlene D ...

'', ''Die Prinzessin Suwarin'',

Wilhelm Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Alb ...

, ''Die Andere'', ''Ein Walzertraum'', ''Familie Schimek'', and ''Madame wagt einen Seitensprung''."Xenia Desni"
Fandango. Retrieved 13 August 2013. Her career declined shortly after the advent of

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, after which she appeared in only one film, ''Kriminalkommissar Eyck''. She was the mother of actress

Tamara Desni Tamara Desni (22 October 19137 February 2008) was a German-born British actress She appeared in films in the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Desni was born in Berlin as Tamara Brodsky,

."Tamara Desni"
''The Telegraph'' (15 February 2008). Retrieved 13 August 2013. Her daughter became a star of British films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Selected filmography

* '' The Black Panther'' (1921) * ''

Parisian Women ''Parisian Women'' (German: ''Pariserinnen'') is a 1921 German silent film directed by Léo Lasko and starring Ressel Orla, Xenia Desni and Ralph Arthur Roberts.Krautz p.314 The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Herlth and Walt ...

'' (1921) * '' Weib und Palette'' 1921) * '' Könnyved, der große Unbekannte'' (1922) * ''

Barmaid A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Call of Destiny ''The Call of Destiny'' (german: Der Ruf des Schicksals) is a 1922 German silent film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Xenia Desni, Fritz Kortner, and Ernst Hofmann Ernst Karl Heinrich Hofmann (7 December 1880 – 27 April 1945) was a ...

'' (1922) * ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'' (1923) * '' The Princess Suwarin'' (1923) * ''

Count Cohn ''Count Cohn'' (German: ''Graf Cohn'') is a 1923 German silent film directed by Carl Boese and starring Hermann Vallentin, Frida Richard and Bernd Aldor.Bock & Bergfelder p.168 The film's sets were designed by the art director Kurt Richter. Cas ...

'' (1923) * ''

'' (1924) * '' The Tower of Silence'' (1924) * '' The Other Woman'' (1924) * ''

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) * ''

The Found Bride ''The Found Bride'' (Germany: ''Die gefundene Braut'') is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Rochus Gliese and starring Xenia Desni, André Mattoni and Jenny Jugo. It premiered on 28 April 1925 at the Tauentzienpalast in Berlin.Hardt ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Pink Diamond ''The Pink Diamond'' (german: Der rosa Diamant) is a 1926 German silent comedy-drama film directed by Rochus Gliese and starring Xenia Desni, Rudolf Klein-Rogge and William Dieterle. It was based on the play ''Karriere'' by Richard Kepler. The ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Boxer's Bride ''The Boxer's Bride'' (german: Die Boxerbraut) is a 1926 German silent sports film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Xenia Desni, Willy Fritsch and Hermann Picha.Bock & Bergfelder p. 134 The film's sets were designed by the art director ...

'' (1926) * '' Kissing Is No Sin'' (1926) * ''

The Schimeck Family ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1926) * '' Nixchen'' (1926) * '' Rhenish Girls and Rhenish Wine'' (1927) * ''

Madame Dares an Escapade ''Madame Dares an Escapade'' (German: ''Madame wagt einen Seitensprung'') is a 1927 German silent film directed by Hans Otto and starring Xenia Desni, Livio Pavanelli and Carmen Cartellieri.Bock & Bergfelder p.474 It was shot in Vienna. Cast ...

'' (1927) * ''

Radio Magic ''Radio Magic'' (german: Funkzauber) is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Werner Krauss, Xenia Desni, and Fern Andra. The film's art direction was by Gustav A. Knauer and Willy Schiller Willy Schill ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Champion of the World ''Danny, the Champion of the World'', or simply Danny, is a 1975 children's book by Roald Dahl. The plot centres on Danny, a young English boy, and his father, William. They live in a Gypsy caravan, fix cars for a living in their mechanic sh ...

'' (1927) * ''

Marie's Soldier ''Marie's Soldier'' (german: Der Soldat der Marie, link=no) is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Erich Schönfelder and starring Xenia Desni, Harry Liedtke and Grit Haid. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios and the backlot of the B ...

'' (1927) * '' A Girl of the People'' (1927) * ''

The Orchid Dancer ''The Orchid Dancer'' (French: ''La danseuse Orchidée'') is a 1928 French silent film, silent drama film directed by Léonce Perret and starring Louise Lagrange, Ricardo Cortez and Xenia Desni.Rège p.989 It was shot at the Victorine Studios in ...

'' (1928) * ''

Archduke John Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwese ...

'' (1929) * ''

Commissioner Eyck ''Commissioner Eyck'' (german: Kriminalkommissar Eyck) is a 1940 German crime film directed by Milo Harbich and starring Anneliese Uhlig, Paul Klinger and Herbert Wilk.Moeller p. 32 It was shot at Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. Location shooting to ...

'' (1940)

References

External links

*
Photographs of Xenia Desni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desni, Xenia 1894 births 1962 deaths Actors from Kyiv Ukrainian stage actresses Ukrainian silent film actresses Actresses from the Russian Empire 20th-century Ukrainian actresses Ukrainian emigrants to Germany Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism