Marion Michael (17 October 1940 – 13 October 2007) was a German film actress and singer. She was best known for her role in the 1956 film ''

Liane, Jungle Goddess ''Liane, Jungle Goddess'' (German ''Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald'') is a 1956 West German film directed by Eduard von Borsody. It was based on the 1956 novel ''Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald'' by Anne Day-Helveg. The film attracted co ...

''. She was also the second German actress to appear nude on film, after

Hildegard Knef Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (; 28 December 19251 February 2002) was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff. Early years Hildegard Knef was born ...

who starred in the German film ''The Sinner'' in the 1950s. Michael was born Marion Ilonka Michaela Delonge in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

(now

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

). She was selected for the role of Liane in ''Liane, Jungle Goddess'' out of 12,000 prospective actresses. She was only 15 at the time of the filming, which took place on location in Africa, and she controversially appeared topless during the first half of the movie. The movie was a box office success. However, none of her following 10 films over the next six years were as successful. Michael suffered injuries in a car accident during this time period. She returned to acting, but stopped again in 1965. She suffered a bout of depression and, unusually, moved from

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

to Communist

East Germany 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 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. Michael sometimes returned to film and television acting later in her life, but only rarely. However, despite her lack of screen time after the 1960s, she remained a well known German film icon. Her last onscreen appearance was in a 1996 German television musical about her life, entitled '' Liane.'' Michael died of heart failure in

Gartz Gartz is a town in the Uckermark district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the West bank of the Oder River, on the border with Poland, about 20 km south of Szczecin, Poland. It is located within the historic region of Western Pomer ...

, Brandenburg, four days shy of her 67th birthday.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1956) * ' (1957) * '' The Mad Bomberg'' (1957) * '' Bombs on Monte Carlo'' (1960) * ''

Final Accord ''Final Accord'' or ''Final Chord'' (German: ''Schlußakkord'') is a 1960 drama film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Christian Marquand, Eleonora Rossi Drago and Viktor de Kowa. It was made as a co-production between France, Italy a ...

'' (1960) * ' (1961) * '' Jack and Jenny'' (1963)

References

External links

* 1940 births 2007 deaths German film actresses German television actresses 20th-century German actresses Actors from Königsberg 20th-century German women singers {{Germany-screen-actor-stub