Ágnes Esterházy (born Ágnes Jósika de Branyitska, 15 January 1891 – 4 April 1956) was a Hungarian film actress who worked mainly in Austria and Germany. She appeared in 32 films between 1918 and 1943.

Biography

Ágnes Esterházy was born on 15 January 1891, the daughter of Count Jósika von Branyitska and Countess Ágnes Esterházy. She moved to

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, where Esterházy took acting lessons from

Ilka Pálmay Ilka Pálmay (often erroneously written Ilka von Pálmay; 21 September 1859 – 17 February 1945), born Ilona Petráss, was a Hungarian-born singer and actress. Pálmay began her stage career in Hungary by 1880, and by the early 1890s, she wa ...

and worked for Városi Színház, the local theater. Esterházy made her film debut in ''Palika'' (1918), followed by ''Lila test, sárga sapka'' (1918), and ''A szerelem mindent legyöz'' (1921).In 1923, after receiving an offer from

Sascha-Film Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period. History The business was established in 1910 by Alexander ...

, she left to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, where she starred in '' Young Medardus'' (1923). She married Freiherrn Heinz Conrad von Eybesfeld in 1923 and divorced in 1924. She was married to the actor Fritz Schulz In

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, she acted in '' Nanon ''(1924) with Harry Liedtke and Hanni Weisse, and '' Two People'' (1924) opposite Olaf Fjord. Esterházy appeared in silent classics such as '' Joyless Street'' (1925), starring

Asta Nielsen Asta Sofie Amalie Nielsen (11 September 1881 – 24 May 1972) was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were ...

and a pre-Hollywood fame

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

, and '' The Student of Prague'' (1926), starring

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...

. Although Esterházy was known for playing supporting roles throughout her career, she did play as the lead in films such as '' The Beggar Student'' (1927) and '' Chance the Idol'' (1927), both with Harry Liedtke. Under the direction of

Karl Grune Karl Grune (22 January 1890 – 2 October 1962) was an Austrian film director and writer who made many silent films in the 1920s. Grune was born into a Jewish family Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in Germa ...

, she acted in the historical drama '' Spy of Madame Pompadour'' (1928) with Liane Haid. The arrival of

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, 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, bu ...

ended Esterházy's career. Her final film appearance was in '' Gabriele Dambrone'' (1943), which credited her as Agnes von Esterhazy. Shortly after the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

, Esterházy's husband Fritz Schulz was arrested for "racial reasons" and presumably detained in the Rossauer Lände police prison in Vienna. It was only through the efforts of Esterházy that Schulz was released in late May or early June 1938. Ágnes Esterházy died on 4 April 1956 at 58 years old.

Selected filmography

*'' Young Medardus'' (1923) * '' Nanon'' (1924) * '' Two People'' (1924) * '' The Voice of the Heart'' (1924) * '' The Flight in the Night'' (1926) * '' The Student of Prague'' (1926) * ''

The Wooing of Eve ''The Wooing of Eve'' or ''Journey into Adventure'' () is a 1926 German silent film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch and Agnes Esterhazy. The film's sets were designed by the art director Rudi Feld. It was shot ...

'' (1926) * '' Wrath of the Seas'' (1926) * '' Two and a Lady'' (1926) * '' The Beggar Student'' (1927) * '' Chance the Idol'' (1927) * '' The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) * '' Spy of Madame Pompadour'' (1928) * '' His Majesty's Lieutenant'' (1929) * '' Father Radetzky'' (1929) * '' The Man Without Love'' (1929) * '' Love and Champagne'' (1930) * '' Gabriele Dambrone'' (1943)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esterhazy, Agnes 1898 births 1956 deaths Actors from Cluj-Napoca 20th-century Hungarian actresses Hungarian film actresses Hungarian silent film actresses Romanian people of Hungarian descent Agnes Hungarian nobility Hungarian expatriates in Germany