Gerda Maurus (25 August 1903 – 31 July 1968) was an Austrian actress. She was of Croatian descent and initially made her name on stage in

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. ...

. While performing in the theatre, she was discovered by the director

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

during a visit to his native city. Lang cast her in the female lead in his silent

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

'' Spione'' (1928) and she appeared in a number of German films during the

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

and

Nazi era Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

Selected filmography

* '' Spione'' (1928) * '' Frau im Mond'' (1929) * ''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

'' (1929) * ' (1930) * '' The Daredevil'' (1931) * ''

Alarm at Midnight ALARM (Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile) is a British anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). It was used by the RAF and is still used by the Royal Saudi ...

'' (1931) * '' The Stranger'' (1931) * ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'' (1931) * '' Death Over Shanghai'' (1932) * ''

The White Demon ''The White Demon'' (German: ''Der weiße Dämon'') is a 1932 German drama film directed by Kurt Gerron and starring Hans Albers, Gerda Maurus and Peter Lorre.Kreimeier pp. 198–199 The film is also known by the alternative title of ''Dope' ...

'' (1932) * '' Invisible Opponent'' (1933) * '' The Double'' (1934) * ''

A Woman With Power of Attorney ''A Woman With Power of Attorney'' (German: ''Ein Mädchen mit Prokura'') is a 1934 German drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous ...

'' (1934) * '' The Cossack and the Nightingale'' (1935) * '' The Call of the Jungle'' (1936) * ''

Daphne and the Diplomat ''Daphne and the Diplomat'' () is a 1937 German comedy film directed by Robert A. Stemmle and starring Karin Hardt, Gerda Maurus and Hans Nielsen.Bock & Bergfelder p. 79 The film's sets were designed by the art director Artur Günther. Cast ...

'' (1937) * '' My Wife's Friends'' (1949) * '' The Little Town Will Go to Sleep'' (1954)

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1903 births 1968 deaths Austrian stage actresses Austrian film actresses Austrian silent film actresses 20th-century Austrian actresses Austrian people of Croatian descent Austrian emigrants to Germany Actresses from Lower Austria {{Austria-actor-stub