Gerda Maurus
Gerda Maurus (actually Gertrud Maria Pfiel ; born August 25, 1903 in Breitenfurt , Lower Austria , † July 31, 1968 in Düsseldorf ) was an Austrian actress who became a star through her appearances in silent films .
life and work
Gerda Maurus, of Croatian descent (the father was an engineer and inventor), grew up in Vienna . As early as 1918, at the age of 15, she received her first engagements at the stages in Vienna. As a stage actress she acted in Munich at the Volkstheater and in Nuremberg and in the late 1920s also in Berlin at the Deutsches Theater .
Gerda Maurus was discovered in Berlin by the director Fritz Lang , who selected her for the female lead in his film Spione (1928). It fascinated him so much that he broke the bond with his partner and wife Thea von Harbou , who also wrote some of his scripts . The film Spies marked the breakthrough for Gerda Maurus. She was also successful in the second film with Fritz Lang, Frau im Mond (1929), alongside Willy Fritsch .
Gerda Maurus then played in about 20 sound films , including in Der Dschungel Ruft (1935), but there were no major successes. She concentrated more on stage work and played in Berlin, Vienna, Munich and Düsseldorf . In 1937 Gerda Maurus married the director Robert A. Stemmle , whose daughter Philine was born in 1943. During the Nazi regime, the actress had contact with Joseph Goebbels and was often seen in his salon .
After 1945 Gerda Maurus played in three West German film productions. Among them Die kleine Stadt wants go to sleep (1953) and two television productions, but she could no longer build on her earlier successes.
useful information
- Gerda Maurus was one of the coveted cigarette collector's pictures in the Gallery of Modern Beauty series by the manufacturer Josef Garbáty .
- The Filmmuseum Potsdam chose the haunting gaze of Gerda Maurus' eyes as the motif of one of its logos.
Filmography (selection)
- 1928: spies
- 1929: Woman in the Moon
- 1929: High treason
- 1930: The shot in the sound film studio
- 1930: Affair
- 1931: Checkmate
- 1931: The daredevil
- 1932: The white demon
- 1933: Invisible opponents
- 1934: the doppelganger
- 1934: A girl with power of attorney
- 1936: The jungle calls
- 1936: A passionate doctor
- 1937: Daphne and the diplomat
- 1939: border fire
- 1939: Princess Sissy
- 1949: my wife's friends
- 1954: The small town wants to go to sleep
- 1962: Before Sunset (TV)
Radio plays
- 1947: Erich Kästner : Ringelspiel 1947 - Director: Hanns Korngiebel ( RIAS Berlin)
Web links
- Gerda Maurus in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Gerda Maurus at filmportal.de
- Gerda Maurus at Cyranos.ch
- Pictures by Gerda Maurus In: Virtual History
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gerda Maurus: The hole in the stocking and my way to the film. In: Illustrierte Wochenpost , May 4, 1928, p. 6 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ Who do these eyes belong to? Filmmuseum Potsdam, 2012, archived from the original on August 5, 2007 ; accessed on January 10, 2017 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Maurus, Gerda |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pfiel, Gertrud Maria (maiden name); Stemmle, Gerda (married name from 1937) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian film actress of the silent film |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | uncertain: Breitenfurt near Vienna |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 31, 1968 |
| Place of death | Dusseldorf |