Trude Berliner

Regarding German cinema from the 1920s and 1930s, everyone has heard of Marlene Dietrich, of Pola Negri, of Asta Nielsen. But an actress like Trude Berliner is almost completely unknown outside of Germany. And she’s not the only one in that case : how about Elisabeth Bergner, Blandine Ebinger, Trude Hesterberg, Christa Tordy, Carola Neher, Erika Glässner ? Forgotten names. But they were great stars in their time, like Scarlett Johansson or Angelina Jolie in our days.
I find Trude Berliner one of the most beautiful of that period. Kind of "girl next door", but very charming. 

As her name indicates, she was born in the German capital in 1903. She didn’t belong then to the same generation as Pola Negri or Asta Nielsen, but she was a contemporary of "la Dietrich" or for that matter, of Leni Riefenstahl.
Her first career was in the cabaret world. Her film debut : 1925. Her most succesful period in German film was between 1928 and 1933, in which year she had to leave, as many other Jewish artists.
Trude didn’t really succeed in Hollywood. Her only somewhat important film appearance was in Casablanca, in 1942.
Trude died in 1977 in California. 

 

In Casablanca