Christiane Schmidtmer
Encyclopedia
Christiane Schmidtmer was a German
actress, fashion model and nude model
of the 1960s and 1970s.
, Germany
to Gertrud and Jakob Schmidtmer on Christmas Eve 1939. Her father worked for the Western governments and disappeared in Russia during the war.
The family later relocated from Mannheim to nearby Heidelberg
after her mother remarried.
At the age of seventeen her mother sent her to London
where Christiane attended St. Giles School to learn English. During her stay in England, she met a powerful man of British royalty who offered to send her to the Royal Academy of Arts if – in return – she would sleep with him. She packed her bags and left for Germany the same night.
After returning to Heidelberg, she attended the local Hölderlin-Gymnasium
(academic high school) from which she graduated during the late 1950s. In 1959 against strong family opposition – her mother wanted her to follow a career in medicine – Christiane Schmidtmer moved to Munich
where she began taking acting lessons. During that time she performed in afternoon stage productions for children.
in the USA. She also modelled for advertising companies, namely Max Factor
Cosmetics, before she started her movie career. She was hired as their featured model and introduced at the New York World's Fair
in 1964 followed by an American tour with visits to Los Angeles
, Las Vegas
and Chicago
.
She appeared in German TV and movie productions, such as Rolf Hädrich
's Delay in Marienborn
. During the filming in Berlin
and England she befriended co-star José Ferrer
. The friendship lasted until Ferrer's death in 1992. He later recommended her to Stanley Kramer
for his production of Ship of Fools
, her first US film in which she played Ferrer's beautiful mistress. But today, most people will remember her as the evil wardress in the exploitation women-in-prison film The Big Doll House
(1971) as well as the German Lufthansa
stewardess Lise Bruner in Boeing Boeing
. In this 1965 comedy she co-starred with Tony Curtis
, Jerry Lewis
, Thelma Ritter
and Dany Saval
(as the Air France
stewardess) and Suzanna Leigh
(as the British United Airways
stewardess).
Schmidtmer was one of just a few German actresses successful in 1960s Hollywood and was praised by critics as the most exciting German import since Marlene Dietrich
. Schmidtmer - with her attractive and typically German appearance - was often reduced to playing the "attractive German". Her nickname which stuck throughout her career was "Liebesbombe"/"Love Bomb".
Throughout the 1970s and towards the end of her career, Schmidtmer appeared in numerous US talk shows, television series, and B-Movie
productions such as The Giant Spider Invasion
(1975). In 1981 she appeared in Hot Bubblegum - Lemon Popsicle 3 - one of the sequels in the Israeli Eskimo Limon
series. Most sources list this as her last film; in it she portrayed a nymphomaniac piano teacher.
Schmidtmer continued to do commercials, and voiceover work in a number of productions. In 1980, shortly before ending her movie career, she published her autobiography My Wild Nights in Hollywood in German magazines. It was later translated into several languages.
In 1994 her apartment in Los Angeles was destroyed in a fire. Hundreds of videotapes including many demo tapes for casting offices, along with her movie and TV memorabilia were lost. In subsequent months Christiane Schmidtmer devoted much of her energy and time to rebuilding her memorabilia collection.
Shortly thereafter she permanently moved back to Germany to care for her aging mother. She led a quiet life during which her own health started to fail.
Christiane Schmidtmer died in her sleep on March 13, 2003 at her home in Heidelberg
, Germany
due to natural causes after an accident. She is survived by her last manager and long-time companion in Las Vegas and her mother who still lives in Heidelberg. She was interred at the family grave in Heidelberg.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actress, fashion model and nude model
Nude model
Nude model can refer to:*Model , modeling that has subjects pose without clothing as an aid in creating a work of art*Fetish model, modeling to add eroticism and sexuality to photography, graphic work, internet sites, and paintings...
of the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Christiane Schmidtmer was born in MannheimMannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Gertrud and Jakob Schmidtmer on Christmas Eve 1939. Her father worked for the Western governments and disappeared in Russia during the war.
The family later relocated from Mannheim to nearby Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
after her mother remarried.
At the age of seventeen her mother sent her to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where Christiane attended St. Giles School to learn English. During her stay in England, she met a powerful man of British royalty who offered to send her to the Royal Academy of Arts if – in return – she would sleep with him. She packed her bags and left for Germany the same night.
After returning to Heidelberg, she attended the local Hölderlin-Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(academic high school) from which she graduated during the late 1950s. In 1959 against strong family opposition – her mother wanted her to follow a career in medicine – Christiane Schmidtmer moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where she began taking acting lessons. During that time she performed in afternoon stage productions for children.
Career
Christiane Schmidtmer worked in the stage in Germany from 1961–1963, then turned to photographic modelling for German fashion and nude magazines and later, PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in the USA. She also modelled for advertising companies, namely Max Factor
Max Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
Cosmetics, before she started her movie career. She was hired as their featured model and introduced at the New York World's Fair
New York World's Fair
New York World's Fair may refer to:* 1939 New York World's Fair* 1964 New York World's Fair...
in 1964 followed by an American tour with visits to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
She appeared in German TV and movie productions, such as Rolf Hädrich
Rolf Hädrich
Rolf Hädrich was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1958 and 1989. His film Delay in Marienborn was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival.-External links:...
's Delay in Marienborn
Delay in Marienborn
Delay in Marienborn , is a 1963 German-French drama film directed by Rolf Hädrich. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released in the US in 1964 by Allied Artists as Stop Train 349.-Cast:...
. During the filming in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and England she befriended co-star José Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
. The friendship lasted until Ferrer's death in 1992. He later recommended her to Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
for his production of Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools
The ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory depicts a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction...
, her first US film in which she played Ferrer's beautiful mistress. But today, most people will remember her as the evil wardress in the exploitation women-in-prison film The Big Doll House
The Big Doll House
The Big Doll House is a 1971 women in prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates throughout daily life in a gritty, unidentified supra-tropical prison...
(1971) as well as the German Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
stewardess Lise Bruner in Boeing Boeing
Boeing Boeing
Boeing Boeing is a 1965 American bedroom farce comedy film, based on the 1960 French play Boeing-Boeing, and starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis. It was released on December 22, 1965...
. In this 1965 comedy she co-starred with Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, Thelma Ritter
Thelma Ritter
Thelma Ritter was an American supporting and character actress from the 1940s until her death in 1969.-Early life:...
and Dany Saval
Dany Saval
Dany Saval is a former French actress.Lithe and lovely French leading lady of the late 1950s and 1960s in both fluffy comedy and intrigue...
(as the Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
stewardess) and Suzanna Leigh
Suzanna Leigh
Suzanna Leigh is a former English actress.Born to a manufacturer of car engines Suzanna Leigh grew up in the Belgrave district of Leicester, England and later went to convent schools outside London...
(as the British United Airways
British United Airways
British United Airways was a private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations British airline formed as a result of the merger of Airwork Services and Hunting-Clan Air Transport in July 1960, making it the largest wholly private airline based in the United Kingdom at the time...
stewardess).
Schmidtmer was one of just a few German actresses successful in 1960s Hollywood and was praised by critics as the most exciting German import since Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. Schmidtmer - with her attractive and typically German appearance - was often reduced to playing the "attractive German". Her nickname which stuck throughout her career was "Liebesbombe"/"Love Bomb".
Throughout the 1970s and towards the end of her career, Schmidtmer appeared in numerous US talk shows, television series, and B-Movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
productions such as The Giant Spider Invasion
The Giant Spider Invasion
The Giant Spider Invasion is a low-budget 1975 film produced by Transcentury Pictures, a partnership owned by the film's director Bill Rebane. The film is about giant spiders that terrorize the town of Merrill, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. The Giant Spider Invasion was given a U.S. release...
(1975). In 1981 she appeared in Hot Bubblegum - Lemon Popsicle 3 - one of the sequels in the Israeli Eskimo Limon
Eskimo Limon
Eskimo Limon is a 1978 Israeli cult film directed by Boaz Davidson which led to a series of sequels.- Original film :Eskimo Limon was first released on February 11, 1978, starring Yftach Katzur , Jonathan Sagall , Zachi Noy and Anat Atzmon...
series. Most sources list this as her last film; in it she portrayed a nymphomaniac piano teacher.
Schmidtmer continued to do commercials, and voiceover work in a number of productions. In 1980, shortly before ending her movie career, she published her autobiography My Wild Nights in Hollywood in German magazines. It was later translated into several languages.
Later years and death
Following her movie career Christiane Schmidtmer worked as a licensed real estate agent with numerous million-dollar sales in southern California. She lived both in the US and Heidelberg.In 1994 her apartment in Los Angeles was destroyed in a fire. Hundreds of videotapes including many demo tapes for casting offices, along with her movie and TV memorabilia were lost. In subsequent months Christiane Schmidtmer devoted much of her energy and time to rebuilding her memorabilia collection.
Shortly thereafter she permanently moved back to Germany to care for her aging mother. She led a quiet life during which her own health started to fail.
Christiane Schmidtmer died in her sleep on March 13, 2003 at her home in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
due to natural causes after an accident. She is survived by her last manager and long-time companion in Las Vegas and her mother who still lives in Heidelberg. She was interred at the family grave in Heidelberg.
Filmography
- Shifshuf Naim (1981) aka Hot Bubblegum - Lemon Popsicle III .... Fritzi
- Half a House (1979) .... Gina
- Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
.... Lisa Engel (1 episode, 1977) - Police Story .... Lynn (1 episode, 1976)
- The Giant Spider InvasionThe Giant Spider InvasionThe Giant Spider Invasion is a low-budget 1975 film produced by Transcentury Pictures, a partnership owned by the film's director Bill Rebane. The film is about giant spiders that terrorize the town of Merrill, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. The Giant Spider Invasion was given a U.S. release...
(1975) .... Helga - The Specialist (1975/I) .... Nude Model
- Airport 1975Airport 1975Airport 1975 is a 1974 disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film Airport. It stars Charlton Heston and Karen Black and is directed by Jack Smight....
(1974) (uncredited) .... Angie Bell - Passenger - Police Story .... Hilda (1 episode, 1974)
- Scream, Pretty PeggyScream, Pretty PeggyScream, Pretty Peggy is an American television movie directed by Gordon Hessler. The teleplay was written by Arthur Hoffe and Jimmy Sangster...
(1973) (TV) .... Jennifer Elliot - The Big Doll HouseThe Big Doll HouseThe Big Doll House is a 1971 women in prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates throughout daily life in a gritty, unidentified supra-tropical prison...
(1971) .... Miss Dietrich - The Most Deadly Game .... Bettina (1 episode, 1970)
- Unser Doktor ist der Beste (1969) .... Frau Janssen
- Hogan's HeroesHogan's HeroesHogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
.... Heidi Baum (1 episode, 1968) - I Deal in Danger (1966) .... Erika von Lindendorf
- 12 O'Clock High .... Frieda von Heurtzel (1 episode, 1966)
- The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
.... Lucretia Ivronin (1 episode, 1966) - Blue Light .... Erika von Lindendorf (1 episode, 1966)
- Boeing BoeingBoeing BoeingBoeing Boeing is a 1965 American bedroom farce comedy film, based on the 1960 French play Boeing-Boeing, and starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis. It was released on December 22, 1965...
(1965) .... Lise Bruner/Lufthansa - Ship of FoolsShip of FoolsThe ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory depicts a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction...
(1965) .... Lizzi - DM-Killer (1965) .... Miranda
- Sechs Stunden Angst (1964) (TV) .... Carla de la Osta
- Fanny HillFanny HillMemoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland first published in England in 1748...
(1964) aka Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (USA) .... Fiona - Hafenpolizei (1 episode, 1963)
- Verspätung in MarienbornDelay in MarienbornDelay in Marienborn , is a 1963 German-French drama film directed by Rolf Hädrich. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released in the US in 1964 by Allied Artists as Stop Train 349.-Cast:...
(1963) aka Delay in Marienborn (USA) .... Karin - Ein Todesfall wird vorbereitet .... Sandra Williams (1963) (TV)