Gisela Uhlen
Encyclopedia
Gisela Uhlen was a German
film actress and occasional screen writer.
, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and distillery owner and former opera singer Augustin Schreck.
At the Leipziger Konservatorium
she enrolled in a modern dance class, and learnt classical ballet and acrobatics at the opera school. At 15 she decided to become a theatre actress and chose the stage-name Gisela Uhlen. After her final examination as a dancer and during her training period she married ballet teacher Herbert Freund.
At 17 she appeared for the first time at the Schauspielhaus Bochum
. In 1938 Heinrich George
brought her to the Berliner Schiller-Theater, where she was active until the end of the war. But even before her first stage appearance she had made film tests with Universum Film AG
(Ufa), and thereby obtained the leading actress role in the 1936
film . After the war performance of this film was prohibited. Uhlen played a young organist whose lover volunteered to go to the front
and there died.
From 1936 through 1960
, Uhlen appeared in 23 films, and in 1960 she steered her career into television
. Her career was active throughout her lifetime, with her having more than 56 television appearances into 2006, entirely in the German and Europe
an realm.
She married six times, most notably to German writer, director
and producer
Hans Bertram
, with whom she had daughter Barbara Bertam, who also became an actress, but with little success. With Wolfgang Kieling
she had a daughter Susanne Uhlen
, who is now a successful German actress. During the Cold War
, and following her divorce
from Hans Bertram, Uhlen fled into East Germany to avoid a custody battle over their daughter, an unusual move in a time when most people were attempting to escape from East Germany, but moved to West Berlin
in 1960.
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
film actress and occasional screen writer.
Biography
Uhlen was born Gisela Friedlinde Schreck in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and distillery owner and former opera singer Augustin Schreck.
At the Leipziger Konservatorium
Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig . Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatory of Music, it is the oldest university school of music in Germany....
she enrolled in a modern dance class, and learnt classical ballet and acrobatics at the opera school. At 15 she decided to become a theatre actress and chose the stage-name Gisela Uhlen. After her final examination as a dancer and during her training period she married ballet teacher Herbert Freund.
At 17 she appeared for the first time at the Schauspielhaus Bochum
Schauspielhaus Bochum
The Schauspielhaus Bochum is one of the largest and most notable theatres in Germany. It is located in the city of Bochum....
. In 1938 Heinrich George
Heinrich George
Heinrich George , born Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz, was a German stage and film actor.He had one of his first roles in the Fritz Lang directed film Metropolis and the first film version of Berlin Alexanderplatz...
brought her to the Berliner Schiller-Theater, where she was active until the end of the war. But even before her first stage appearance she had made film tests with Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
(Ufa), and thereby obtained the leading actress role in the 1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
film . After the war performance of this film was prohibited. Uhlen played a young organist whose lover volunteered to go to the front
Front (military)
A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces. This can be a local or tactical front, or it can range to a theater...
and there died.
From 1936 through 1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
, Uhlen appeared in 23 films, and in 1960 she steered her career into television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Her career was active throughout her lifetime, with her having more than 56 television appearances into 2006, entirely in the German and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an realm.
She married six times, most notably to German writer, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Hans Bertram
Hans Bertram
Hans Bertram was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for ten films between 1938 and 1985. He also directed six films between 1939 and 1952. He was married to German actress Gisela Uhlen.-External links:...
, with whom she had daughter Barbara Bertam, who also became an actress, but with little success. With Wolfgang Kieling
Wolfgang Kieling
Wolfgang Kieling was a German actor. In films since childhood in his native Germany, Kieling also occasionally appeared in English-language films, most notably in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain , where he played an East German agent brutally slain by Paul Newman...
she had a daughter Susanne Uhlen
Susanne Uhlen
Susanne Uhlen is a German actress. She is the daughter of actor Wolfgang Kieling, best known as being the voice of "Bert", of the Sesame Street duo Bert and Ernie, and German actress Gisela Uhlen, niece to German actor Max Schreck of Nosferatu fame.Uhlen began her acting career by doing acting...
, who is now a successful German actress. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and following her divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from Hans Bertram, Uhlen fled into East Germany to avoid a custody battle over their daughter, an unusual move in a time when most people were attempting to escape from East Germany, but moved to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
in 1960.
Filmography
|
Tatort Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland... : „Als gestohlen gemeldet“ (als Frau Stumm) Derrick (TV series) Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a... - Season 5, Episode 12: "Ute und Manuela" Derrick (TV series) Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a... - Season 7, Episode 6: "Die Entscheidung" |
Stage appearances
|
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France.... Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider... von Edward Albee Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often... Der Besuch der alten Dame Der Besuch der alten Dame is an opera in three acts by Gottfried von Einem to a German libretto by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, based on his play of the same name.-Performance history:... von Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire... Die Physiker The Physicists is a satiric drama often recognized as the most impressive yet most easily understood work of the Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt... von Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire... The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted... von Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs... Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre... Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to... |
Books
- Umarmungen und Enthüllungen. Berlin : Parthas-Verl., 2002. ISBN 3-932529-33-2
- Meine Droge ist das Leben. Weinheim : Beltz, Quadriga, 1993. ISBN 3-88679-199-8
- Mein Glashaus. Frankfurt/M : Ullstein, 1991. ISBN 3-7770-0178-3