Marlene Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Marlene Schmidt a professional Engineer
, came to fame as winner of the 1961 Miss Universe
pageant
. Later she had a career in the movie industry.
She was raised in East Germany, the state also known in those days as German Democratic Republic
. There she gained a masters degree in engineering
. In 1960 she and her family moved to West Germany
and lived in Stuttgart
.
In 1961, keen on winning the car that was offered as prize, she entered the state pageant of Baden-Württemberg
. From there the 173 cm (5'8") tall blonde with black eyebrows went on to represent her state in the national pageant in the glamorous spa town of Baden-Baden
, where she was crowned Miss Germany
.
This gained her a trip across the Atlantic to Miami Beach, Florida
to compete with 47 other young ladies from around the world for the crown of Miss Universe
, a pageant then organized by Paramount Studios. The blonde became the tenth consecutive German entrant into the semi-finals of the event - which was a record then, later only bettered by the USA, Venezuela and lately also India. Most importantly, Marlene Schmidt went on to win the competition, thus becoming the first and to-date only German to be crowned Miss Universe, ahead of Miss Rosemarie Frankland
from Wales
who went on to console herself with the Miss World
title of the same year.
In 1962 Marlene Schmidt became the third of by now eight wives of the American TV actor Ty Hardin
, who was famous for the title role in the western-series Bronco
. They settled in the USA. The marriage, that lasted until 1966, produced one daughter, who remained Schmidt's only child, but who has nine half-siblings on her father's side.
Later, notably between 1972 and 1986, Marlene Schmidt became involved in the movie industry, where she acquired credits as actress, producer and writer in altogether eleven productions. None of the films achieved particular merit for plot or other production values apart from generally offering a liberal dose of female nudity, albeit the 1972 skin-fest The Stepmother distinguished itself for gaining an Oscar nomination for its musical score.
Eventually Marlene Schmidt decided to return to Germany, where she nowadays lives in Saarbrücken
.
¹ actress and producer
² additional writing credit
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, came to fame as winner of the 1961 Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageant
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
. Later she had a career in the movie industry.
She was raised in East Germany, the state also known in those days as German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. There she gained a masters degree in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. In 1960 she and her family moved to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and lived in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
In 1961, keen on winning the car that was offered as prize, she entered the state pageant of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. From there the 173 cm (5'8") tall blonde with black eyebrows went on to represent her state in the national pageant in the glamorous spa town of Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, where she was crowned Miss Germany
Miss Germany
Miss Germany is a national beauty pageant for unmarried women in Germany. In 1927, the contest was held for the first time.In the past there were several organisations which claimed the title: In the 1920s already, German jurisdiction decided that the title Miss Germany could not be patented or...
.
This gained her a trip across the Atlantic to Miami Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to compete with 47 other young ladies from around the world for the crown of Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
, a pageant then organized by Paramount Studios. The blonde became the tenth consecutive German entrant into the semi-finals of the event - which was a record then, later only bettered by the USA, Venezuela and lately also India. Most importantly, Marlene Schmidt went on to win the competition, thus becoming the first and to-date only German to be crowned Miss Universe, ahead of Miss Rosemarie Frankland
Rosemarie Frankland
Rosemarie Frankland was a Welsh beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World titles before becoming an actress.-Biography:...
from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
who went on to console herself with the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
title of the same year.
In 1962 Marlene Schmidt became the third of by now eight wives of the American TV actor Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin
Ty Hardin, born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr., is a former American actor best known as the star of the 1950s ABC western television series Bronco.-Early life:...
, who was famous for the title role in the western-series Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
. They settled in the USA. The marriage, that lasted until 1966, produced one daughter, who remained Schmidt's only child, but who has nine half-siblings on her father's side.
Later, notably between 1972 and 1986, Marlene Schmidt became involved in the movie industry, where she acquired credits as actress, producer and writer in altogether eleven productions. None of the films achieved particular merit for plot or other production values apart from generally offering a liberal dose of female nudity, albeit the 1972 skin-fest The Stepmother distinguished itself for gaining an Oscar nomination for its musical score.
Eventually Marlene Schmidt decided to return to Germany, where she nowadays lives in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
.
Filmography
Marlene Schmidt was involved in the following movies as actress and producer:- 1972: The Stepmother ¹
- 1974: The TeacherThe Teacher (1974 film)The Teacher is a 1974 American coming-of-age suspense film, written, produced, and directed by Hickmet Avedis and released by Crown International Pictures. The film stars Angel Tompkins, Jay North and Anthony James, and tells the story of an 18-year-old's first relationship with his alluring...
¹ - 1975: The Specialist ²
- 1975: Dr. Minx ¹
- 1976: Scorchy ¹
- 1978: Texas Detour ¹
- 1978: The Fifth Floor ²
- 1981: Separate Ways ²
- 1983: MortuaryMortuary (1983 film)Mortuary was a 1983 slasher film/horror movie which starred Bill Paxton, Mary Beth McDonough, David Wallace, Lynda Day George, with Michael Berryman and Christopher George in one of his final roles...
¹ - 1984: They're Playing with Fire ²
- 1986: KidnappedKidnapped (1986 film)Kidnapped is a 1986 animated movie directed by Geoff Collins. The film is based on the book by the same name Kidnapped by author Robert Louis Stevenson....
¹
¹ actress and producer
² additional writing credit
External links
- Miss Universe 1961 — Marlene Schmidt
- Veit Didczuneit, Dirk Külow: Miss Germany. Die deutsche Schönheitskönigin. S & L MedienContor, Hamburg, 1998; ISBN 3-931962-94-6
- Artikel im TIME Magazine, 28. Juli 1961
- Article in Der Spiegel (2001 / German)