Salka Viertel
Encyclopedia
Salka Viertel was an actress and screenwriter. The pianist and composer Eduard Steuermann
was her brother. Mrs. Viertel was born Salomea Steuermann in Sambor
, a city then in the province of Galicia, which was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
, but today is in western Ukraine
.
(e.g.: Queen Christina
), with whom she also co-starred in MGM's German version of Anna Christie
in 1931.
and they had three sons, one of whom, Peter Viertel
, an accomplished writer and screenwriter, was married to actress Deborah Kerr
until his death in 2007. The Viertels, members of the Jewish-German intelligentsia, moved to the United States in 1928 for a planned four year stay.
In 1932, due to Hitler's rise, they decided to stay in Santa Monica, California
, where Peter grew up with his brothers, Hans and Thomas. The home in Santa Monica Canyon
was the site of salons
and meetings of the Hollywood intelligentsia
and the émigré
community of European intellectuals, particularly at the Sunday night tea parties. Salka Viertel was also active aiding those still trapped in Europe. She wrote a memoir The Kindness of Strangers.
Eduard Steuermann
Eduard Steuermann was an Austrian pianist and composer. The actress Salka Viertel was his sister...
was her brother. Mrs. Viertel was born Salomea Steuermann in Sambor
Sambir
Sambir is a city in the Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Sambir Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located at around , close to the border with Poland.-History:...
, a city then in the province of Galicia, which was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, but today is in western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Career
She co-wrote the scripts for many movies, particularly those starring her close friend Greta GarboGreta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
(e.g.: Queen Christina
Queen Christina (film)
Queen Christina is a Pre-Code Hollywood feature film loosely based on the life of 17th century Queen Christina of Sweden, produced in 1933, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, starring Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith and Lewis Stone. It was billed as Garbo's return to cinema...
), with whom she also co-starred in MGM's German version of Anna Christie
Anna Christie (1931 film)
Anna Christie is a 1930 German-language film adapted from the Eugene O'Neill play of the same title and filmed following the release of the English version released earlier the same year. Both versions feature leading actress Greta Garbo....
in 1931.
Personal life
Salka Viertel was married to Berthold ViertelBerthold Viertel
Berthold Viertel , born in Vienna, Austria was a screen writer and film director.-Arrival in America:He was married to screenplay writer and actress Salka Viertel from 30 April 1918 to 20 December 1947. The pair came to Los Angeles in 1928 planning to stay for just three years...
and they had three sons, one of whom, Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel was an author and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born to Jewish parents in Dresden, Germany, the writer and actress Salka Viertel and the writer Berthold Viertel. In 1928, his parents moved to Santa Monica, California where Viertel grew up with his brothers, Hans and Thomas...
, an accomplished writer and screenwriter, was married to actress Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr, CBE was a Scottish film and television actress from Glasgow. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time...
until his death in 2007. The Viertels, members of the Jewish-German intelligentsia, moved to the United States in 1928 for a planned four year stay.
In 1932, due to Hitler's rise, they decided to stay in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, where Peter grew up with his brothers, Hans and Thomas. The home in Santa Monica Canyon
Santa Monica neighborhoods
The western and northwestern border of Santa Monica, California is the stretch of Santa Monica Bay. On its other sides, the city is bordered by various districts of Los Angeles: the eastern border is Brentwood north of Wilshire Boulevard and West Los Angeles south of Wilshire, the northeastern...
was the site of salons
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
and meetings of the Hollywood intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
and the émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
community of European intellectuals, particularly at the Sunday night tea parties. Salka Viertel was also active aiding those still trapped in Europe. She wrote a memoir The Kindness of Strangers.
Filmography
- Anna ChristieAnna Christie (1931 film)Anna Christie is a 1930 German-language film adapted from the Eugene O'Neill play of the same title and filmed following the release of the English version released earlier the same year. Both versions feature leading actress Greta Garbo....
(German version) (1931) (actress) - Queen ChristinaQueen Christina (film)Queen Christina is a Pre-Code Hollywood feature film loosely based on the life of 17th century Queen Christina of Sweden, produced in 1933, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, starring Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith and Lewis Stone. It was billed as Garbo's return to cinema...
(1933) - The Painted VeilThe Painted Veil (1934 film)The Painted Veil is a 1934 drama film made by MGM. It was directed by Ryszard Bolesławski and produced by Hunt Stromberg from a screenplay by John Meehan, Salka Viertel, and Edith Fitzgerald, adapted from the 1925 W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil. The music score was by Herbert Stothart,...
(1934) - Anna Karenina (1935)
- Conquest (1937)
- Two-Faced WomanTwo-Faced WomanTwo-Faced Woman is a romantic comedy made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film stars Greta Garbo, in her final film role, and Melvyn Douglas, with Constance Bennett, Roland Young and Ruth Gordon...
(1941) - Deep ValleyDeep ValleyDeep Valley is a 1947 drama film starring Ida Lupino and Dane Clark. A young woman lives unhappily with her embittered parents in an isolated rural home until an escaped convict changes her dreary existence...
(1947) - L'Amante di Paride (1954)
- I Battellieri del Volga (1958)
External links
- A webpage about Salka Viertel with images