Zarah Leander
Encyclopedia
Zarah Leander was a Swedish
actress and singer.
Leander began her career in the late 1920s, and by the mid 1930s her success in Europe
, particularly in Germany
and the Scandinavia
n countries, led to invitations to work in the United States
. Leander was reluctant to relocate her children, and opted to remain in Europe, and from 1936 was contracted to work for the German Universum Film AG
(UFA) while continuing to record songs. Leander later noted that while her films were successful, her work as a recording artist was more profitable.
As a result of her controversial choice to work for the state-owned UFA in Adolf Hitler
's Germany, her films and song lyrics were viewed by some as propaganda
for the Nazi cause, although she took no public political position. Leander was strongly criticized as a result, particularly in Sweden
where she returned after her Berlin
home was bombed during an air raid
. Initially she was shunned by much of the artistic community and public in Sweden, and found herself unable to resume her career after the Second World War. It was several years before she could make a comeback in Sweden, and she would remain a figure of public controversy for the rest of her life.
Eventually she returned to performing throughout Europe, but was unable to equal the level of success she had previously achieved. She spent her later years in retirement in Stockholm
, and died there at the age of 74.
. While Zarah Leander's career in the Third Reich has been criticized, rumors nevertheless erroneously implied that Zarah was of Jewish heritage. According to her son Göran, his mother's family, going back through generations, were from the Swedish provinces of Dalarna
and Värmland
.
Although Zarah Leander studied piano and violin as a small child, and sang on stage for the first time at the age of six, she initially had no intention of becoming a professional performer and led an ordinary life for several years. As a teenager she lived two years in Riga
(1922–1924), where she learned German
, took up work as a secretary, married Nils Leander (1926), and had two children (1927 and 1929). However, in 1929 she was engaged, as an amateur, in a touring cabaret
by the entertainer and producer Ernst Rolf
and for the first time sang "Vill ni se en stjärna," ('Do you want to see a star?') which soon would become her signature tune.
In 1930, she participated in four cabarets in the capital, Stockholm, made her first records, including a cover
of Marlene Dietrich
's "Falling in Love Again
", and played a part in a film. However, it was as "Hanna Glavari" in Franz Lehár
's operetta
The Merry Widow
that she had her definitive break-through (1931). By then she had divorced Nils Leander. In the following years, she expanded upon her career and made a living as an artist on stage and in film in Scandinavia
. Her fame brought her proposals from the European continent and from Hollywood, where a number of Swedish actors and directors were working.
In the beginning of the 1930s she performed with the Swedish revue artist, producer and songwriter Karl Gerhard
who was a prominent anti-Nazi. He wrote a song for Zarah Leander, "I skuggan av en stövel" (In the shadow of a boot), in 1934 which strongly condemned the persecution of Jews in Nazi-Germany.
Zarah Leander opted for an international career on the European continent. As a mother of two school-age children, she ruled out a move to America. In her view it was, most of all, too insecure. She feared the consequences, should she bring the children with her such a great distance and subsequently be unable to find employment. Despite the political situation, Austria and Germany were much closer, and Leander was already well-versed in German.
A second breakthrough, by contemporary measures her international debut, was the world premiere (1936) of Axel an der Himmelstür at the Theater an der Wien
in Vienna
, directed by Max Hansen
. It was a parody
on Hollywood and not the least a parody of the German Marlene Dietrich
, who had left a Europe marked by Benito Mussolini
, Joseph Stalin
and Adolf Hitler
. It was followed by the Austrian film Premiere, in which she played the role of a successful cabaret star.
in Berlin
. She became known as an extraordinarily tough negotiator, demanding influence and high salaries with half of her salary paid in Swedish kronor to a bank in Stockholm. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
dubbed her an "Enemy of Germany", but as a leading film star at UFA, she participated in ten films, most of them great successes. However, unlike other film stars at the time, such as Olga Chekhova
, Leander neither socialized with leading party members nor took part in official Nazi party functions. (Both actresses are rumored to have been Communist spies.)
At a party she met the Nazi minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels (Joseph Goebbels
), who asked her ironically: "Zarah... Isn't this a Jewish name?" "Oh, maybe" the actress told "but what about Josef?" "Hmmm... yes, yes, a good answer" Goebbels replied.
In her films, Zarah Leander repeatedly played the role of a femme fatale
, independently minded, beautiful, passionate and self-confident. Although most of her songs had a melancholic flair, some had a frivolous undertext, or could at least be interpreted that way. In 1942, in the midst of a burning war, Leander scored the two biggest hits of her recording career - in her signature deep voice, she sang her anthems of hope and survival: "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" ('That is not the end of the world') and "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n" ('I know that someday a miracle will happen'). These two songs in particular are often included in contemporary documentaries as obvious examples of effective Nazi propaganda at work; however, it should also be noted that Leander's performance on these tracks, along with countless other hits she had all over Europe, struck a chord with the German people. Although no exact record sales numbers exist, it is likely that she was among Europe's best-selling recording artists in the years prior to 1945. Zarah herself was quick to point out in later years that what made her a fortune was indeed not her salary from Ufa, but the royalties from the records she released. "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n
" was the song on which New Wave singer Nina Hagen
(who grew up in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and as a child had idolized Leander) based her 1983 hit "Zarah".
was hit in an air raid, and the increasingly desperate Nazis pressured her to apply for German citizenship. At this point she decided to break her contract with Ufa, leave Germany, and retreat to Sweden, where she had bought a mansion at Lönö, not far from Stockholm.
After the Wehrmacht
's defeat in the 1943 Battle of Stalingrad
, public opinion in Sweden (the government of which remained officially neutral throughout the war, though ideologically aligned with the Allies, but also supplying the Nazis with strategic war materials), was more free to display outward hostility toward the Nazis, especially as news of the Holocaust became widespread (public opinion was mainly anti-Nazi from the start, but was censored in the press by the government, to avoid severe repercussions from Germany). Leander had been far too extensively associated with Nazi propaganda, and as a result was shunned. Gradually she managed to land engagements on the Swedish stage. After the war she did eventually return to tour Germany and Austria, giving concerts, making new records and acting in musicals. Her comeback found an eager audience among pre-war generations who had never forgotten her. She appeared in a number of films and television shows, but she would never regain the popularity she had enjoyed before and into the first years of World War II
. In 1981, after having retired from show business, she died in Stockholm of a stroke
.
After the war, Zarah Leander was often questioned about her years in Nazi Germany. Though she would willingly talk about her past, she stubbornly rejected allegations of her having had sympathy for the Nazi regime. She claimed that her position as a German film actress merely had been that of an entertainer working to please an enthusiastic audience in a difficult time. She repeatedly described herself as a political idiot.
Zarah Leander continued to be very popular in Germany for many decades after WWII. She was interviewed several times in German television until she died.
In 1987 two Swedish musicals were written about Zarah Leander.
In 2003 a bronze statue was placed in Zarah Leander's home town Karlstad, by the Opera house of Värmland where she first began her career. After many years of discussions, the town government accepted this statue on behalf of the first Swedish local Zarah Leander Society. Many great Swedish artists celebrated on that day, but nothing further has been done to profile Karlstad as the birthplace of Zarah Leander.. A Zarah Leander museum is open near her mansion outside Norrköping. Every year a scholarship is given to a creative artist in Zarah's tradition. The performer Mattias Enn received the prize in 2010, the female impersonator Jörgen Mulligan in 2009 and Zarah's friend and creator of the museum Brigitte Pettersson in 2008.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress and singer.
Leander began her career in the late 1920s, and by the mid 1930s her success in 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...
, particularly in 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...
and the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries, led to invitations to work in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Leander was reluctant to relocate her children, and opted to remain in Europe, and from 1936 was contracted to work for the German 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) while continuing to record songs. Leander later noted that while her films were successful, her work as a recording artist was more profitable.
As a result of her controversial choice to work for the state-owned UFA in Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Germany, her films and song lyrics were viewed by some as propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
for the Nazi cause, although she took no public political position. Leander was strongly criticized as a result, particularly in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where she returned after her 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...
home was bombed during an air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
. Initially she was shunned by much of the artistic community and public in Sweden, and found herself unable to resume her career after the Second World War. It was several years before she could make a comeback in Sweden, and she would remain a figure of public controversy for the rest of her life.
Eventually she returned to performing throughout Europe, but was unable to equal the level of success she had previously achieved. She spent her later years in retirement in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and died there at the age of 74.
Beginnings
She was born as Sara Stina Hedberg in KarlstadKarlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
. While Zarah Leander's career in the Third Reich has been criticized, rumors nevertheless erroneously implied that Zarah was of Jewish heritage. According to her son Göran, his mother's family, going back through generations, were from the Swedish provinces of Dalarna
Dalarna
', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
and Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
.
Although Zarah Leander studied piano and violin as a small child, and sang on stage for the first time at the age of six, she initially had no intention of becoming a professional performer and led an ordinary life for several years. As a teenager she lived two years in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
(1922–1924), where she learned German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, took up work as a secretary, married Nils Leander (1926), and had two children (1927 and 1929). However, in 1929 she was engaged, as an amateur, in a touring cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
by the entertainer and producer Ernst Rolf
Ernst Rolf
Ernst Rolf, real name Ernst Ragnar Johansson, , was a Swedish revue actor and singer. In the 1920s he was famous for producing revues that were acclaimed for their dazzling sets, first class actors and stirring music. He was also a lyricist and composer...
and for the first time sang "Vill ni se en stjärna," ('Do you want to see a star?') which soon would become her signature tune.
In 1930, she participated in four cabarets in the capital, Stockholm, made her first records, including a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of 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...
's "Falling in Love Again
Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
"Falling in Love Again " is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt...
", and played a part in a film. However, it was as "Hanna Glavari" in Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
's operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
that she had her definitive break-through (1931). By then she had divorced Nils Leander. In the following years, she expanded upon her career and made a living as an artist on stage and in film in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Her fame brought her proposals from the European continent and from Hollywood, where a number of Swedish actors and directors were working.
In the beginning of the 1930s she performed with the Swedish revue artist, producer and songwriter Karl Gerhard
Karl Gerhard
Karl Gerhard was a Swedish revue-writer and performer. Many of Karl Gerhard’s plays and songs are politically to the left, and during the 1930s and World War II, they contained clear anti-fascist statements....
who was a prominent anti-Nazi. He wrote a song for Zarah Leander, "I skuggan av en stövel" (In the shadow of a boot), in 1934 which strongly condemned the persecution of Jews in Nazi-Germany.
Zarah Leander opted for an international career on the European continent. As a mother of two school-age children, she ruled out a move to America. In her view it was, most of all, too insecure. She feared the consequences, should she bring the children with her such a great distance and subsequently be unable to find employment. Despite the political situation, Austria and Germany were much closer, and Leander was already well-versed in German.
A second breakthrough, by contemporary measures her international debut, was the world premiere (1936) of Axel an der Himmelstür at the Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, directed by Max Hansen
Max Hansen (tenor)
Max Hansen was a Danish singer known as 'The Little Caruso', also a cabaret artist, actor and comedian.- Biography :...
. It was a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
on Hollywood and not the least a parody of the German 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...
, who had left a Europe marked by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. It was followed by the Austrian film Premiere, in which she played the role of a successful cabaret star.
The UFA star
In 1936, she landed a contract with UFAUniversum 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...
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...
. She became known as an extraordinarily tough negotiator, demanding influence and high salaries with half of her salary paid in Swedish kronor to a bank in Stockholm. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
dubbed her an "Enemy of Germany", but as a leading film star at UFA, she participated in ten films, most of them great successes. However, unlike other film stars at the time, such as Olga Chekhova
Olga Chekhova
Olga Konstantinovna Chekhova, née Knipper — 9 March 1980, Berlin, Germany) was a Russian-German actress. Her film roles include the female lead in Alfred Hitchcock's Mary .- Biography :...
, Leander neither socialized with leading party members nor took part in official Nazi party functions. (Both actresses are rumored to have been Communist spies.)
At a party she met the Nazi minister of Propaganda, Josef Goebbels (Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
), who asked her ironically: "Zarah... Isn't this a Jewish name?" "Oh, maybe" the actress told "but what about Josef?" "Hmmm... yes, yes, a good answer" Goebbels replied.
In her films, Zarah Leander repeatedly played the role of a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, independently minded, beautiful, passionate and self-confident. Although most of her songs had a melancholic flair, some had a frivolous undertext, or could at least be interpreted that way. In 1942, in the midst of a burning war, Leander scored the two biggest hits of her recording career - in her signature deep voice, she sang her anthems of hope and survival: "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" ('That is not the end of the world') and "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n" ('I know that someday a miracle will happen'). These two songs in particular are often included in contemporary documentaries as obvious examples of effective Nazi propaganda at work; however, it should also be noted that Leander's performance on these tracks, along with countless other hits she had all over Europe, struck a chord with the German people. Although no exact record sales numbers exist, it is likely that she was among Europe's best-selling recording artists in the years prior to 1945. Zarah herself was quick to point out in later years that what made her a fortune was indeed not her salary from Ufa, but the royalties from the records she released. "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n
Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen
"Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen" is a song composed by Bruno Balz and Michael Jary, which was originally recorded by Swedish actress and singer Zarah Leander.-Nina Hagen cover:...
" was the song on which New Wave singer Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
(who grew up in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and as a child had idolized Leander) based her 1983 hit "Zarah".
Return to Sweden
Her last film in Nazi Germany premiered on 3 March 1943. Her villa in the fashionable Berlin suburb of GrunewaldGrunewald
Grunewald is a locality within the Berliner borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Famous for the homonymous forest, until 2001 administrative reform it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf.-Geography:The locality is situated in the western side of the city and is separated from...
was hit in an air raid, and the increasingly desperate Nazis pressured her to apply for German citizenship. At this point she decided to break her contract with Ufa, leave Germany, and retreat to Sweden, where she had bought a mansion at Lönö, not far from Stockholm.
After the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
's defeat in the 1943 Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, public opinion in Sweden (the government of which remained officially neutral throughout the war, though ideologically aligned with the Allies, but also supplying the Nazis with strategic war materials), was more free to display outward hostility toward the Nazis, especially as news of the Holocaust became widespread (public opinion was mainly anti-Nazi from the start, but was censored in the press by the government, to avoid severe repercussions from Germany). Leander had been far too extensively associated with Nazi propaganda, and as a result was shunned. Gradually she managed to land engagements on the Swedish stage. After the war she did eventually return to tour Germany and Austria, giving concerts, making new records and acting in musicals. Her comeback found an eager audience among pre-war generations who had never forgotten her. She appeared in a number of films and television shows, but she would never regain the popularity she had enjoyed before and into the first years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1981, after having retired from show business, she died in Stockholm of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
.
After the war, Zarah Leander was often questioned about her years in Nazi Germany. Though she would willingly talk about her past, she stubbornly rejected allegations of her having had sympathy for the Nazi regime. She claimed that her position as a German film actress merely had been that of an entertainer working to please an enthusiastic audience in a difficult time. She repeatedly described herself as a political idiot.
Zarah Leander continued to be very popular in Germany for many decades after WWII. She was interviewed several times in German television until she died.
In 1987 two Swedish musicals were written about Zarah Leander.
In 2003 a bronze statue was placed in Zarah Leander's home town Karlstad, by the Opera house of Värmland where she first began her career. After many years of discussions, the town government accepted this statue on behalf of the first Swedish local Zarah Leander Society. Many great Swedish artists celebrated on that day, but nothing further has been done to profile Karlstad as the birthplace of Zarah Leander.. A Zarah Leander museum is open near her mansion outside Norrköping. Every year a scholarship is given to a creative artist in Zarah's tradition. The performer Mattias Enn received the prize in 2010, the female impersonator Jörgen Mulligan in 2009 and Zarah's friend and creator of the museum Brigitte Pettersson in 2008.
Filmography
- 1930 – Dantes Mysterier, with Eric AbrahamsonEric AbrahamsonDr. Eric John Abrahamson is an institutional historian and the 2006 Democratic candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor in South Dakota. His running mate was Dr. Jack Billion.- Professional and Civic Life :...
, Elisabeth Frisk, Gustaf Lövås - 1931 – Falska Millionären, with Sture LagerwallSture LagerwallSture Lagerwall was a Swedish actor and film director. He appeared in 75 films between 1931 and 1963.He was born in Stockholm, Sweden and died in Limhamn, Sweden.-Selected filmography:...
, Fridolf RhudinFridolf Rhudin-Filmography :*Simon i Backabo *Hemliga Svensson *Fridolf i lejonkulan *Muntra musikanter *Pojkarna på Storholmen *Skepp ohoj! *Falska millionären *Kronans kavaljerer... - 1935 – Äktenskapsleken, with Einar Axelsson, Karl GerhardKarl GerhardKarl Gerhard was a Swedish revue-writer and performer. Many of Karl Gerhard’s plays and songs are politically to the left, and during the 1930s and World War II, they contained clear anti-fascist statements....
, Elsa Carlsson - 1936 – Premiere (her first film in German), with Karl Martell, Attila HörbigerAttila HörbigerAttila Hörbiger was an Austrian stage and movie actor.Hörbiger was born in Budapest, then Austria–Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger and younger brother of actor Paul Hörbiger...
, Theo LingenTheo LingenTheo Lingen , born Franz Theodor Schmitz, was a German actor, director and screenwriter. He appeared in over 230 films between 1929 and 1978, and directed 21 films between 1936 and 1960.-Life and career:... - 1937 – Zu neuen Ufern, with Willy BirgelWilly BirgelWilly Birgel , born Wilhelm Maria Birgel, was German theatre and film actor.Birgel began his acting career before World War I on the stage in his native city of Cologne, and came to movies rather late...
, Viktor StaalViktor Staal-Selected filmography:* Ride to Freedom * Spy for Germany * Der Jäger von Fall * The Standard -External links:...
, Carola HöhnCarola Höhn-Selected filmography:* Derrick - Season 4, Episode 2: "Hals in der Schlinge" * Derrick - Season 5, Episode 9: "Lissas Vater" * Derrick - Season 6, Episode 10: "Das dritte Opfer" * Derrick - Season 7, Episode 11: "Pricker" -Honours:...
, Erich Ziegel, Hilde von StolzHilde von StolzHilde von Stolz was an Austrian-German actress.von Stolz attended the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and made her debut at the local Chamber of games... - 1937 – La HabaneraLa Habanera (film)La Habanera is a 1937 German melodramatic feature film directed by Detlev Sierck . Zarah Leander, recently signed by UFA, is the main star in the lead role of Astrée Sternhjelm and performs its title song, "La Habanera"...
, with Ferdinand MarianFerdinand MarianFerdinand Marian was an Austrian theatre and film actor, best known for playing the leading character of Joseph Süß Oppenheimer in the Nazi propaganda film Jud Süß.-Life and career:...
, Karl Martell, Paul BildtPaul BildtPaul Hermann Bildt was a German film actor. He appeared in over 180 films between 1910 and 1956. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany.- Selected filmography :* Ludwig II: Glanz und Ende eines Königs...
, Edwin Juergenssen, Werner FinckWerner FinckWerner Finck was a German comedian, an actor with "comic bones". He could read the phone book and it would seem extremely funny.-Life:... - 1938 – Heimat, with Heinrich GeorgeHeinrich GeorgeHeinrich 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...
, Ruth Hellberg, Lina Carstens, Paul HörbigerPaul HörbigerPaul Hörbiger was an Austrian theatre and film actor.-Life and work:Paul Hörbiger was born in Budapest, the son of Hans Hörbiger, an engineer who wrote Welteislehre on glacial cosmology, and elder brother of actor Attila Hörbiger. In 1902 the family returned to Vienna, while Paul attended the...
, Leo SlezakLeo SlezakLeo Slezak was a world-famous Moravian tenor. He was associated in particular with German opera as well as the title role in Verdi's Otello.- Beginnings :... - 1938 – Der Blaufuchs, with Willy Birgel, Paul Hörbiger, Jane Tilden, Karl SchönböckKarl Schönböck-Selected filmography:* Daphne and the Diplomat * Bismarck * Das Grosse Spiel * Titanic * Peter Voss, der Millionendieb * Feuerwerk * Der Kongreß tanzt * Love Now, Pay Later...
, Rudolf PlatteRudolf Platte-Selected filmography:* Gold * Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel * Mamitschka * Dr. Sibelius * Destination Death * Veronika Voss... - 1939 – Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht, with Marika RökkMarika RökkMarika Rökk was an Austrian-German singer, dancer and actress of Hungarian descent, who became famous in German films, notably in the Nazi era.- Life and work :...
, Paul DahlkePaul DahlkePaul Victor Ernst Dahlke was a German stage and film actor.- Career :Dahlke was born in Gross Streitz near Köslin in Farther Pomerania. He visited school in Köslin, Stargard and passed his Abitur in Dortmund in 1922...
, Aribert WäscherAribert Wäscher-Selected filmography:* Lady Windermeres Fächer * Women Are Better Diplomats * Rembrandt * The Adventures of Fridolin * The Man Between -External links:... - 1939 – Das Lied der Wüste, with Gustav KnuthGustav KnuthGustav Knuth was a German film actor. He appeared in 128 films between 1935 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* Friedemann Bach * Das Grosse Spiel * Die Mücke * Sissi...
, Friedrich DominFriedrich DominFriedrich Domin was a German film actor. He appeared in 63 films between 1939 and 1961.He was born in Beuthen, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Comedians...
, Herbert Wilk, Franz SchafheitlinFranz SchafheitlinFranz Schafheitlin was a German film actor. He appeared in over 160 films between 1927 and 1974.He was born in Berlin, Germany and died in Bavaria, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Sorceror... - 1940 – Das Herz der KöniginDas Herz der KöniginDas Herz der Königin is a 1940 German historical film, making selective use of the life story of Mary, Queen of Scots and her execution by Queen Elizabeth I for anti-British propaganda purposed, in the context of the Second World War going on at the time.The cast included* Zarah Leander, starring...
, with Willy Birgel, Axel von AmbesserAxel von AmbesserAxel Eugen Alexander von Österreich , better known as Axel von Ambesser, was a German actor and film director....
, Will QuadfliegWill QuadfliegFriedrich Wilhelm "Will" Quadflieg was a German actor from Oberhausen. He was the father of actor Christian Quadflieg. He is considered one of Germany's best post-war actors. One of his most widely recognized roles was in the title role in the 1960 film Faust. He also starred in a number of other...
, Margot HielscherMargot HielscherMargot Hielscher is a German singer and film actress. She appeared in over fifty films between and 1939 and 1994.... - 1941 – Der Weg ins Freie, with Hans Stüwe, Agnes WindeckAgnes WindeckAgnes Windeck was a German theatre and film actress. She appeared in 55 films between 1939 and 1973.She was born in Hamburg and started her career at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. She later worked as a teacher at the drama school of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin...
, Siegfried BreuerSiegfried BreuerSiegfried Breuer was an Austrian stage and film actor and occasional film director and screenwriter.- Biography :...
, Hedwig Wangel - 1942 – Die große Liebe, with Viktor Staal, Paul Hörbiger, Grethe WeiserGrethe WeiserGrethe Weiser was a German actress.- Biography :Born in Hanover, she spent her childhood in Dresden. She escaped from her dominant and sometimes violent father by marrying a Jewish confectionery manufacturer in 1920. Her only child, a son, was born in 1922...
, Wolfgang PreissWolfgang PreissWolfgang Preiss was a German theatre, film and television actor.The son of a teacher, in the early 1930s Preiss studied philosophy, German and drama. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schlenck, making his stage début in Munich in 1932... - 1942 – Damals, with Hans Stüwe, Rossano BrazziRossano Brazzi-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
, Karl Martell, Hilde KörberHilde KörberHilde Körber was a German film actress. She appeared in 53 films between 1930 and 1964.She was born in Vienna, Austria and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Great King * Morituri...
, Otto Graf - 1950 – Gabriela, with Siegfried Breuer, Carl Raddatz, Grethe WeiserGrethe WeiserGrethe Weiser was a German actress.- Biography :Born in Hanover, she spent her childhood in Dresden. She escaped from her dominant and sometimes violent father by marrying a Jewish confectionery manufacturer in 1920. Her only child, a son, was born in 1922...
, Gunnar Möller - 1952 – Cuba Cabana, with O. W. FischerO. W. FischerOtto Wilhelm Fischer was an Austrian actor. A leading man of German cinema, he began his career with Max Reinhardt's stage company....
, Paul Hartmann, Hans RichterHans Richter (actor)Hans Richter was a German film actor. He appeared in over 130 films between 1931 and 1984.He was born in Brandenburg, Germany and died in Heppenheim, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Black Cobra...
, Eduard LinkersEduard LinkersEduard Linkers was an Austrian actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1936 and 1988.-Selected filmography:* Men Without Wings * Krakatit * Question 7 * The Marquise of O...
, Karl Meixner, Werner Lieven - 1953 – Ave Maria, with Hans Stüwe, Marianne HoldMarianne HoldMarianne Hold was a German movie actress who became popular in the 1950s and 1960s for her numerous roles in romantic comedy films set in rural, especially Alpine, areas .- Biography :...
, Hilde Körber, Berta Drews, Carl WeryCarl WeryCarl Sebastian Martin Wery was a German actor.- Filmography :* 1933: Keinen Tag ohne Dich* 1935: Königswalzer... - 1954 – Bei Dir war es immer so schön, with Willi ForstWilli ForstWilli Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer...
, Heinz DracheHeinz DracheHeinz Drache was a German film actor. He appeared in 42 films between 1953 and 2002.He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Rest Is Silence...
, Sonja ZiemannSonja ZiemannSonja Ziemann is a German film and television actress.-Selected filmography:* The Heath Is Green * Die Privatsekretärin * Mädchen ohne Grenzen...
, Margot Hielscher - 1959 – Der blaue Nachtfalter, with Christian WolffChristian Wolff (actor)Christian Wolff is a German film actor. He has appeared in 70 films since 1957.-Selected filmography:* Court Martial * Derrick - Season 4, Episode 08: "Via Bangkok"...
, Marina Petrowa, Paul Hartmann, Werner HinzWerner HinzWerner Hinz was a German film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1935 and 1984.-Selected filmography:* Die Buntkarierten * No Greater Love * The Last Witness... - 1964 – Das Blaue vom Himmel (TV-Film), with Karin BaalKarin BaalKarin Baal , real name Karin Blauermel, is a German film actress. She has appeared in over 90 films since 1956.She was born in Berlin, Germany.-Films:*1956: Die Halbstarken*1957: Der müde Theodor...
, Toni SailerToni SailerAnton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer was an Austrian alpine ski racer, who is considered among the best the in the sport. He won three gold medals in alphine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics, becoming the only triple gold medalist from that Games and thus the most successful athlete in 1956...
, Carlos Werner - 1966 – Das gewisse Etwas der Frauen, with Nadja TillerNadja TillerNadja Tiller is an Austrian actress. She was one of the most popular German actresses of the 1950s and 1960s.She won the Miss Austria competition in 1949, a national beauty pageant for unmarried women in Austria. She had her major film debut in 1952 in 'Märchen vom Glück .In 1955, she acted...
, Anita EkbergAnita EkbergKerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
, Romina PowerRomina PowerRomina Francesca Power is an American-born singer and actress.-Biography:Born in Los Angeles, California, Romina Power is the eldest daughter of American actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, actress Linda Christian....
, Robert HoffmannRobert HoffmannRobert Hoffmann is an Austrian actor best known for his title role performance in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe , his debut....
, Michèle MercierMichèle MercierMichèle Mercier, is a French actress. In the course of her career she has worked with leading directors like François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Deray, Dino Risi, Mario Monicelli, Mario Bava, Peter Collinson and Ken Annakin...
Operettas and musicals
- 1931 Franz LehárFranz LehárFranz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
, Die lustige Witwe - 1936 Ralph Benatzky, Axel an der Himmelstür (as Gloria Mills)
- 1958 Ernst Nebhut, Peter Kreuder, Madame Scandaleuse (as Helene)
- 1960 Oscar StrausOscar StrausOscar Straus may refer to:*Oscar Straus , Viennese composer of operettas*Oscar Straus , United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor from 1906 to 1909...
, Eine Frau, die weiß, was sie will (as Manon Cavallini) - 1964 Karl Farkas u. Peter Kreuder, Lady aus Paris (as Mrs. Erlynne)
- 1968 Peter Thomas, Ika Schafheitlin, Helmuth Gauer, Wodka für die Königin (as Königin Aureliana)
- 1975 Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, Hugh WheelerHugh WheelerHugh Callingham Wheeler was an English-born playwright, screenwriter, librettist, poet, and translator. He resided in the United States from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended London University.Under the noms de plume Patrick Quentin, Q...
, Das Lächeln einer Sommernacht (as Madame Armfeldt)
Autobiography
- Es war so wunderbar. Mein Leben. Hamburg: Hoffmann u. Campe. 1973. ISBN 3-455-04090-X