Camilla Horn

Aktor

25 kwietnia 1903 — 14 sierpnia 1996 (93 years)
The daughter of a railroad official, Camilla Horn was educated in Germany and Switzerland. She initially trained as a dressmaker and received her first job experience in a fashion salon in Erfurt. This was merely a stepping stone for a performing career which began with dance lessons in Berlin and subsequent acting studies under Lucie Höflich. The lithe, blond and strikingly beautiful Camilla soon appeared in cabaret revues staged by Rudolf Nelson. By 1926, she was employed as an extra at Ufa, where she was spotted by the director F.W. Murnau, who found in her the ideal representation of Gretchen for his seminal production of Fausto (1926) . The role catapulted Camilla to instant stardom. Within a year, she was signed by United Artists in Hollywood, befriending Charles Chaplin and, more importantly, studio chairman Joseph M. Schenck. The friendship with Schenck may, or may not, have led to an affair -- depending on which story one is to believe -- but it did result in two high profile starring roles opposite John Barrymore in the torrid melodramas Tempestad (1928) and Amor eterno (1929), both produced by Schenck. Neither film was a commercial success.

With the coming of sound, Camilla returned to Europe, briefly appearing on stage in London and Paris, before resuming her screen career in Germany. As the 1930's went on, she rarely turned down a role, playing anything from baronesses and fashion models, to vamps and 'fallen women'. The quality of her films was variable, but there were several noteworthy standouts, such as Hans in allen Gassen (1930) (opposite Hans Albers), Fiesta en palacio (1934) and Payasos (1938) (as a circus artiste, again with Albers).

During this tumultuous decade, Camilla conducted a lengthy affair with the singer Louis Graveure, fifteen years her senior. This came to an end in 1938, when Graveure was suspected of espionage by the Gestapo and fled to England, via the Cote d'Azure. After her luxury villa in Berlin was ransacked in search for non-existent clues, Camilla's outspoken criticism of the Nazi regime reached a point where it got her into serious trouble. She saw out the first half of her career with a trio of long forgotten films made in Italy. Having failed in an attempt to flee to Switzerland, she kept a low profile and even tried her hand at farming. After the war, she had a stint as an interpreter for the occupying U.S. forces in Germany. Camilla made a successful return to the stage in a 1948 Frankfurt production of Jean Cocteau's "L'Aigle a Deux Tetes" (aka 'The Eagle Has Two Heads'). She spent the latter half of her acting career playing grand dames, matriarchs and worldly ladies with colourful backgrounds, in both films and on television. In 1974, she was awarded the 'Filmband in Gold' (also known as 'Lola') for lifetime achievement in the German film industry. In her 1985 autobiography, "Verliebt in die Liebe" ('In Love with Love'), she happily recounted her marriages and liaisons.

Known For

  • Faust
    Faust1926
  • Świętoszek
    Świętoszek1925
  • Wieczna miłość
    Wieczna miłość1929
  • Burza
    Burza1928
  • Thirteen Letters
    Thirteen Letters1 season
  • Schloß Königswald
    Schloß Königswald1988
  • Nazywam się Benjamin
    Nazywam się Benjamin1934
  • Der Doppelgänger
    Der Doppelgänger1934
  • Friedemann Bach
    Friedemann Bach1941
  • Białe niewolnice
    Białe niewolnice1937
  • The Adventures of Superhero
    The Adventures of Superhero1987
  • Rakoczy-Marsch
    Rakoczy-Marsch1933
  • The Luck of a Sailor
    The Luck of a Sailor1934

Filmografia

1988
Schloß Königswald · as Fürstin Großmutter
1987
1985
The Black Forest Hospital · as Dr. Rens′ Mutter
1970
Immer bei Vollmond · as Wegelin's Mother
1970
1968
Rebus · as Evelyn Brown
1967
Thirteen Letters · as Frau Neumann
1952
Königin der Arena · as Diana Bianca, Dompteuse
1948
Intimitäten · as Helene
1941
Friedemann Bach · as Mariella Fiorini
1940
The Chaste Beloved · as Renée Lemonier
1940
Die letzte Runde · as Lilly
1940
Herz ohne Heimat · as Dina Horster
1939
Zentrale Rio · as Diane Mercier
1939
Roman eines Arztes · as Käthe Üding - Seine Frau
1938
In geheimer Mission · as Marion
1938
Rote Orchideen · as Gräfin Ogolenska
1937
Sein letztes Modell · as Maria Várady
1937
White Slaves · as Manja - Seine Tochter
1934
Ich sehne mich nach dir · as Ivonne Brandt
1934
1934
A Waltz for You · as Fürstin Stefanie
1934
Der Doppelgänger · as Jenny Miller
1933
Rakoczy-Marsch · as Vilma
1929
Eternal Love · as Ciglia
1928
Tempest · as Princess Tamara
1926
Faust · as Gretchen Marguerite
1925
Tartuffe · as (uncredited)
1925