Elisabeth Bergner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elisabeth Bergner
Elisabeth Bergner, 1935
Born	Ella (Ettel) Bergner (1897-08-22)22 August 1897 Drohobych, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Drohobych, Ukraine)
Died	12 May 1986(1986-05-12) (aged 88) London, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1924–1984
Spouse(s)	Paul Czinner ​ ​ (m. 1933; died 1972)​

Elisabeth Bergner during her visit to Israel, 1949. Benno Rothenberg, Meitar collection, National Library of Israel

Elisabeth Bergner (born August 22, 1897 – died May 12, 1986) was a talented actress from Austria and Britain. She was mostly known for her amazing performances on stage. Her career really took off in cities like Berlin and Paris. Later, she moved to London to act in movies.

One of her most famous roles was Gemma Jones in the play Escape Me Never. This play was written especially for her! She played Gemma first in London and then in New York City. She also starred in a movie version of the play. For her work in the film, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1943, Bergner returned to Broadway in the play The Two Mrs. Carrolls. For this role, she won a special award called the Distinguished Performance Medal.

Life and Career of Elisabeth Bergner

Elisabeth Bergner was born Ella Bergner in a town called Drohobych. This town was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is now Ukraine. Her parents were Sara and Emil Bergner.

Early Acting Days

She started acting on stage when she was just 14 years old. A year later, she performed in Innsbruck. When she was 16, she toured different parts of Austria and Germany. She performed in plays by the famous writer William Shakespeare. She also worked as an artist's model for a sculptor named Wilhelm Lehmbruck. Later, she moved to Munich and then to Berlin.

Moving to London and Film Success

In 1923, Elisabeth Bergner made her first movie, Der Evangelimann. When a difficult political group called the Nazis came to power, Bergner moved to London. She went with director Paul Czinner, and they got married in 1933.

In London, she continued her stage work. She starred in The Boy David (1936), which was the last play written by J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. He wrote it just for her! She also performed in Escape Me Never by Margaret Kennedy. Her movie Catherine the Great was even banned in Germany because of the government's rules at the time.

Academy Award Nomination and Other Roles

Elisabeth Bergner was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for the movie Escape Me Never (1935). She also played Rosalind in the 1936 film As You Like It. This was the first sound movie version of Shakespeare's play made in England. Bergner had played Rosalind on stage in Germany before. Some people thought her accent made it hard to enjoy the movie, and it was not a big success. She kept acting on stage sometimes, like in the play The Duchess of Malfi in 1946.

Return to Germany and Later Awards

In 1954, Bergner went back to Germany for a while. There, she acted in movies and on stage. A city park in Berlin was even named after her! In 1973, she starred in Der Fußgänger (which means The Pedestrian in English). This movie was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe award in 1974.

In 1980, Austria gave her a special award called the Cross of Merit for Science and Art. In 1982, she won another award called the Eleonora Duse Prize Asolo.

Death

Elisabeth Bergner later moved back to London, where she passed away at the age of 88. She died from cancer. She was cremated on May 15, 1986, and there is a special memorial tablet for her in London.

The Story Behind All About Eve

Did you know that a famous movie called All About Eve got its idea from something that happened to Elisabeth Bergner? The New York Times newspaper reported that Bergner told a writer named Mary Orr about an experience she had. This story inspired Orr to write a short story called "The Wisdom of Eve" in 1946. This short story then became the basis for the play and later the movie All About Eve.

The event happened when Bergner was performing in the play The Two Mrs. Carrolls. Bergner felt sorry for a young woman who seemed lost and stood outside the theater for many days. Bergner gave her a job as her secretary. But then, the young woman tried to take over Bergner's life! This real-life event sparked the idea for the movie's main character, Eve Harrington.

Partial Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Elisabeth Bergner para niños

• List of German-speaking Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations