Germaine Damar facts for kids
Germaine Damar (born August 31, 1929) is a famous actress and dancer from Luxembourg. She was also known by her stage name, Ria Poncelet. Germaine started her career as an amazing acrobat. Later, she starred in almost 30 German movies. In three of these films, she acted alongside the popular performer Peter Alexander.
Early Life and Career
Germaine Damar was born as Germaine Haeck in Petingen, Luxembourg. She was the third of four daughters. Her father, Dominique Haeck, worked in metal, and her mother was Barbara Poncelet.
When Germaine was just 5 years old, she began training at a gymnastics club in Nidderkuer, Luxembourg. This training helped her become a great performer. With her sister Geny and two gymnastics teachers, she formed an acrobatic group called Los Habaneros.
On May 10, 1940, German troops invaded Luxembourg. Germaine and her family had to flee to Paris, France. There, at age 12, she continued to develop her talents. She performed with her sister Geny and her old gymnastics teacher, Atilio Bariviera. They were known as Trio Deluxe and performed at famous theaters like the Alhambra and the Bobino. Germaine also took dance classes and learned acting and ballet.
After World War II, Germaine started performing by herself. She traveled all over Europe. She also went to North Africa and the Middle East. There, she performed with her sister Sylvie and Sylvie's husband as Trio Vialine. They even performed for King Farouk in Cairo, Egypt! During this time, she used the stage name Ria Poncelet.
In Cairo, she met the actress Zarah Leander. Zarah helped Germaine get a screen-test in Hamburg, Germany, in 1952. A screen-test is like an audition for a movie. Even though the director, Robert A. Stemmle, wasn't happy with the test, Germaine soon got her first movie role.
Director Géza von Cziffra was looking for a talented dancer. He needed someone to replace Maria Litto, who was sick, in his movie Tanzende Sterne (Dancing Stars, 1952). He saw Germaine's screen-test and gave her the main part. She starred opposite Georg Thomalla. Germaine changed her name from Germaine Haeck to Germaine Damar. For a while, people thought she was a French dancer.
Tanzende Sterne (Dancing Stars, 1952) was a huge success for Germaine. A film company offered her a 5-year contract. She went on to star in 28 movies! She appeared in many fun films like Südliche Nächte (Southern Nights, 1953) and Die Drei von der Tankstelle (The Three from the Filling Station, 1955). She also starred in Symphonie in Gold (Symphony in Gold, 1956) with Joachim Fuchsberger.
One of her most famous musical films was Die Beine von Dolores (The Legs of Dolores, 1957). In France, she made a western musical called Sérénade au Texas (Serenade of Texas, 1958). She starred in three comedies with Peter Alexander: So ein Millionär hat's schwer (It's so hard to be a millionaire, 1958), Peter schießt den Vogel ab (Peter shoots the bird, 1959), and Salem Aleikum (1959).
In the early 1960s, Germaine made two films in Spain: Cariño mío (Darling, 1961) and Escala en Hi-Fi (Scale in Hi-Fi, 1963). Her movie Die Beine von Dolores was so popular in Argentina that Germaine moved there for three years. She became a very popular star and even had her own TV show!
In Germany, Germaine had met actor Georg Thomalla and producer Andreas C. Schuller. One of Andreas's films, Glück und Liebe in Monaco (Love and Happiness in Monaco, 1959), was not successful. In Argentina, Germaine met an American manager named Roman G. Toporow, and they got married.
Later Years
In 1964, Germaine Damar decided to retire from acting. Two years later, her son, Roman Martin Toporow, was born. Her husband passed away in 1993. Since then, Germaine has lived with her son in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In June 2011, a documentary film about her life was shown. It was called Germaine Damar – Der tanzende Stern (Germaine Damar, the dancing star). The film was shown in Luxembourg. Germaine herself was there and even sang one of her old songs for the audience. Everyone gave her a standing ovation, which means they stood up and clapped for a long time!
Filmography
- Tanzende Sterne (1952)
- Southern Nights (1953)
- Hit Parade (1953)
- König der Manege (1954)
- Ten on Every Finger (1954)
- Request Concert (1955)
- The Three from the Filling Station (1955)
- Symphonie in Gold (1955/56)
- Mädchen mit schwachem Gedächtnis (1956)
- Zu Befehl, Frau Feldwebel! (1956)
- Der schräge Otto (1956)
- Siebenmal in der Woche (1957)
- Weißer Holunder (1957)
- The Count of Luxemburg (1957)
- The Legs of Dolores (1957)
- Der Kaiser und das Wäschermädel (1957)
- Tabarin (1958)
- Serenade of Texas (1958)
- So ein Millionär hat's schwer (1958)
- Scala – total verrückt (1958)
- Peter Shoots Down the Bird (1959)
- A Thousand Stars Aglitter (1959)
- Salem Aleikum (1959)
- Glück und Liebe in Monaco (1959)
- Gauner-Serenade (1960)
- Darling (1961)
- Escala en Hi-Fi (1963)
- Germaine Damar – Der tanzende Stern (Documentary, 2011)
