Lotte Lenya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lotte Lenya
photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1962
Born	Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer (1898-10-18)18 October 1898 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	27 November 1981(1981-11-27) (aged 83) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1922–1980
Spouse(s)	Kurt Weill ​ ​ (m. 1926; div. 1933)​ ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 1950)​ George Davis ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 1957)​ Russell Detwiler ​ ​ (m. 1962; died 1969)​ Richard Siemanowski ​ ​ (m. 1971; sep. 1973)​

Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; October 18, 1898 – November 27, 1981) was a famous singer and actress. She was born in Austria but lived most of her life in the United States.

Lenya was well-known for singing the songs of her first husband, Kurt Weill. She also became famous in movies. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961). Many people also remember her as the villain Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love (1963).

Early Career Highlights

In 1922, Lotte Lenya met Kurt Weill, who would become her husband. She was auditioning for his first stage show. In 1928, she got a big break playing Jenny in The Threepenny Opera. This role made her very famous.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, she was busy in films and plays. She often performed in plays by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. She also made many recordings of Weill's songs.

When Nazism grew in Germany, many artists faced problems. Even though Lenya was not Jewish, she left Germany in March 1933. She moved to Paris, France. There, she starred in a "sung ballet" called The Seven Deadly Sins.

Lenya and Weill moved to New York City in the United States on September 10, 1935. They worked on a Broadway play called Johnny Johnson. During World War II, Lenya performed on stage and radio. She even performed for the Voice of America.

After a difficult role in a musical in 1945, she stopped performing for a while. But after Kurt Weill passed away in 1950, she was encouraged to return to the stage. She appeared on Broadway and later married editor George Davis.

Later Career Successes

In 1956, Lotte Lenya won a Tony Award for her role as Jenny in The Threepenny Opera. This was special because it was for an off-Broadway show. She then recorded many songs from her early career in Berlin. She also recorded songs from American musicals. As she got older, her voice became deeper.

Lenya used a special singing style called Sprechstimme in some songs. This helped her perform even as her voice changed. She always tried to respect her late husband's original music.

She started the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. This foundation helps manage Weill's music and shares his work with more people. She was even in the studio when Louis Armstrong recorded "Mack the Knife". Armstrong added a line about her in the song: "Look out for Miss Lotte Lenya!"

In 1961, Lenya played Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales in the movie The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. This role earned her nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 1963, she played the villain Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love. She starred alongside Sean Connery.

In 1966, Lenya played Fräulein Schneider in the first Broadway cast of the musical Cabaret. In 1979, she was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Lotte Lenya was born in Vienna, Austria. Her parents were Catholic and working-class. In 1914, she went to Zürich to study. She started working at the Schauspielhaus and used the stage name Lotte Lenja. In 1921, she moved to Berlin to find work.

Lenya and Kurt Weill met properly in 1924. They married in 1926. They divorced in 1933 but got back together and remarried in 1937. They lived in a house in New City, New York, until Weill's death in 1950.

After Weill's death, Lenya married American editor George Davis in 1951. He passed away in 1957. In 1962, she married artist Russell Detwiler. He was 26 years younger than her. Detwiler died in 1969. In 1971, she married critic Richard Siemanowski, but they separated two years later.

Death

Lotte Lenya passed away in Manhattan, New York, in 1981. She was 83 years old. She is buried next to Kurt Weill in Haverstraw, New York.

Legacy and Influence

Lotte Lenya's influence continues today.

• In 1956, Louis Armstrong recorded "Mack the Knife". He added Lenya's name to the song's lyrics. Bobby Darin's famous 1959 version of the song also included this line.
• Donovan's 1968 song "Laléna" was inspired by Lenya.
• A play by Michael Kunze called Lenya tells her story.
• In 2007, a musical called LoveMusik opened on Broadway. It was about Lenya's relationship with Kurt Weill.
• The Lotte Lenya Competition helps young singers and actors. It focuses on works by Kurt Weill and other musical styles.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Lotte Lenya para niños

• List of German-speaking Academy Award winners and nominees