Percy Adlon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Percy Adlon
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| Born |
Paul Rudolf Parsifal Adlon
1 June 1935 Munich, Germany
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| Died | 10 March 2024 (aged 88) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1975-2024 |
| Spouse(s) | Eleonore Adlon |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Lorenz Adlon (great-grandfather) Pamela Adlon (former-daughter-in-law) Gideon Adlon (granddaughter) Odessa A'zion (granddaughter) |
Paul Rudolf Parsifal "Percy" Adlon (born June 1, 1935 – died March 10, 2024) was a German film director, writer, and producer. He is most famous for his movie Bagdad Cafe. Percy Adlon was part of a film movement called New German Cinema. He was known for creating movies with strong female characters.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Percy Adlon was born in Munich, Germany. He grew up in a place called Ammerland, near Starnberger See. He studied different subjects at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. These included art, theater history, and German literature. He also took acting and singing lessons. He was part of a student theater group, too.
Percy Adlon's Film Career
Percy Adlon's movies were often shown at big international film festivals. These included the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.
He started his career as an actor. Later, he became interested in radio work. For ten years, he worked in television as a narrator and presenter. He also edited literature series.
In 1970, he made his first short film for Bavarian television. After that, he made over 150 documentary films. These films were about art and human life. His first one-hour film, Tomi Ungerer's Landleben, began a successful partnership. He worked with Benigna von Keyserlingk, who became his television producer.
Their first feature film was Céleste (1980). This movie got international attention at Cannes in 1981.
The Success of Bagdad Cafe
Bagdad Cafe (1987) was a huge international hit. It told the story of Jasmin Münchgstettner and Brenda, who owned a cafe. Marianne Sägebrecht, an actress Percy Adlon discovered, became very popular. He also worked with Bob Telson on songs for the movie, including the classic "Calling You".
Percy and his wife, Eleonore Adlon, won many awards for their films. They received top honors for Bagdad Cafe in Rio de Janeiro. They also won awards for Salmonberries in Montreal. Other awards included two Césars (French film awards), the Ernst Lubitsch Award, and the Amanda Award from Norway. They also won awards in Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Venice, Chicago, Valladolid, Brussels, and Tokyo.
Percy Adlon received the Officer's Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a high honor in Germany. He was also a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Personal Life and Family
Percy Adlon was the great-grandson of Lorenz Adlon. Lorenz Adlon was the person who started the famous Hotel Adlon in Berlin.
Percy Adlon's father was an opera singer named Rudolf Laubenthal. Percy grew up in the countryside of Bavaria with his mother, Susanne. He said that growing up with his mother helped him create the strong female characters in his movies.
His son, Felix, is also a film director. Felix was married to American actress Pamela Adlon. They have three daughters, who are also actresses: Odessa and Gideon Adlon.
Percy and Eleonore Adlon lived in Pacific Palisades, California. Percy Adlon passed away there on March 10, 2024, when he was 88 years old.
Awards and Recognition
Percy Adlon and his films received many awards. Here are some of them:
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adolf Grimme Awards, Germany | 1979 | The Guardian and His Poet (1978) | Award in Gold Fiction/Entertainment | Won, shared with lead actor Rolf Illig | |
| Amanda Award, Norway | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Foreign Feature Film | Won | |
| Bavarian Film Awards | 1988 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Screenplay | Won, shared with Eleanore Adlon | |
| Fünf letzte Tage (1982) | Best Direction | Won | |||
| Bavarian TV Awards | 1997 | The Glamorous World of the Adlon Hotel (1996) | Directing | Won | |
| Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (BIFFF) | 1994 | Younger and Younger (1993) | Silver Raven | Won | |
| Cannes Film Festival | 1989 | Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989) | Palme d'Or | Nominated | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 1984 | The Swing (1983) | Gold Hugo Best Feature | Nominated | |
| Fünf letzte Tage (1982) | Gold Hugo Best Feature | Nominated | |||
| Céleste (1980) | Gold Hugo Best Feature | Nominated | |||
| César Awards | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Foreign Film | Won | |
| Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Film of the European Community | Won | |||
| Ernst Lubitsch Award | 1988 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Ernst Lubitsch Award | Won | |
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | |
| French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Foreign Film | Won, tied with The Dead | |
| Guild of German Art House Cinemas | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Gold German Film | Won | |
| Céleste (1980) | Silver German Film | Nominated | |||
| Manhattan Film Festival | 2012 | Céleste (1980) | Buzz Award | Won | |
| Medias Central European Film Festival 7+1 | 2011 | Mahler on the Couch (2010) | Audience Award Best Picture | Won, shared with Felix O. Adlon | |
| Montreal World Film Festival | 1991 | Salmonberries (1991) | Grand Prix des Amériques | Won | |
| Robert Festival | 1989 | Bagdad Cafe (1987) | Best Foreign Film | Won | |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | 1993 | Younger and Younger (1993) | Tokyo Grand Prix | Nominated | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 1985 | Sugarbaby (1985) | Silver Spike | Won | |
| Venice Film Festival | 1982 | Fünf letzte Tage (1982) | OCIC Award | Won | |
| Fünf letzte Tage (1982) | Golden Lion | Won |
Filmography (Movies by Percy Adlon)
- Von Nimbus der Ferne (The Aura in the Distance) (1974, documentary)
- Der Vormund und sein Dichter (The Guardian and His Poet) (1978, TV film)
- Herr Kischott (1980, TV film)
- Céleste (1980)
- Fünf letzte Tage (Five Last Days) (1982)
- The Swing (1983)
- Sugarbaby (1985)
- Herschel und die Musik der Sterne (1986, TV film)
- Out of Rosenheim also known as Bagdad Cafe (USA) (1987)
- Babycakes (1989, TV film)
- Rosalie Goes Shopping (1989)
- Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter (1990, TV film)
- Salmonberries (1991)
- Younger and Younger (1993)
- In der glanzvollen Welt des Hotel Adlon (1996, TV film) also known as The Glamorous World of the Adlon Hotel
- Eat Your Heart Out (1997)
- Die Straußkiste (1999) also known as Forever Flirt
- Hawaiian Gardens (2001)
- Koenig's Sphere (2001) also known as Koenigs Kugel
- Bagdad Cafe - The Musical (2003–2006)
- Orbela's People (2007)
- Mahler auf der Couch (2010)
See also
In Spanish: Percy Adlon para niños
- Lorenz Adlon (1849–1921), Percy's great-grandfather, a German hotel owner.
- Hotel Adlon, a famous hotel in Berlin built by Lorenz Adlon.
- Louis Adlon (1908–1947), a German-American actor and Percy's cousin.
- Pamela Adlon (born 1966), an American actress and Percy's former daughter-in-law.
