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BAT Modern Beauties 6th Series Luise Rainer No10 1910-2014
Luise Rainer was the daughter of Heinrich and Emilie (née Königsberger) Rainer. Luise was born in Düsseldorf, Germany and raised in Hamburg and later in Vienna ,Austria.
Her father was a businessman who settled in Europe after spending most of his childhood in Texas, where he was sent at the age of six as an orphan. (Luise has stated that because of her father, she is an American citizen "by birth".) Luise family was upper-class and Jewish.
She was only six when she decided to become part of the entertainment world, and recalled being inspired by watching a circus act:
At age 16, Luise chose to follow her dream to become an actress; under the pretext of visiting her mother, she travelled to Düsseldorf for a prearranged audition at the Dumont Theater. She later began studying acting with Max Reinhardt, and, by the time she was 18, there was already an "army of critics" who felt that she had unusual talent for a young actress. She soon became a distinguished Berlin stage actress as a member of Reinhardt's Vienna theatre ensemble. Her first stage appearance was at the Dumont Theatre in 1928, followed by other appearances, including Jacques Deval's play 'Mademoiselle', Kingsley's 'Men in White', George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan', 'Measure for Measure', and Pirandello's 'Six Characters in Search of an Author'.
In 1934, after appearing in several German language films, she was seen performing in the play 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' by MGM talent scout Phil Berg, who offered her a three-year contract in Hollywood. He thought she would appeal to the same audience as Swedish MGM star Greta Garbo. Initially, Luise had no interest in films, saying in a 1935 interview: "I never wanted to film. I was only for the theatre. Then I saw 'A Farewell to Arms' and right away I wanted to film. It was so beautiful.
Luise moved to Hollywood in 1935 as a hopeful new star. MGM studio head Louis and story editor Samuel Marx had seen footage of Luise before she came to Hollywood, and both felt she had the looks, charm, and especially a "certain tender vulnerability" that Mayer admired in female stars. Because of her poor command of English, Mayer assigned actress Constance Collier to train her in correct speech and dramatic modulation, and Luises English improved rapidly.
Her first film role in Hollywood was in 'Escapade' (1935), a remake of one of her Austrian films, co-starring William Powell. She received the part after Myrna Loy gave up her role halfway through filming. After seeing the preview, Luise ran out of the cinema displeased with how she appeared, stating: "On the screen, I looked so big and full of face, it was awful. The film generated immense publicity for Luise, who was hailed as "Hollywood's next sensation.
Her next performance was as the real-life character Anna Held in the musical biography 'The Great Ziegfeld', again co-starring William Powell. Powell, who was already impressed by Luise acting skill, had earlier given her equal billing in 'Escapade'. Studio head Mayer did not want her playing the part, seeing it as too small: "You are a star now and can't do it," he insisted. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Luis's ability to pull off the role emerged in the press. She was criticized for not resembling the Polish-born stage performer. The director admitted that the main reason Luise was cast was her eyes, claiming that they "are just as large, just as lustrous, and contain the same tantalizing quality of pseudo naughtiness" the part required.
As Thalberg expected, she successfully expressed the "coquettishness, wide-eyed charm, and vulnerability" required. Luise so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene, that she received the Academy Award for Best Actress. In one scene, for example, her character is speaking to her ex-husband Florenz Ziegfeld over the telephone, attempting to congratulate him on his new marriage: The camera records her agitation; Ziegfeld hears a voice that hovers between false gaiety and despair; when she hangs up she dissolves into tears.
Luise next film was 'The Good Earth' (1937), in which she co-starred with Paul Muni; she had been picked as the most likely choice for the female lead in September 1935. The role, however, was completely the opposite of her Anna Held character, as she was required to portray a humble Chinese peasant subservient to her husband and speaking little during the entire film. Her comparative muteness, was "an astounding tour de force after her hysterically chattering telephone scene in 'The Great Ziegfeld', and contributed to her winning her second Best Actress Oscar.
The award made her the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two wins thirty years later.
In late 1936, MGM conceived a script called 'Maiden Voyage' especially for Luise. The project was shelved and eventually released as 'Bridal Suite' in 1939, starring Annabella as 'Luise'. Another 1936 unrealised film project that involved Luise was 'Adventure for Three', which would have co-starred William Powell. In 1938, she played Johann Strauss's long-suffering wife Poldi in the successful Oscar-winning MGM musical biopic 'The Great Waltz', her last big hit.
Most critics agreed Luise was "at her most appealing" in 'The Toy Wife'. The final MGM film Luise made was 'Dramatic School'. At the time she was cast in the film, her box office popularity had declined considerably, and she was one of the many well-known stars—along with MGM colleagues Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer, and Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Fred Astaire, Kay Francis and others—dubbed "Box Office Poison" by the Independent Theatre Owners of America.
Luise refused to be stereotyped or to knuckle under to the studio system, and studio head Mayer was unsympathetic to her demands for serious roles. Furthermore, she began to fight for a higher salary, and was reported as being difficult and temperamental. Thereby, she missed out on several roles, including the female lead in the Edward G. Robinson gangster film 'The Last Gangster' (1937), losing out to another Viennese actress, Rose Stradner. Speaking of Mayer decades later, Luise recalled, "He said, 'We made you and we are going to destroy you.' Well, he tried his best." Luise made her final film appearance for MGM in 1938 and abandoned the film industry.
She travelled to Europe, where she helped get aid to children who were victims of the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, she was not released from her contract and, by 1940, she was still bound to make one more film for the studio. Disenchanted with Hollywood, where she later said it was impossible to have an intellectual conversation, she moved to New York City in 1940 to live with playwright Clifford Odets, whom she had married in 1937. Luise had never made it a secret that she felt terrible as Odets' wife. She filed for divorce in mid-1938, but proceedings were delayed "to next October" when Odets went to England. The divorce was finalized on May 14, 1940.
While in Europe, Luise studied medicine and explained she loved being accepted as "just another student", rather than as a screen actress. She returned to the stage and made her first appearance at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, on May 1, 1939, as Françoise in Jacques Deval's play 'Behold the Bride'; she played the same part in her London debut at the Shaftsbury Theatre on May 23, 1939. Returning to America, she played the leading part in George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan' on March 10, 1940, at the Belasco Theatre in Washington, D.C. under the direction of German emigrant director Erwin Piscator. She made her first appearance on the New York stage at the Music Box Theatre in May 1942 as Miss Thing in J. M. Barrie's 'A Kiss for Cinderella.
She made an appearance in 'Hostages' in 1943 and abandoned film making in 1944 after marrying publisher Robert Knittel. Luise took her oath of allegiance to the United States in the 1940s, but she and Knittel lived in the UK and Switzerland for most of their marriage. Robert Knittel died in 1989. Luise resided in Eaton Square, London, in an apartment in the same building once inhabited by film star Vivian Leigh, also a two-time Oscar winner. The couple had one daughter, Francesca Knittel, now known as Francesca Knittel-Bowyer.
Luise died on December 30, 2014, in London at the age of 104 from pneumonia. She was two weeks shy of her 105th birthday.
BAT Modern Beauties 6th Series Luise Rainer No10 1910-2014
Luise Rainer was the daughter of Heinrich and Emilie (née Königsberger) Rainer. Luise was born in Düsseldorf, Germany and raised in Hamburg and later in Vienna ,Austria.
Her father was a businessman who settled in Europe after spending most of his childhood in Texas, where he was sent at the age of six as an orphan. (Luise has stated that because of her father, she is an American citizen "by birth".) Luise family was upper-class and Jewish.
She was only six when she decided to become part of the entertainment world, and recalled being inspired by watching a circus act:
At age 16, Luise chose to follow her dream to become an actress; under the pretext of visiting her mother, she travelled to Düsseldorf for a prearranged audition at the Dumont Theater. She later began studying acting with Max Reinhardt, and, by the time she was 18, there was already an "army of critics" who felt that she had unusual talent for a young actress. She soon became a distinguished Berlin stage actress as a member of Reinhardt's Vienna theatre ensemble. Her first stage appearance was at the Dumont Theatre in 1928, followed by other appearances, including Jacques Deval's play 'Mademoiselle', Kingsley's 'Men in White', George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan', 'Measure for Measure', and Pirandello's 'Six Characters in Search of an Author'.
In 1934, after appearing in several German language films, she was seen performing in the play 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' by MGM talent scout Phil Berg, who offered her a three-year contract in Hollywood. He thought she would appeal to the same audience as Swedish MGM star Greta Garbo. Initially, Luise had no interest in films, saying in a 1935 interview: "I never wanted to film. I was only for the theatre. Then I saw 'A Farewell to Arms' and right away I wanted to film. It was so beautiful.
Luise moved to Hollywood in 1935 as a hopeful new star. MGM studio head Louis and story editor Samuel Marx had seen footage of Luise before she came to Hollywood, and both felt she had the looks, charm, and especially a "certain tender vulnerability" that Mayer admired in female stars. Because of her poor command of English, Mayer assigned actress Constance Collier to train her in correct speech and dramatic modulation, and Luises English improved rapidly.
Her first film role in Hollywood was in 'Escapade' (1935), a remake of one of her Austrian films, co-starring William Powell. She received the part after Myrna Loy gave up her role halfway through filming. After seeing the preview, Luise ran out of the cinema displeased with how she appeared, stating: "On the screen, I looked so big and full of face, it was awful. The film generated immense publicity for Luise, who was hailed as "Hollywood's next sensation.
Her next performance was as the real-life character Anna Held in the musical biography 'The Great Ziegfeld', again co-starring William Powell. Powell, who was already impressed by Luise acting skill, had earlier given her equal billing in 'Escapade'. Studio head Mayer did not want her playing the part, seeing it as too small: "You are a star now and can't do it," he insisted. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Luis's ability to pull off the role emerged in the press. She was criticized for not resembling the Polish-born stage performer. The director admitted that the main reason Luise was cast was her eyes, claiming that they "are just as large, just as lustrous, and contain the same tantalizing quality of pseudo naughtiness" the part required.
As Thalberg expected, she successfully expressed the "coquettishness, wide-eyed charm, and vulnerability" required. Luise so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene, that she received the Academy Award for Best Actress. In one scene, for example, her character is speaking to her ex-husband Florenz Ziegfeld over the telephone, attempting to congratulate him on his new marriage: The camera records her agitation; Ziegfeld hears a voice that hovers between false gaiety and despair; when she hangs up she dissolves into tears.
Luise next film was 'The Good Earth' (1937), in which she co-starred with Paul Muni; she had been picked as the most likely choice for the female lead in September 1935. The role, however, was completely the opposite of her Anna Held character, as she was required to portray a humble Chinese peasant subservient to her husband and speaking little during the entire film. Her comparative muteness, was "an astounding tour de force after her hysterically chattering telephone scene in 'The Great Ziegfeld', and contributed to her winning her second Best Actress Oscar.
The award made her the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two wins thirty years later.
In late 1936, MGM conceived a script called 'Maiden Voyage' especially for Luise. The project was shelved and eventually released as 'Bridal Suite' in 1939, starring Annabella as 'Luise'. Another 1936 unrealised film project that involved Luise was 'Adventure for Three', which would have co-starred William Powell. In 1938, she played Johann Strauss's long-suffering wife Poldi in the successful Oscar-winning MGM musical biopic 'The Great Waltz', her last big hit.
Most critics agreed Luise was "at her most appealing" in 'The Toy Wife'. The final MGM film Luise made was 'Dramatic School'. At the time she was cast in the film, her box office popularity had declined considerably, and she was one of the many well-known stars—along with MGM colleagues Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer, and Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Fred Astaire, Kay Francis and others—dubbed "Box Office Poison" by the Independent Theatre Owners of America.
Luise refused to be stereotyped or to knuckle under to the studio system, and studio head Mayer was unsympathetic to her demands for serious roles. Furthermore, she began to fight for a higher salary, and was reported as being difficult and temperamental. Thereby, she missed out on several roles, including the female lead in the Edward G. Robinson gangster film 'The Last Gangster' (1937), losing out to another Viennese actress, Rose Stradner. Speaking of Mayer decades later, Luise recalled, "He said, 'We made you and we are going to destroy you.' Well, he tried his best." Luise made her final film appearance for MGM in 1938 and abandoned the film industry.
She travelled to Europe, where she helped get aid to children who were victims of the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, she was not released from her contract and, by 1940, she was still bound to make one more film for the studio. Disenchanted with Hollywood, where she later said it was impossible to have an intellectual conversation, she moved to New York City in 1940 to live with playwright Clifford Odets, whom she had married in 1937. Luise had never made it a secret that she felt terrible as Odets' wife. She filed for divorce in mid-1938, but proceedings were delayed "to next October" when Odets went to England. The divorce was finalized on May 14, 1940.
While in Europe, Luise studied medicine and explained she loved being accepted as "just another student", rather than as a screen actress. She returned to the stage and made her first appearance at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, on May 1, 1939, as Françoise in Jacques Deval's play 'Behold the Bride'; she played the same part in her London debut at the Shaftsbury Theatre on May 23, 1939. Returning to America, she played the leading part in George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan' on March 10, 1940, at the Belasco Theatre in Washington, D.C. under the direction of German emigrant director Erwin Piscator. She made her first appearance on the New York stage at the Music Box Theatre in May 1942 as Miss Thing in J. M. Barrie's 'A Kiss for Cinderella.
She made an appearance in 'Hostages' in 1943 and abandoned film making in 1944 after marrying publisher Robert Knittel. Luise took her oath of allegiance to the United States in the 1940s, but she and Knittel lived in the UK and Switzerland for most of their marriage. Robert Knittel died in 1989. Luise resided in Eaton Square, London, in an apartment in the same building once inhabited by film star Vivian Leigh, also a two-time Oscar winner. The couple had one daughter, Francesca Knittel, now known as Francesca Knittel-Bowyer.
Luise died on December 30, 2014, in London at the age of 104 from pneumonia. She was two weeks shy of her 105th birthday.