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The actress Maria Carmi was born as Eleanora Erna Cecilia Gilli. She
began her stage career at Max Reinhardt's acting school and belonged to
his company from 1907 to 1909. From 1911 she was also engaged on Italian
stages.
In Germany she acted among others in two dramas of Karl Gustav Vollmöller
who she got married in 1904. When both stage playes of Vollmoeller were
finally filmed, Maria Carmi could lay the foundation of her short career
in the film business.
The movie "Das Mirakel" (12) wasn't a film in this sense, it was more
a shooting of a theater production, but Vollmoeller's "Eine venezianische
Nacht" (13) was captured on the screen in a manner of a motion picture.
During a guest performance in London she got in contact with the Italian
Cines company and varied her engagements between German and Italian productions
in the next years.
Because of her charisma Maria Carmi was like made for the highbrow
melodramas "Sperduti nel bulo" (14) and "Teresa Raquin" (14).
At the beginning of World War I she returned to Berlin and acted in
movies mostly directed by Robert Reinert like "Aphrodite" (16), "Das Haus
der Leidenschaft" (16) and "Der Weg des Todes" (17).
After the war and her divorce from Vollmoeller in 1917 she got married
a second time in the same year with Prince George V. Matchabelli and became
Princess Norina Matchabelli. She returned to Italy where her former German
movies were great successes. But the affiliation with the Italian film
wasn't granted to her. After only two movies she decided to devote completely
to the theater.
Maria Carmi went to the USA in 1923 at the invention of Max Reinhardt
and acted there in a new productioon of "Das Mirakel" in New York.
After a tour through Detroit, Milwaukee and Dallas she opened a drama
school in New York.
When Maria Carmi became a supporter of the Guru Meher Baba the marriage
with Prince Matchabelli got divorced. She remained active to the Guru till
to her death and lived in poor circumstances in India.
Other movies with Maria Carmi:
L'accordo in minore (14) La mia vita per la tua!/Mein
Leben für das Deinige (14) Retaggio d'odio/Die Tote (14) Im Zauber
der Barcarole (15) Im Taumel des Hasses (14) Im ewigen Dunkel (15) Fluch
der Schönheit (15) Der Hermelinmantel (15) Therese (15) Die rätselhafte
Frau (15) Spinolas letztes Gesicht (15) Seine schöne Mama (15) Theorie
des Wahnsinns (16) Das Wunder der Madonna (16) Für den Ruhm des Geliebten
(16) Die geheimnisvollen Strahlen (16) Der Pfad der Sünde (16) Der
Letzte eines alten Geschlechts (16) Die Richterin von Solvigsholm (16)
Der Fluch der Sonne (16) Küsse, die töten (16) Wenn Tote sprechen
(17) Die Memoiren der Tragödin Thamar (17) Rächende Liebe (17)
Das Spitzentuch der Fürstin Wolkowska (18) Wenn die Sonne sinkt (18)
Per il passato (20) Forse che si, forse che no (21) |
