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Valeska Gert


Foto: Suse Byk (1884-1943)

1892 - 1978

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The actress Valeska Gert was born as Gertrude Samosch in Berlin. 
Already at a young age she took dance lessons which was the basis of her later career.
In the years of World War I she adjoined a Berliner dance group and created first dance satires. Finally it followed an engagement at the Deutsches Theater where she had a huge success in eccentric roles for avant-garde plays.
Besides the dance she also wrote articles for magazines like "Die Weltbühne" and the "Berliner Tageszeitung".

The film used her special physical performance and since the middle of the 20's you could Valeska Gert also admire on the screen, so in "Ein Sommernachtstraum" (25), "Die freudlose Gasse" (25), "Alraune" (27) and "Tagebuch einer Verlorenen" (29).

Her career in Germany ended in 1933 because she was a Jewess. From now on she danced in Paris, Budapest and London. She got married in second marriage with an English writer. 
She emigrated to the USA in 1938 where she founded the cabaret "Beggar Bar" which existed from 1941 to 1945. There were also cultural events, among others one of her waiters performed first poems - it was none less than the later famous Tennessee Williams.

In 1947 she returned to Europe where she managed the cabaret "Hexenküche", in the 60's she made her comeback for the film. With her part in the successful Italian production "Giulietta degli spiriti - Julia und die Geister" (64) she recommended herself for some young German directors in the 70's, who went down in film history as far as she's.
She played in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's serial "Acht Stunden sind kein Tag: Franz und Ernst" (72) and in Volker Schlöndorff's movie "Der Fangschuss" (76).
 

Other movies with Valeska Gert:
Nana (26) Takovy je zivot - So ist das Leben (29) Menschen am Sonntag (30) Die 3-Groschen-Oper (31) Pett and Pott (34) La bonne dame - Die gute Dame (68) Die Betörung der blauen Matrosen (75) Nur zum Spass - nur zum Spiel (77)

 
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