A Brief History On Thursday, August 1st, 1991, actress Hedy Lamarr was arrested for shoplifting. Hedy’s life and accomplishments were presented in Part 1 of our series on German-speaking women in English-speaking roles. In this article, we present the next group of German actresses. Digging Deeper Part 2: The Post-War Years 1) Hildegard Knef (1925-2002) During World War II, Hildegard Knef, a young aspiring actress, had an affair with Ewald von Demandowsky who was the head of a film production company responsible for making many Nazi propaganda movies. In the final year of the war and to be able to stay…
Author: Beth Michaels
Beth Michaels
Beth Michaels attended a private college in Northeast Ohio from which she earned a Bachelor’s degree in German with a minor in French. From there she moved to Germany where she attended the University of Heidelberg for two years. Additional schooling earned her certifications as a foreign language correspondent and state-certified translator. In her professional career, Beth worked for a leading German manufacturer of ophthalmological medical instruments and devices as a quality representative, regulatory affairs manager, and internal auditor.
Read More
A Brief History On July 29, 1565, Mary, Queen of Scots, married her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In her case, the only thing advantageous about this marriage, was that it ensured that the Scottish throne stay under the control of the House of Stuart by keeping it in the family so to say. Other that that, except for producing a son to carry on the lineage, the marriage was a complete disaster. Digging Deeper First cousins are defined as cousins who share at least one grandparent. Marriages between first cousins have taken place throughout history in both royal houses…
A Brief History On July 26, 1767, Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, and one-time mistress of King George II of England, died. Henrietta has the distinction of probably being the only mistress in history to be unwanted; George II much preferring the company of his wife to her. Digging Deeper What also sets Henrietta Howard apart is that she was a different nationality from her royal lover. This article will list 10 women who slept with emperors, czars, kings and princes but were not their subjects. Mistresses such as Cleopatra or Wallis Simpson who eventually married their lovers will not…
A Brief History On July 22, 2014, Franka Potente celebrated her 40th birthday. This German actress, probably unknown to most American movie viewers, has appeared in a few relatively significant English-speaking roles. Digging Deeper The following article will also name other relative unknowns as well as great movie stars in a concise reference list. The glue that binds them together is the fact that they were all born German-speaking in either Germany, Austria or Switzerland and later starred in English or American movies. For the purposes of this article, neither American actresses born to German parents, such as Kirsten Dunst…
A Brief History On July 19th, 1966, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow wed. As many had predicted, they ended up having a short and unhappy marriage. Their relationship with each other as divorcés, however, was exceptionally amicable, as brought to light 45 years later. On the basis of three different examples, this article will look at couples who experienced, or in one case, are still experiencing, an amicable post-divorce period. Digging Deeper Amicable is derived from French and basically means “friendly” or “agreeable”. The term amicable divorce is usually one given to divorcing couples who manage to avoid a type…