Mady Christians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Marguerita Maria "Mady" Christians (January 19, 1892 – October 28, 1951) was an Austrian actress and naturalized US citizen who had a successful acting career in theatre and film in the United States until she was blacklisted during the McCarthy period. She was born on January 19, 1892 to Rudolph Christians, a well-known German actor, and his wife, Bertha. Her family moved to Berlin when she was one year old, and to New York City in 1912, where her father became the Irving Place Theatre's general manager. Five years later she returned to Europe to study under Max Reinhardt. She appeared in a number of European films prior to the early 1930s. In 1929, she starred in the first full sound film made in Germany It's You I Have Loved. In 1933, she toured the United States in a play called Marching By and was offered a Broadway contract the following year that allowed her, like a number of other German artists, to seek refuge from the Nazi regime in the United States. On Broadway, Christians played Queen Gertrude in Hamlet and Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part I, staged by director Margaret Webster. Webster was part of a small but influential group of lesbian producers, directors, and actors in theater (a group that included Eva Le Gallienne and Cheryl Crawford). Webster and Christians became close friends: according to Webster biographer Milly S. Barranger, it is likely that they also were lovers. She also starred in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine. She originated the title role in the 1944 play I Remember Mama. Her last movie roles were in All My Sons, based on the play by Arthur Miller, and Letter from an Unknown Woman, both released in 1948. During World War II, Christians was involved in political work on behalf of refugees, rights for workers (especially in theater and film), and Russian War relief, political efforts that would bring her to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other anti-communist institutions and organizations. In addition to her political work, Christians also publicly criticized the House Committee on Un-American Activities in early 1941 and likened the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee's investigation of propaganda in US film to Nazi harassment of film and radio artists in the 1930s. In 1950, the FBI's internal security division began investigating Christians, who had been identified as a "concealed communist" by a confidential informant. When Christians' name appeared in Red Channels, the so-called bible of the broadcast blacklist, her career was effectively over.
Known For
Credits
- 1948 · The Philco Television Playhouse as Mama
- 1948 · All My Sons as Kate Keller
- 1948 · Letter from an Unknown Woman as Frau Berndle
- 1944 · Address Unknown as Elsa Schulz
- 1944 · Tender Comrade as Manya Lodge
- 1937 · Heidi as Dete
- 1937 · The Woman I Love as Florence
- 1937 · Seventh Heaven as Marie
- 1936 · Come and Get It as Karie Linbeck
- 1935 · Ship Cafe as Countess Boranoff
- 1935 · Escapade as Anita
- 1934 · A Wicked Woman as Naomi Trice, aka Naomi Stroud
- 1933 · The Only Girl as Empress Eugénie
- 1933 · Manolescu, der Fürst der Diebe as Comtesse Maria Freyenberg
- 1933 · The Only Girl as Kaiserin Eugenie
- 1933 · Salon Dora Green as Dora Green
- 1932 · Frederica as Friederike
- 1932 · The Black Hussar as Marie Luise
- 1931 · The Fate of Renate Langen as Renate Langen
- 1931 · My Incognito Heart as La reine Alexandra
- 1930 · Love Comes But Once as Königin Alexandra von Gregorien
- 1929 · Dich hab’ ich geliebt as Inge Lund
- 1929 · Meine Schwester und ich as Margarete von Marquardstein
- 1929 · The Runaway Princess as Princess Priscilla
- 1929 · Und Nelson spielt as
- 1929 · The Burning Heart as Dorothee Claudius
- 1928 · The Duel as
- 1928 · A Woman with Style as
- 1928 · Fräulein Chauffeur as Steffi Walker
- 1927 · Queen Louise as Königin Luise
- 1927 · Heimweh as
- 1927 · Grand Hotel...! as
- 1927 · Der Sohn der Hagar as Lore
- 1926 · Die Welt will belogen sein as Mery
- 1926 · Die geschiedene Frau as
- 1926 · Die Königin von Moulin Rouge as die Herzogin
- 1926 · Wien, wie es weint und lacht as Sefi
- 1926 · Zopf und Schwert as
- 1926 · Nanette macht alles as
- 1926 · The Waltz Dream as Prinzessin Alix
- 1925 · Der Farmer aus Texas as Mabel Bratt
- 1925 · In the Slums of Berlin as Regine Lossen
- 1925 · In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine as Bettina von Wittelsbach
- 1924 · Mensch gegen Mensch as
- 1924 · Soll und Haben as Baroneß Leonore von Rothensattel
- 1924 · Michael as Woman (uncredited)
- 1924 · The Finances of the Grand Duke as Großfürstin Olga von Rußland
- 1923 · The Lost Shoe as Violante
- 1923 · Die Buddenbrooks as Gerda Arnoldsen
- 1923 · A Glass of Water as
- 1923 · Der Wetterwart as
- 1922 · The Loves of Pharaoh as
- 1921 · Wer unter Euch ohne Sünde ist as
- 1921 · Peter Voss, Thief of Millions as Gert Nissen
- 1918 · Am anderen Ufer as Ebba von Thorn
- 1918 · Nachtschatten as