Elisabeth Bergner was the daughter of the merchant Emil Ettel
(1867-1935) and his wife Anna Rosa Wagner (b.1873). She grew
up in Vienna. Her parents divorced in 1913. Elisabeth made her
theatre debut in Innsbruck in 1915. In 1916 she obtained a contract
in Zürich, where she played Ophelia next to the famous Alexander
Moissi, who fell in love with her. She rejected him as a lover
(although she liked him very much and it seems she played with
his feelings). The next stage in her career was Vienna, where
she posed as a model for the highly talented but deeply unhappy
sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck. Lehmbruck fell madly in love with
her. She rejected him and his suicide soon afterwards shocked
her. After performing in Vienna and Munich she came to Berlin
in 1921. There she played in productions by Max Reinhardt and
became a very popular actress.
During her early years
as an actress she was often helped by the poet and critic Albert
Ehrenstein, whom she called "Xaverl". Ehrenstein was also in
love with her. At one time she promised him a child, but she
soon changed her mind or she never had such an intention at
all. Ehrenstein wrote numerous poems for her, but often she
kept him at a distance. However, their friendship lasted and
they continued to exchange letters.
In 1923 she made
her film debut in "Der Evangelimann". In 1924 Paul Czinner gave
her a role in "Nju". This was the beginning of a successful
collaboration in professional as well as private life. Her most
successful silent movie was "Fräulein Else" (1928).
Bergner
and Czinner were both Jews and after the nazis came to power
they emigrated to Vienna and then London, where they were married
although Czinner was gay. She learned English and was able to
continue her career. In London she befriended G.B. Shaw and
J.M. Barrie, who after a long pause started writing again, especially
for her. The resulting play, "The Boy David" (1936) was not
successful. She also appeared as Gemma Jones in the movie version
of "Escape Me Never" (1935) by Margaret Kennedy, which earned
her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (Bette Davis won that
year). Her movie "Catherine the Great" (1934) was forbidden
in Germany.
During her London years she sent much of
her money to relatives and friends in need. Among them Ehrenstein,
who never seemed able to make any money for himself and always
needed her financial assistance. Bergner's only Hollywood movie
"Paris Calling" (1941) failed to attract attention. On Broadway
she was more successful in "The Two Mrs. Carrolls". This was
probably the inspiration for Mary Orr's story "The Wisdom of
Eve" that was turned into the movie "All About Eve" in 1950.
After
the war she worked in New York until she returned to England
in 1950 and continued to live there. She gave much acclaimed
bible readings in Israel in English, German and Hebrew. Back
in Europe she resumed her stage career in Germany and in 1959
she stunned audiences and critics in Berlin with her performance
in "Geliebter Lügner", a German version of Jerome Kilty's "Dear
Liar", a play based on the letters exchanged between G.B. Shaw
and actress Stella Campbell. In 1961 she also returned to the
movies and in 1970 she debuted as a director. Her last stage
appearance took place in 1973 (Paul Czinner had died in 1972).
In
1978 a volume of memoirs was published in which she shared some
of her secrets with the public, like Wilhelm Lehmbruck's surprising
obsession with her, but certainly not all of them. She tells
the reader of a silent walk with the actor Hans Otto but not
of her affair with him and she is also silent about Paul Czinner's
assumed homosexuality.
In 1979 she received the Ernst-Lubitsch
Prize and in 1982 the Eleonora Duse Prize Asolo. She discussed
a possible return to Vienna with Bruno Kreisky, but she died
from cancer at her home in London in 1986. In Seglitz (Berlin)
a city park was named after her.
Related persons
• was written about by Eloesser, Arthur
• cooperated with George, Heinrich
• knew Kokoschka, Oskar
• worked as a model for Lehmbruck, Wilhelm
• knew Lenya, Lotte
• cooperated with Moissi, Alexander
• has a connection with Otto, Hans
• was directed by Reinhardt, Max
• was a friend of Schnitzler, Arthur
• knew Wedekind, Frank
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