Wedekind, Pamela (1906-1986)

Wedekind, Pamela

ACTOR, CHANSONNIER (GERMANY)

BORN 12 Dec 1906, Berlin - DIED 9 Apr 1986, Ambach, Bayern (near the Starnberger See)
BIRTH NAME Wedekind, Anna Naema Pamela Kadega
GRAVE LOCATION Münsing-Holzhausen, Bayern: Friedhof der Pfarrkirche Johannes der Täufer, Kirchbergstrasse 10

Anna Pamela Wedekind was the daughter of notorious drama writer Frank Wedekind and the actress Tilly Wedekind-Newes. As a child she used used to sing with her father in his study after lunch. She was only five years old when she learned to play the guitar herself. Although Wedekind was a strict father and his marriage was difficult, he loved his children and his early death in 1918 when she was only eleven years old was a heavy blow for Anna Pamela.

In june 1924 she and Klaus Mann became engaged, although Mann was clearly homosexual and his lesbian sister Erica loved Pamela. Gustav Grüdgens, also homosexual, was a close friend as well. In 1925 they all appeared in "Anja und Esther" at the Hamburger Kammerspiele and in 1927 they performed in "Revue zu Vieren" at the Schauspielhaus in Leipzig. Together with Erika Mann she also performed at cabarets. After she broke off the engagement with Klaus Mann in 1927 she married the writer Carl Sternheim in 1930. He was 30 years older and seriously ill with syphilis. After treatment by Gottfried Benn he recovered and she lived with him in Brussels until their divorce in 1934. Her understanding with Erika Mann had become very difficult.

After Gründgens became director of the Preußischen Staatstheater in Berlin he engaged Pamela at the Theater an der Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. Here she worked for seven years until 1942. After the war she was engaged at the Münchner Kammerspiele for another seven years. Apart from her acting she was well known for her chansons. In the 1950s she performed her father's songs during a tour. She also translated works by Marcel Pagnol and Stendhal from the French. In 1961 she received the Schwabinger Kunstpreis of the City of Munich.

Her second husband was the actor Charles Regnier, who was homosexual before their marriage and eight years her junior. They met at the Stadtheater in Greifswald. She believed in his talent and convinced Otto Falckenberg to engage him at the Kammerspiele in Munich. They married in 1940, had three children and stayed together until her death. After a long illlness she died in Ambach in Bavaria, near Lake Starnberg. She was buried in Münsing-Holzhausen and Regnier married actress Sonja Ziemann in 1989 and lived until 2001. Her son Anatol Regnier published a biography on Tilly Wedekind and her daughters in 2005.

Family
• Father: Wedekind, Frank
• Mother: Wedekind, Tilly
• Husband: Sternheim, Carl (1930-1934) (divorce or separation)
• Husband: Regnier, Charles (1940-1986, Berlin: Standesamt Moabit)
• Sister: Wedekind, Kadidja

Related persons
• was painted by Felixmüller, Conrad
• cooperated with Gründgens, Gustaf
• was loved by Hellberg, Ruth
• was engaged to Mann, Klaus
• translated work by Stendhal

Images
The Pfarrkirche Johannes der Täufer at the Kirchberg in Münsing-Holzhausen. Picture by androom (23 May 2006)	The grave of Pamela Wedekind at the cemetery at the Kirchberg in Münsing-Holzhausen. Picture by androom (23 May 2006)	The grave of Pamela Wedekind at the cemetery at the Kirchberg in Münsing-Holzhausen. Picture by androom (23 May 2006)
The cross at the grave of Pamela Wedekind at the cemetery at the Kirchberg in Münsing-Holzhausen. The Starnberger See is visible in the backgroud. Picture by androom (23 May 2006)	Pamela Wedekind.	Pamela Wedekind in "Bal paré".
Pamela Wedekind. Picture by Jutta Seidel, München