Finkenzeller, Heli (1911-1991)

Finkenzeller, Heli

ACTOR (GERMANY)

BORN 17 Nov 1911, München, Bayern - DIED 14 Jan 1991, München, Bayern
CAUSE OF DEATH cancer
GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Waldfriedhof (103-W-12)

According to her gravestone Heli Finkenzeller was born in 1911, but many times 1914 has been stated as the year of her birth. From an early age she wanted to be an opera singer and was attracted to the theatre. She had a fine voice and she entered the Conservatory, but it turned out that her voice was too weak for opera. In 1933 she started taking acting lessons at Otto Falckenberg's new acting school, where Therese Giehse was among her teachers.

In 1934 she debuted at the Kammerspiele in Munich and there she worked with Ferdinand Marian, Elisabeth Flickenschild, Maria Bard and Heinz Rühmann. She also met Will Dohm and she married him in 1938. They had a son, Michael and a daughter, the actress Gaby Dohm.

In 1935 she made her first movie, "Ehestreik", directed by Georg Jacoby. She went to Berlin where success came with her parts in UFA films like "Opernball" (1939). She appeared in many movies during the war and continued her career after the war. In 1954 she was Emil's mother in "Emil und die Detektive" under direction of Robert Stemmle.

After her husband's death in 1948 she married director Alfred Bittins in 1950. He died in 1971. She was an active actress until late in life and in 1988 she appeared in the television series "Lorentz & Söhne". In 1991 she died on cancer, aged 79. She was buried in the same grave as Dohm and Bittins.

Family
• Husband: Dohm, Will (1938-1948)
• Husband: Bittins, Alfred (1950-1970)

Related persons
• was pupil of Giehse, Therese

Images
Heli Finkenzeller.	Heli Finkenzeller. (1941-1944)	Heli Finkenzeller. (1941-1944)
The grave of Will Dohm, Heli Finkenzeller and Alfred Bittins at the Waldfriedhof, Munich. Picture by Androom (22 Aug 2007)	Heli Finkenzeller. (1941-1944) Picture by Foto Baumann