Frank, Ellen (1904-1999)

Frank, Ellen

ACTOR, DANCER (GERMANY)

BORN 9 Mar 1904, Aurich, Niedersachsen - DIED 17 Sep 1999, Klagenfurt, Kärnten
GRAVE LOCATION Klagenfurt, Kärnten: Friedhof St. Martin, Luegerstrasse (II, Feld 02, Reihe 03, Nummer 130)

Ellen Frank was the daughter of the Prussian government councilor Georg Frank and his wife Paula. She was the younger sister of Ilse Frank, who married the architect Walter Gropius in 1923. Ellen worked as a secretary at a concert agency before she was orphaned when she was seventeen years old. Her guardian supporter her taking dancing lessons with Mary Wigman and Max Terpis engaged her at the Stadttheater in Hannover.

In 1924 she travelled with a modern dancing group through Germany. Around 1926 she exchanged dancing for acting. In Berlin she debuted under Erwin Piscator at the Volksbühne as Amalia in Schiller's "Die Räuber". After several further theatre engagements she appeared in her first movie "Es gibt eine Frau, die dich niemals vergisst" in 1930. She also appeared in cabaret. From 1929 to 1931 she was in a relationship with László Moholy-Nagy.

In 1934 she became well known after her roles in "Heinz im Mond" and "Peer Gynt". She appeared in movies with Heinz Rühmann several times. She married the building contractor George Arm in 1939. They settled in Munich and they had a daughter, Evelyn, who became a costume designer and married the Austrian set and costume designer Matthias Kralj (b.1933) in 1966. That marriage ended in a divorce.

It was not until 1953 before Ellen Frank appeared in a movie again. In 1954 she played in "Ludwig II". During the 1960s she mostly appeared in television productions like "Tatort" and "Derrick". She died after a long illness in Klagenfurt in 1999 and she was buried in that city.

Images
The grave of Ellen Frank at the St. Martin cemetery in Klagenfurt, Kärnten. Picture by Androom (24 Aug 2023)	The grave of Ellen Frank at the St. Martin cemetery in Klagenfurt, Kärnten. Picture by Androom (24 Aug 2023)