Marie Magdelene Dietrich von Losch (aka Marlene) was born in Berlin, Germany on December 27, 1901. Her father was an army officer who had served in the Franco-Prussian War. Because of his constant absences from the family due to his army duties, Marlene and the rest had to rely on themselves. When he was died, while she was 11, Marlene's mother married Eduard von Losch and he adopted the Dietrich children. Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage production, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire. She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was NAPOLEON'S YOUNGER BROTHER which was followed by TRAGEDY OF LOVE. On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together that whole time. The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles that never amounted to a whole lot. After being seen in the German production of BLUE ANGEL in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was MOROCCO with Gary Cooper later that year followed by DISHONORED in 1931. This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was a rather boring affair but was a success because of Marlene's presence. Movie goers were simply attracted to her. In 1932, Marlene filmed SHANGHAI EXPRESS which proved to be immensely popular raking in $3 million. Once again she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was BLONDE VENUS which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute. Marlene seemed to be typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Some films such as DESIRE in 1936 didn't do that but she wanted to expand. Her chance came in 1939 in DESTRY RIDES AGAIN when she was cast as Frenchy, a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the typecasting which she was forced to endure during her career. All through the 1940's she appeared in well produced, well directed films such as MANPOWER, THE SPOILERS, THE LADY IS WILLING, and PITTSBURGH all in 1942. Afterwards the roles came fewer, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG in 1961. Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again. Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of natural causes at the age of 90.
Just a Gigolo (1979): $250,000
Destry Rides Again (1939): $50,000
Knight Without Armor (1937): $450,000
The Garden of Allah (1936): $200,000
Blonde Venus (1932): $125,000
Dishonored (1931): $125,000
Received the U.S. War Department's 'Medal of Freedom', in 1947, for entertaining American troops in WWII and her strong stand against Naziism. Was made a Chevaliere of the Legion by France. Born at 9:15pm-CET Her estate, consisting of about 300.000 pieces, was bid for 8 mio. German marks by the city of Berlin, Germany. Interred at Friedhof III, Berlin-Friedenau, Germany. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#60). [1995] Mother of Maria Riva. Marlene's father was Lt. Louis Erich Otto Dietrich, who died when she was very young. Her mother remarried to Colonel Eduard von Losch, who was killed in WWI. Her father, a Berlin police lieutenant, died after he fell off a horse when she was ten years old. She sucked lemon wedges between takes to keep her mouth muscles tight. Never worked without a mirror on the set so she could constantly check her makeup and hair. Her make-up man said she kissed so hard that she needed a new coat of lipstick after every kiss. In a posthumous gift of forgiveness, she left her vast collection of memorabilia to the city of Berlin. She demanded that Max Factor sprinkle half an ounce of real gold dust into her wigs to add glitter to her tresses during filming. She prided herself on the fact that she had slept with three men of the Kennedy clan - Joseph P. Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Marlene suffered from bacilophobia, the fear of germs. Fell and broke her left leg at her last ever last stage appearance in Sydney, Australia, September 1975. Became an American citizen on March 6, 1937. Ten years after her death, Berlin - the city of Dietrich's birth which she shunned for most of her life - declared her an honorary citizen. On April 18, 2002, the city's legislature bestowed honor on her as "an ambassador for a democratic, freedom-loving and humane Germany." The declaration hoped this "would symbolize the city of Berlin's reconciliation with her." Appears on the sleeve of The Beatles "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Measurements: 35-24-33 (in 1930), 36 1/2-26-33 (mid-1950s), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) She thought of feet to be the ugliest part of the human body, and therefore always tried to hide them in one way or another The only show-business friend she ever had was Mae West. However, they never saw one another outside the Paramount lot. Once said that her favorite meal was hotdogs and champagne. Proficient on the musical saw. She was voted the 43rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Won a Special Tony Award in 1968. Was named #9 Actress on The AFI 50 Greatest Screen Legends First German actress to be Oscar-nominated. Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue" She spent her last decade in her apartment on the avenue Montaigne in Paris, during which time she was not seen in public but was a prolific letter-writer and phone-caller. In 1984, Academy Award winning actor Maximilian Schell persuaded her to be interviewed for a documentary, but she did not appear on screen. Was voted the 50th Greatest German. According to daughter Maria Riva, Dietrich had a long-standing dislike of actress Loretta Young. In Italian films, she was dubbed by either Lidia Simoneschi, Tina Lattanzi or Andreina Pagnani.