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Else Eckersberg


Foto: Becker & Maass (Atelier 1902-1938)

1895 - 1989

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The actress Else Eckersberg was born in Berlin and grew up by her grand parents after the death of her father.

She was affectionated to the acting at a young age and from 1910 she attended the acting school of the "Deutsche Theater" of Max Reinhardt. 

When she took part in the play "Tod und Teufel" in a private performance in 1912 she got engaged by Reinhardt for his ensemble.

Her first professional appearance came in the same year into being for "Faust II".
I was also Max Reinhardt who introduced into the still young film business and he engaged her for his direction of "Eine venezianische Nacht" (14). 

In the next years she took part in other silent movies like "Die Erbtante" (14), "Die bösen Buben" (15) and a serial of movies with her in the leading role like "Komtess Else" (16), "Else als Detektiv" (17) and "Else und ihr Vetter" (17).

The serial was continued till the beginning of the 20s but she also appeared in other movies beside this serial.
To her most popular movies of those years belong  "Else, die Räuberbraut" (20), "Der Dummkopf" (21) and "Die Brüder Karamasoff" (21)

Even in the time of her active film career the theater remained her main activity and after 1921 she concentrated again exclusively to the stage. 

There she was a much demanded actress since her title role in "Cäsar und Cleopatra" and in the next years she appeared on stages of the important theaters in Berlin and Vienna. 

Although she often played humorous roles since the 20s she only became in the 30s a celebrated comedian thanks to her praised appearances in "Der Schwierige", "Intimitäten" or "Das schwache Geschlecht".

When the National Socialist seized the power the environment changed for the worse for actors, especially for the Jewish decents. In this negative environment Else Eckersberg also reduced her activity on stage and appeared only seldom in plays like "Das Glas Wasser" and "Griselda".

Else Eckersberg appeared a last time on front of the camera in 1939 for the production "Der Florentiner Hut" (39).

A critical phase in her live occured with her arrest after the assassination of Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944. One of the participants was Peter Graf Yorck von Wartenburg with whose brother Paul Graf Yorck von Wartenburg she was married in third marriage. The hope and tremple lasted two months before she was released. 

Else Eckersberg was married three times. In 1958 she published her memoirs with the title "Diese volle Zeit".
 

Other movies with Else Eckersberg:
Die Marketenderin (14) Es war in Schöneberg (14) Peter Markoff (14) Solo allein (15) Lumpengesindel (15) Eine Lausbubengeschichte (15) Die Erbtante (15) Die Direktion verlobt sich (15) Elses letzter Hauslehrer (16) Der Konkneipant (16) Das Nachtgespräch (17) Else, die Tochter der Exzellenz (21) Prinzesschen Else (21) 


 
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