Renate Müller(1906-1937)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Highly popular German star Renate Muller was the toast of late 20s
Berlin along with the legendary Marlene Dietrich. Unlike Dietrich, however, she
suffered at the hands of the Nazis and died under mysterious
circumstances.
Renate was born in Munich on April 26, 1906, the
daughter of a newspaper editor-in-chief and a painter. As a child she
lived a privileged, well-to-do life in pre-Nazi Germany. An early
interest in acting and poetry led her to the Harzer Bergtheater under
the tutelage of Georg Wilhelm Pabst, one of her professors at school. By the late
20s she had established herself as one of Berlin's most active and
versatile stage players.
Actor/director Reinhold Schünzel hired Renate for her
first movie and used her again many times in some of her (and his) best
films. As her American counterparts at the time were Claudette Colbert and
Nancy Carroll, Renate too became a shining star of light, sexy comedies.
Pert, stylish and wholesomely pretty, she had just enough of an edge to
make her impish sexuality all the more interesting.
The highlights of her rather brief career were The Office Girl (1931) (1931),
which made her a star, and Victor and Victoria (1933) (1933), the widely
popular romantic story of a woman who disguises herself as a man. In
the mid-30s, however, the entertainment industry was becoming acutely
affected by the rise of Hitler. While the outraged Dietrich turned her
back on her country and became a U.S. citizen, Renate stayed true and
remained in her homeland despite her intense dislike of the bleak
political situation. She became less cooperative, however, over the
years, especially when they began putting her in propaganda films, such
as Togger (1937).
Renate died tragically at age 31 on October 1, 1937, having
checked into a Berlin hospital for knee surgery (some sources say drug
addiction). She apparently fell or was pushed out of a third-story
window and died instantly. Some sources say it was suicide due to her
desperate unhappiness over the rise of Nazi Germany and her artistic
entrapment. Others insist it was a murder covered up by the fascist
regime. Those who favor this story claim that her death was the result
of her lack of cooperation, her clandestine involvement with a Jewish
man, and the regime's fear that she was going to turn traitor and leave
Germany. In any event, her death was deeply felt and she was mourned by
her many fans who weren't even allowed to attend her
funeral.
Berlin along with the legendary Marlene Dietrich. Unlike Dietrich, however, she
suffered at the hands of the Nazis and died under mysterious
circumstances.
Renate was born in Munich on April 26, 1906, the
daughter of a newspaper editor-in-chief and a painter. As a child she
lived a privileged, well-to-do life in pre-Nazi Germany. An early
interest in acting and poetry led her to the Harzer Bergtheater under
the tutelage of Georg Wilhelm Pabst, one of her professors at school. By the late
20s she had established herself as one of Berlin's most active and
versatile stage players.
Actor/director Reinhold Schünzel hired Renate for her
first movie and used her again many times in some of her (and his) best
films. As her American counterparts at the time were Claudette Colbert and
Nancy Carroll, Renate too became a shining star of light, sexy comedies.
Pert, stylish and wholesomely pretty, she had just enough of an edge to
make her impish sexuality all the more interesting.
The highlights of her rather brief career were The Office Girl (1931) (1931),
which made her a star, and Victor and Victoria (1933) (1933), the widely
popular romantic story of a woman who disguises herself as a man. In
the mid-30s, however, the entertainment industry was becoming acutely
affected by the rise of Hitler. While the outraged Dietrich turned her
back on her country and became a U.S. citizen, Renate stayed true and
remained in her homeland despite her intense dislike of the bleak
political situation. She became less cooperative, however, over the
years, especially when they began putting her in propaganda films, such
as Togger (1937).
Renate died tragically at age 31 on October 1, 1937, having
checked into a Berlin hospital for knee surgery (some sources say drug
addiction). She apparently fell or was pushed out of a third-story
window and died instantly. Some sources say it was suicide due to her
desperate unhappiness over the rise of Nazi Germany and her artistic
entrapment. Others insist it was a murder covered up by the fascist
regime. Those who favor this story claim that her death was the result
of her lack of cooperation, her clandestine involvement with a Jewish
man, and the regime's fear that she was going to turn traitor and leave
Germany. In any event, her death was deeply felt and she was mourned by
her many fans who weren't even allowed to attend her
funeral.