West German postcard by UFA, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-323. Photo: Ringpress / Vogelmann.
On 13 February, German actress, singer and author Johanna von Koczian (1933-2024) passed away in Berlin. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, she was one of Germany’s most popular film stars. Later, she evolved into a stage actress, a popular Schlager singer, a TV presenter, and a successful author of novels and children's books. Johanna von Koczian was 90.
Johanna von Koczian was born in Berlin as Johanna von Miskoczy in Berlin in 1933. She was the daughter of Gustav von Koczian-Miskolcy, a German soldier, and his wife Lydia Alexandra. She grew up in Austria, where she studied at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum in Salzburg. Here, she was discovered by director Gustaf Gründgens, who gave her a role at the Salzburg Theater Festival. Her breakthrough in the theatre was her role as Anne Frank at the Schiller Theater in Berlin. Her first film role was the lead in the remake of the famous cross-dressing comedy Viktor und Viktoria/Viktor and Viktoria (Karl Anton, 1957) with Georg Thomalla and Johannes Heesters. The next year she played the female lead in the box office hit Wir Wunderkinder/Aren't We Wonderful? (Kurt Hoffmann, 1958) with Hansjörg Felmy. For her role, she was awarded the Bundesfilmpreis (Federal Film Prize).
In the later 1950s, Johanna von Koczian was one of the most popular German film stars and played in films like Petersburger Nächte/Petersburg Nights (Paul Martin, 1958) with Ewald Balser, Ivan Desny and Claus Biederstaedt, Bezaubernde Arabella/Enchanting Arabella (Axel von Ambesser, 1959) based on a novel by Georgette Heyer, Menschen im Netz/People in the Net (Franz Peter Wirth, 1959) again with Hansjörg Felmy, the musical Jacqueline (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1959), as Anastasia in the Friedrich Dürrenmatt adaptation Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi/The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi (Kurt Hoffmann, 1961) with O.E. Hasse, Unser Haus in Kamerun/Our House in Cameroun (Alfred Vohrer, 1961) with Götz George, and the drama Straße der Verheißung/Street of Temptation (Imo Moszkowicz, 1961) with Mario Adorf and Karin Baal. From 1962 on, she was mainly working on stage for several different companies. She often starred in Boulevard comedies. She also appeared in popular TV series like Praxis Bülowbogen (Practice Bülowbogen) (1987-1988) and as Dr. Cora in the satire show Fragen Sie Frau Dr. Cora (Ask Doctor Cora) (1989). She only made two more feature films, the episodic film Das Liebeskarussell/The Daisy Chain (Rolf Thiele, Axel von Ambesser, Alfred Weidenmann, 1965) and Käpt'n Rauhbein aus St. Pauli/Nurses for Sale (Rolf Olsen, 1971) with Curd Jürgens.
During her career Johanna von Koczian appeared on the stages of the Schauspielhaus in Wuppertal, the Staatlichen Schauspielbühnen (State Theatre) in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsschauspiel (Bavarian State Theatre) in Munich, the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna and the Hamburg Thalia Theatre under the direction of Boy Gobert. In 1977 she had a major hit single in Germany and Austria with her song 'Das bißchen Haushalt' (The Little Bit of Homemaking), mocking a macho husband's attitude towards a homemaker's duties. Other popular Schlagers of her include 'Keinen Pfennig' (No Penny)(1974), 'Aufsteh'n ist schön' (Getting Up Is Beautiful) (1978) and 'Karl, gib' mal den Hammer rüber' (Karl, Hand Me the Hammer)(1979), which she often performed on TV.
For German public television, she also presented the music quiz Erkennen Sie die Melodie?/Do You Recognize This Melody? She appeared in popular Krimis like Derrick (1975-1978), Der Alte/The Old Fox (1983), Tatort (1986-1987) and SOKO 5113 (2002). She played in the popular TV film Single Bells (Xaver Schwarzenberger, 1998) and its sequel O Palmenbaum/O Palm Tree (Xaver Schwarzenberger, 2000). More recently she appeared in the popular series Die Landärztin/The Country Doctor (2005-2009). Since the 1980s she wrote successful children's books and such novels as 'Sommerschatten' (Summer Shadows)(1989) and 'Das Narrenspiel' (The Fool's Game) (1992). She was married twice, first shortly to director Dietrich Haugk who directed her in the films Heldinnen/Heroes (1960) and Agatha, laß das Morden sein!/Agatha, stop killing! (1960), and after their divorce she was married to music producer Wolf Kabitzky till his death in 2004. She moved to a nursing home in the Grunewald district in 2017, withdrawing from public life. Johanna von Koczian died in 2024, at the age of 90. She was the mother of actress Alexandra von Koczian.
Sources: Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-Line - German), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Tags: Johanna von Koczian Johanna von Koczian German Actress Deutsche Darstellerin Schauspielerin European Film Star Cinema Kino Cine Film Picture Screen Movies Movie Star Filmster Vintage Postcard R.I.P. UFA Ringpress Vogelmann
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West German postcard by Frans Josef Rüdel, Filmpostkarenverlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 2466. Photo: Filmaufbau / Constantin / Ringpress / Vogelman.Johanna von Koczian and Hansjörg Felmy in Wir Wunderkinder/Aren't We Wonderful? (Kurt Hoffmann, 1958).
On 13 February, German actress, singer and author Johanna von Koczian (1933-2024) passed away in Berlin. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, she was one of Germany’s most popular film stars. Later, she evolved into a stage actress, a popular Schlager singer, a TV presenter, and a successful author of novels and children's books. Johanna von Koczian was 90.
Johanna von Koczian was born in Berlin as Johanna von Miskoczy in Berlin in 1933. She was the daughter of Gustav von Koczian-Miskolcy, a German soldier, and his wife Lydia Alexandra. She grew up in Austria, where she studied at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum in Salzburg. Here, she was discovered by director Gustaf Gründgens, who gave her a role at the Salzburg Theater Festival. Her breakthrough in the theatre was her role as Anne Frank at the Schiller Theater in Berlin. Her first film role was the lead in the remake of the famous cross-dressing comedy Viktor und Viktoria/Viktor and Viktoria (Karl Anton, 1957) with Georg Thomalla and Johannes Heesters. The next year she played the female lead in the box office hit Wir Wunderkinder/Aren't We Wonderful? (Kurt Hoffmann, 1958) with Hansjörg Felmy. For her role, she was awarded the Bundesfilmpreis (Federal Film Prize).
In the later 1950s, Johanna von Koczian was one of the most popular German film stars and played in films like Petersburger Nächte/Petersburg Nights (Paul Martin, 1958) with Ewald Balser, Ivan Desny and Claus Biederstaedt, Bezaubernde Arabella/Enchanting Arabella (Axel von Ambesser, 1959) based on a novel by Georgette Heyer, Menschen im Netz/People in the Net (Franz Peter Wirth, 1959) again with Hansjörg Felmy, the musical Jacqueline (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1959), as Anastasia in the Friedrich Dürrenmatt adaptation Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi/The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi (Kurt Hoffmann, 1961) with O.E. Hasse, Unser Haus in Kamerun/Our House in Cameroun (Alfred Vohrer, 1961) with Götz George, and the drama Straße der Verheißung/Street of Temptation (Imo Moszkowicz, 1961) with Mario Adorf and Karin Baal. From 1962 on, she was mainly working on stage for several different companies. She often starred in Boulevard comedies. She also appeared in popular TV series like Praxis Bülowbogen (Practice Bülowbogen) (1987-1988) and as Dr. Cora in the satire show Fragen Sie Frau Dr. Cora (Ask Doctor Cora) (1989). She only made two more feature films, the episodic film Das Liebeskarussell/The Daisy Chain (Rolf Thiele, Axel von Ambesser, Alfred Weidenmann, 1965) and Käpt'n Rauhbein aus St. Pauli/Nurses for Sale (Rolf Olsen, 1971) with Curd Jürgens.
During her career Johanna von Koczian appeared on the stages of the Schauspielhaus in Wuppertal, the Staatlichen Schauspielbühnen (State Theatre) in Berlin, the Bayerische Staatsschauspiel (Bavarian State Theatre) in Munich, the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna and the Hamburg Thalia Theatre under the direction of Boy Gobert. In 1977 she had a major hit single in Germany and Austria with her song 'Das bißchen Haushalt' (The Little Bit of Homemaking), mocking a macho husband's attitude towards a homemaker's duties. Other popular Schlagers of her include 'Keinen Pfennig' (No Penny)(1974), 'Aufsteh'n ist schön' (Getting Up Is Beautiful) (1978) and 'Karl, gib' mal den Hammer rüber' (Karl, Hand Me the Hammer)(1979), which she often performed on TV.
For German public television, she also presented the music quiz Erkennen Sie die Melodie?/Do You Recognize This Melody? She appeared in popular Krimis like Derrick (1975-1978), Der Alte/The Old Fox (1983), Tatort (1986-1987) and SOKO 5113 (2002). She played in the popular TV film Single Bells (Xaver Schwarzenberger, 1998) and its sequel O Palmenbaum/O Palm Tree (Xaver Schwarzenberger, 2000). More recently she appeared in the popular series Die Landärztin/The Country Doctor (2005-2009). Since the 1980s she wrote successful children's books and such novels as 'Sommerschatten' (Summer Shadows)(1989) and 'Das Narrenspiel' (The Fool's Game) (1992). She was married twice, first shortly to director Dietrich Haugk who directed her in the films Heldinnen/Heroes (1960) and Agatha, laß das Morden sein!/Agatha, stop killing! (1960), and after their divorce she was married to music producer Wolf Kabitzky till his death in 2004. She moved to a nursing home in the Grunewald district in 2017, withdrawing from public life. Johanna von Koczian died in 2024, at the age of 90. She was the mother of actress Alexandra von Koczian.
Sources: Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-Line - German), Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Tags: Johanna von Koczian Johanna von Koczian German Actress Hansjörg Felmy Hansjörg Felmy Actor European Film Star Cinema Kino Cine Film Picture Screen Movies Movie Star Filmster Vintage Postcard R.I.P. Wir Wunderkinder 1958 Rüdel Rüdel-Verlag Filmaufbau Constantin Ringpress Vogelmann
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German postcard by Rüdel Verlag, no. 3561. Photo: PALLAS / Vogelmann. Claudia Cardinale in Cartouche (Philippe de Broca, 1962). Collection: Marlene Pilaete.
On 24 July 2022, an Actresses as gypsies post will be published on our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Tags: Claudia Cardinale Claudia Cardinale Italian Actress Actrice Schauspielerin Darstellerin Film Cine Cinema Kino Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Postkarte Carte Postale Tarjet Postal Cartolina Carte Postale Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Cartouche La Collectionneuse Gypsy 1962 Rüdel Rüdel-Verlag PALLAS Vogelmann Goat Animals
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West-German postcard by Ufa/Film-Foto, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 2160. Photo: Vogelmann / Gamma / Union. Martine Carol in Lola Montez (Max Ophüls, 1955).
Sex symbol Martine Carol (1920–1967) was one of the most beautiful women of French cinema. During the early 1950s, she was a top box office draw as an elegant blonde seductress. Her private life was filled with turmoil including a suicide attempt, drug abuse, a kidnapping, and a mysterious death.
Martine Carol was born in 1920 as Maryse Louise Mourer in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. A chance meeting with comedian André Luguet steered her toward a career in the theatre. Trained by René Simon, she made her 1940 stage debut with Phèdre, billed as Maryse Arley. She subsequently caught the eye of film director Henri-Georges Clouzot who hired her for his film Le Chat/The Cat, based on the novel by Colette, but the project was scrapped. She made her first film appearance in the anti-Semitic propaganda film Les Corrupteurs (Pierre Ramelot, 1941), but she first attracted attention in La ferme aux loups/Wolf Farm (Richard Pottier, 1943), which takes advantage of her photogenic beauty and ease in front of the camera despite a limited acting ability. Throughout the 1940s she was a pin-up goddess and support actress in films like the comedy Voyage surprise (Pierre Prévert, 1947) and Les amants de Vérone/The Lovers of Verona (André Cayatte, 1949). She also appeared on the stage of the Theatre of the Renaissance. In 1947 a torrid affair with actor Georges Marchal, who was married to actress Dany Robin at the time, ended disastrously and she attempted suicide by taking an alcohol/drug overdose and throwing herself off a bridge into the Seine River. She was saved by a taxi driver who accompanied her there. Ironically, the unhappy details surrounding her suicide attempt renewed the fascination audiences had with Martine up until that time. She was also kidnapped by gangster Pierre Loutrel (aka ‘Crazy Pete’), albeit briefly, and received roses the next day as an apology.
In 1950 Martine Carol scored her first huge film success with the French Revolution epic Caroline Cherie/Dear Caroline (Richard Pottier, 1950) - no doubt prompted by her semi-nude scenes and taunting, kittenish sexuality - and she was off and running at the box office. Her film romps were typically done tastefully with an erotic twinge of innocence and gentle sexuality plus an occasional bubble bath thrown in as male bait. She continued spectacularly with an array of costumed teasers such as Adorables créatures/Adorable Creatures (1952), Lucrèce Borgia/Sins of the Borgias (1953), Madame du Barry (1954), and Nana (1954), all guided and directed by second husband Christian-Jacque, whom she married in 1954. Martine later divorced the director due to professional conflicts and long separations. She also starred in Belles de Nuit/ Beauties of the Night (René Clair, 1952) opposite Gérard Philipe, and in the last comedy directed by Preston Sturges, Les Carnets du Major Thompson/The Diary of Major Thompson (1955), based on the best-seller by Pierre Daninos. One of her last major roles was as the title character in Lola Montés (Max Ophüls, 1955), the tragic and true story of the great adventurer, circus attraction, and lover of various important men.
By the mid-1950s, Brigitte Bardot had replaced Martine Carol as the national Sex Siren, and the voluptuous blonde's career went into a severe decline. Although such mature roles as Empress Josephine in Austerlitz/The Battle of Austerlitz (Abel Gance, 1960) and Contessa Vitelleschi in Vanina Vanini (Roberto Rossellini, 1961) followed, nothing revived audience interest. Depressed, she turned alarmingly reclusive while a third marriage to French doctor Andre Rouveix also soured by 1962. Problems with substance abuse and a severe accident in the 1960s also curtailed her career dramatically. Her last film was Hell Is Empty (John Ainsworth, Bernard Knowles, 1963). Production was briefly halted due to her illness. This is why the film has two directors. Although filmed in 1963 it was not released until 1967. (By the time of the release of the film, two of the leading ladies, Patricia Viterbo and Martine, were already dead.) Martine Carol’s last marriage to fourth husband Mike Eland, an English businessman and friend of first husband Steve Crane, seemed hopeful, but in 1967, she died of cardiac arrest at age 46 in the bathroom of a hotel in Monaco. Her husband discovered her. Newspapers hinted at a possible drug overdose but nothing was ever proven. She was initially buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery of Paris. But her grave was violated (some media reported that she had been interred with her jewels). Martine Carol was then buried in the Grand Jas Cemetery of Cannes.
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Tags: Martine Carol Martine Carol French Actress European Film Star Cinema Vedette Film Kino Cine Picture Screen Movie Movies Filmster Star Vintage Postcard Carte Postale Cartolina Tarjet Postal Postkaart Briefkarte Briefkaart Ansichtskarte Ansichtkaart Ufa/Film-Foto Vogelmann Gamma Union Lola Montez 1955 Max Ophüls Max Ophüls
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Dutch postcard. DRC Holland, No. 1151. Photo: Ringpress-Vogelmann/UFA. Ufa/Film-Foto. The painting on the easel may well be a Bracque.
Romy Schneider (1938-1982) was one of the most beautiful and intelligent actors of her generation. More than 30 years after her death she still has an immense popular appeal.
Tags: Romy Schneider Romy Schneider Vintage Vedette Postcard Postkarte POstale Postkaart Postal Picture Dutch Austrian 1950s Cinema Carte Cartolina Cine Carte Postale Card Celebrity Costume Film Film Star Movies Movie Movie Star Screen Star Schauspielerin Darstellerin DEutsch Ansichtkaart Ansichtskarte ACtress Actrice Attrice art modern art painting Bracque still-life mug pitcher
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