Lilli Palmer

Lilli Palmer (German: [ˈlɪ.li ˈpal.mɐ] (listen); born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in But Not for Me (1959).

Lilli Palmer
Palmer in 1946
Born
Lilli Marie Peiser

(1914-05-24)24 May 1914
Posen, German Empire
(now Poznań, Poland)
Died27 January 1986(1986-01-27) (aged 71)
Los Angeles, California
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
NationalityGerman
Years active1935–1986
Spouse(s)
    (m. 1943; div. 1957)
      (m. 1957)
      ChildrenCarey Harrison
      RelativesIrene Prador (sister)

      Other notable roles include in the comedy The Pleasure of His Company (1961), the Spanish horror film The House That Screamed (1969), and in the miniseries Peter the Great (1986), which earned her another Golden Globe Award nomination. For her career in European films, Palmer won the Volpi Cup, and the Deutscher Filmpreis three times.

      Early life

      Palmer, who took her surname from an English actress she admired, was one of three daughters born to Alfred Peiser, a German Jewish surgeon, and Rose Lissman (or Lissmann), an Austrian Jewish stage actress in Posen, Prussia, Germany (now Poznań, Poland).[1]

      When Lilli was four her family moved to Berlin-Charlottenburg. She was a junior table tennis champion as a young girl.[2] She studied drama in Berlin but her recently negotiated two-year contract with the Frankfurt Playhouse was cancelled after Hitler came to power in 1933 and the family faced grave reminders due to their Jewish heritage. Her elder sister, Irene (1911–1996), became an actress known as Irene Prador, later Mrs Irene Tooth. The youngest sister, Hildegard Julie Peiser (later Mrs Ross; 1919–2008), did not, however, follow her sisters' career choices. Lilli and her sisters fled Berlin to Paris but their father died in 1934 (aged 57) in Berlin. Their mother, Rose, died in 1959 (aged 77) in England.

      Career

      In France, she appeared in an operetta at the Moulin Rouge, and then to London, where she began her film career. While performing in cabarets, she attracted the attention of British talent scouts and was offered a contract by the Gaumont Film Company. She made her screen debut in Crime Unlimited (1935) and appeared in numerous British films for the next decade.[3]

      She married actor Rex Harrison on 25 January 1943,[1] and followed him to Hollywood in 1945. She signed with Warner Brothers and appeared in several films, notably Cloak and Dagger (1946) and Body and Soul (1947).[4]

      She periodically appeared in stage plays as well as hosting her own television series in 1951.[5]

      Harrison and Palmer appeared together in the hit Broadway play Bell, Book and Candle in the early 1950s. They also appeared in the 1951 British melodrama The Long Dark Hall, and later starred in the film version of The Four Poster (1952), which was based on the award-winning Broadway play of the same name, written by Jan de Hartog. She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress in 1953 for The Four Poster.[6]

      Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1956; they had one son, Carey, born in 1944.[7]

      Palmer returned to Germany in 1954, where she played roles in many films and television productions. She also continued to play both leading and supporting parts in the U.S. and abroad. In 1957, she won the Deutscher Filmpreis for Best Actress for her portrayal of Anna Anderson in The Story of Anastasia, called Is Anna Anderson Anastasia? in the UK. In 1958, she played the role of a teacher opposite Romy Schneider in Mädchen in Uniform (Girls in Uniform), the remake of the 1931 film of the same title.[8]

      Palmer interviewing German chancellor Helmut Schmidt in 1982

      Palmer starred with Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds in The Pleasure of His Company in 1961.[9]

      She starred opposite William Holden in The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), an espionage thriller based on fact, and opposite Robert Taylor in another true Second World War story, Disney's Miracle of the White Stallions (1963). On the small screen, in 1974 she starred as Manouche Roget in the six-part television drama series The Zoo Gang, about a group of former underground freedom fighters from the Second World War, with Brian Keith, Sir John Mills and Barry Morse.[10]

      Palmer published a memoir, Change Lobsters and Dance, in 1975.[7] Reminiscences by Vivian Matalon and Noël Coward (Matalon directed Palmer in the premiere production of Coward's trilogy Suite in Three Keys in 1966) suggest that Palmer was not always the patient and reasonable person she represented herself as being in this autobiography. She wrote a full-length work of fiction presented as a novel rather than a memoir, The Red Raven, in 1978.[11]

      Personal life

      Palmer's first marriage was to Rex Harrison in 1943. They divorced amicably in 1957, so that he could marry ailing actress Kay Kendall before her untimely death. Palmer was agreeable since she was already involved with her future husband, Carlos Thompson.

      Lilli Palmer (with husband Rex Harrison), 1950

      Palmer was married to Argentine actor Carlos Thompson from 1957 until her death in Los Angeles from abdominal cancer[12] in 1986 at the age of 71. She was survived by her husband, son, sisters, and her ex-husband.

      Palmer is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. A portion of the ashes of her first husband, Rex Harrison, were scattered on her grave.[13]

      Accolades

      Filmography

      Film

      Year Title Role Notes
      1935Crime UnlimitedNatacha
      1936Wolf's ClothingLydia
      1936The First OffenceJeannette
      1936Secret AgentLilli
      1937Good Morning, BoysYvette
      1937The Great BarrierLou
      1937Command PerformanceSusan
      1938CrackerjackBaroness Von Haltz
      1939A Girl Must LiveClytie Devine
      1939Blind FollyValerie
      1940Sunset in ViennaGelda Sponek
      1940The Door with Seven LocksJune LansdowneAlso known as: Chamber of Horrors
      1942Thunder RockMelanie Kurtz
      1943The Gentle SexErna Debruski
      1944English Without TearsBrigid KnudsenAlso known as: Her Man Gilbey
      1945The Rake's ProgressRikki KrausnerAlso known as: Notorious Gentleman
      1946Beware of PityBaroness Edith de Kekesfalva
      1946Cloak and DaggerGina
      1947Body and SoulPeg Born
      1948My Girl TisaTisa Kepes
      1948No Minor VicesApril Ashwell
      1949Wicked CityTania
      1951The Long Dark HallMary Groome
      1952The Four PosterAbby Edwards
      1953Main Street to BroadwayLilli Palmer
      1954FireworksIduna
      1956Devil in SilkMelanie
      1956The Taming of the Shrew KatherinaTV movie
      1956The Story of AnastasiaAnna Anderson
      1956Between Time and EternityNina Bohlen
      1957The Night of the StormMarianne Eichler
      1957The Glass TowerKatja Fleming
      1958A Woman Who Knows What She WantsJulia Klöhn, Lehrerin & Angela Cavallini
      1958The Lovers of MontparnasseBeatrice HastingsAlso known as: Modigliani of Montparnasse
      1958Girls in UniformElisabeth von BernburgAlso known as: Mädchen in Uniform
      1958Life TogetherOdette de StarenbergAlso known as: La Vie à deux
      1959But Not for MeKathryn Ward
      1960Mrs. Warren's ProfessionMrs. Kitty Warren
      1960Conspiracy of HeartsMother Katharine
      1961The Pleasure of His CompanyKatharine Dougherty
      1961The Last of Mrs. CheyneyMrs. Cheney
      1962Finden Sie, daß Constanze sich richtig verhält?Constanze Calonder
      1962LeviathanMotherAlso known as: Dark Journey
      1962The Counterfeit TraitorMrs. Marianne Möllendorf
      1962Le rendez-vous de minuitEva / Anne Leuven
      1962Adorable JuliaJulia Lambert
      1962L'amore difficileHildeAlso known as: Sex Can Be Difficult, (segment "Il serpente")
      1963Miracle of the White StallionsVedena Podhajsky
      1963Torpedo BayLygia da Silva
      1963Das große LiebesspielActress
      1964Le Grain de sableAnna-Maria di Scorza
      1965Operation CrossbowFrieda
      1965The Amorous Adventures of Moll FlandersDutchy
      1965God's ThunderMarie BrassacAlso known as: Le Tonnerre de Dieu
      1966Zwei Girls vom Roten SternOlga NikolaijewnaAlso known as: An Affair of States
      1966Der Kongreß amüsiert sichPrincess MetternichAlso known as: Congress of Love
      1966Le Voyage du pèreIsabelle QuantinAlso known as: Father's Trip
      1967The Dance of DeathAlice
      1967Jack of DiamondsHerself
      1967The Diary of Anne FrankEdith FrankTV movie
      1968SebastianElsa Shahn
      1968Oedipus the KingJocasta
      1968Nobody Runs ForeverSheila Quentin
      1969Hard ContractAdrianne
      1969De SadeMademoiselle de Montreuil
      1969The House That ScreamedSeñora FourneauAlso known as: La residencia
      1970Only the CoolHelen
      1970Hauser's MemoryAnna HauserTV movie
      1971Murders in the Rue MorgueMrs. Charron
      1972What the Peeper SawDr. Viorne
      1975Lotte in WeimarLotte
      1978The Boys from BrazilEsther Lieberman
      1980WeekendJudith BlissTV movie
      1980KinderMotherTV movie
      1982High Society LimitedHilde
      1982Imaginary FriendsEllen PitbladoTV movie
      1985The Holcroft CovenantAlthene Holcroft
      2018The Other Side of the WindZarah Valeska(final film role)

      Television

      Year Title Role Notes
      1938StarlightEpisode: "Richard Hearne"
      1938S-s-s-h! The Wife!The WifeShort
      1949SuspenseJuliaEpisode: "The Comic Strip Murder"
      1950The Philco-Goodyear Television PlayhouseMolly CollicuttEpisode: "The Uncertain Molly Collicutt"
      1952Lux Video TheatreNancyEpisode: "Three Hours Between Planes"
      1952OmnibusAnne BoleynEpisode: "The Trial of Anne Boleyn"
      1953The United States Steel HourMrs. Chrystal WeatherbyEpisode: "The Man in Possession"
      1954Four Star PlayhouseStacy LawrenceEpisode: "Lady of the Orchids"
      1972–1979Eine Frau bleibt eine FrauVarious5 episodes
      1974The Zoo GangManouche 'The Leopard' Roget6 episodes
      1974DerrickMartha Balke / Johanna JensenEpisode: "Johanna"
      1984The Love BoatLilly Marlowe2 episodes
      1986Peter the GreatNatalyaMiniseries

      Radio appearances

      YearProgramEpisode/source
      1946Suspense"Philomel Cottage"[19]
      1952Theatre Guild on the AirAn Ideal Husband[20]
      1953Star PlayhouseNo Time for Comedy[21]
      1953Star PlayhouseTwentieth Century[22]

      References

      1. Luft, Herbert C. (5 August 1960). "On the Screen". Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. p. 3. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2015 via Newspapers.com.
      2. "Lili Palmer, actress: Still understated at 70". Toledo Blade. 26 May 1984. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
      3. Bergfelder & Cargnelli 2008, p. 176.
      4. "Body and Soul (1947)". Turner Classic Movies Database. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
      5. Kleiman, Dena (29 January 1986). "Lilli Palmer, actress on TV, stage and screen for 50 years". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
      6. "Venice Film Festival: History 1932–2018 – Coppa Volpi for best actors since 1935"
      7. Folkart, Burt (29 January 1986). "Lilli Palmer, Actress and Best-Selling Author, Dies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
      8. "Maedchen in Uniform". Turner Classic Movies Database. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
      9. "The Pleasure of His Company". Turner Classic Movies Database. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
      10. "TV: Zoo Gang on NBC" by John J. O'Connor, The New York Times, July 16, 1975. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
      11. Lilli Palmer (1978). The Red Raven: A Novel. Macmillan. ISBN 9780025946309.
      12. "Lilli Palmer". Jewish Women's Archive. Archived from the original on 20 June 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
      13. http://afinalcurtaincall.blogspot.com/2014/07/rex-harrison-1908-1990.html
      14. Moliterno 2009, p. 352.
      15. "Deutscher Filmpreis-Lilli Palmer". Deutscher Film Preis (in German). Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
      16. "Lilli Palmer". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
      17. Kniewel, Peter (1979). Unser Fernsehen, 1952–1979: Geschichte und Geschichten des Mediums, der Menschen, der Sender und Sendungen. Springer. pp. 66–67 via Google Books.
      18. Folkart, Burt. "Lilli Palmer". Los Angeles Times. Hollywood Star Walk. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
      19. "Philomel Cottage". escape-suspense.com. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
      20. Kirby, Walter (30 March 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved 18 May 2015 via Newspapers.com.
      21. Kirby, Walter (18 October 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". Decatur Daily Review. p. 48. Retrieved 6 July 2015 via Newspapers.com.
      22. Kirby, Walter (22 November 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". Decatur Daily Review. p. 46 via Newspapers.com.

      Bibliography

      Further reading

      • McClintock, Walter (1951). Current biography yearbook: 1951. New York: H. W. Wilson.
      • Palmer, Lilli. Change Lobsters and Dance: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan, 1975. ISBN 978-0-02-594610-1
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