Marlene Dietrich filmography
_by_Don_English.png)
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress.
In the 1920s, she acted on the Berlin stage and in silent films, making her film debut in 1922. She was propelled to international fame by director Josef von Sternberg, who cast her as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel (1930). The film's commercial success brought her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the United States.
Paramount sought to market Dietrich as a German answer to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Swedish sensation, Greta Garbo. Her first American film, Morocco (1930), directed by Sternberg, earned Dietrich her only Oscar nomination. She would appear in several other films directed by Sternberg, including Dishonored (1931), Blonde Venus (1932), and Shanghai Express (1932).
Dietrich and Sternberg's last two film collaborations, The Scarlet Empress (1934) and The Devil Is a Woman (1935)—the most styled of their collaborations—were their least successful at the box office. Her first sound film without Sternberg was 1933's The Song of Songs, directed by Rouben Mamoulian, although she and Sternberg would later work together another two times.
But without Sternberg, Dietrich—along with Fred Astaire, Joan Crawford, Mae West, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Dolores del Río and others—was labeled "box office poison" after the movie Knight Without Armour (1937) proved an expensive box office failure. In 1939, however, her stardom was revived when she played a cowboy saloon girl in the light-hearted western Destry Rides Again opposite James Stewart, singing "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have".
While Dietrich arguably never fully regained her former screen glory, she continued performing in movies, including appearances for such distinguished directors as Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and Orson Welles, in successful films that included A Foreign Affair (1948), Stage Fright (1950), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Touch of Evil (1958), and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Her final film appearance was as herself in the 1984 documentary, Marlene.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Dietrich as the ninth-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema.
Filmography
Silent feature films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Other cast members & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Im Schatten des Glücks | (Unconfirmed Role) | Jacob Fleck | Sybil Smolova, Hans Adalbert Schlettow (Dietrich's appearance in the film has not been verified.) |
| 1923 | The Little Napoleon | Kathrin | Georg Jacoby | Egon Von Hagen, Paul Heidemann |
| 1923 | Tragedy of Love | Lucy | Joe May | Mia May, Emil Jannings |
| 1923 | Man by the Wayside | Kramerstochter | William Dieterle | Alexander Granach, William Dieterle |
| 1924 | The Monk from Santarem | Uncredited | Lothar Mendes | Alf Blucheter, Emmy Forster |
| 1924 | Leap Into Life | Mädchen am Strand | Johannes Guter | Xenia Desni, Walter Rilla |
| 1925 | Dancing Mad | Dance Extra | Alexander Korda | Victor Varconi, María Corda |
| 1926 | Manon Lescaut | Micheline | Arthur Robison | Lya De Putti, Vladimir Gajdarov |
| 1926 | Madame Wants No Children | Dancer (Uncredited) | Alexander Korda | María Corda, Harry Liedtke |
| 1927 | A Modern Dubarry | Kokotte | Alexander Korda | María Corda, Alfred Abel |
| 1927 | The Imaginary Baron | Sophie | Willi Wolff | Karl Beckman, Henry Bender |
| 1927 | Heads Up, Charley | Edmee Marchand | Willi Wolff | Ellen Richter, Michael Bonhen |
| 1927 | His Greatest Bluff | Yvette | Henrik Galeen | Harry Piel, Toni Tetzlaff |
| 1927 | Cafe Elektric | Erni | Gustav Ucicky | Willi Forst, Fritz Alberti |
| 1928 | Princess Olala | Chichotte de Gastone | Robert Land | Hermann Botcher, Walter Rilla |
| 1929 | Dangers of the Engagement Period | Evelyne | Fred Sauer | Willi Forst, Lotte Lorring |
| 1929 | I Kiss Your Hand, Madame | Laurence Gerard (Lucille in USA) | Robert Land | Harry Liedtke, Pierre de Guingand |
| 1929 | The Woman One Longs For | Stascha | Curtis Bernhardt | Fritz Kortner, Frida Richard |
| 1929 | The Ship of Lost Souls | Ethel Marley | Maurice Tourneur | Fritz Kortner, Robin Irvine |
Sound feature films
Short films
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Die gluckliche Mutter | Dietrich Biographer Steven Bach notes that the release of this film has not been verified. |
| 1935 | The Fashion Side of Hollywood | Promotional short film publicizing costumes designed by Travis Banton. |
| 1937 | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7 | |
| 1943 | Show Business at War | |
| 1944 | Memo for Joe |
Television
Complete list of television appearances (excluding news footage):
- Unicef Gala (Düsseldorf, 1962): Guest Appearance
- Cirque d'hiver (Paris, 9 March 1963): Cameo as "Garcon de Piste"
- Deutsche-Schlager-Festspiele (Baden-Baden, 1963): Guest Appearance
- Grand Gala du Disque (Edison Awards) (The Hague, 1963): Guest Appearance
- Galakväll pa Berns (Stockholm, 1963): Concert, with introduction by Karl Gerhardt and orchestra conducted by Burt Bacharach
- Royal Variety Performance (London, 4 November 1963): Guest Appearance
- The Stars Shine for Jack Hylton (London, 1965): Guest Appearance
- The Magic of Marlene (Melbourne, October 1965): Concert, with orchestra conducted by William Blezard.
- The 22nd Annual Tony Awards (New York, 21 April 1968): Acceptance Speech
- Guest Star Marlene Dietrich (Copenhagen – for Swedish Television, 1970): Interview
- I Wish You Love (An Evening with Marlene Dietrich) (London, 23 & 24 November 1972): Concert TV Special, with orchestra conducted by Stan Freeman.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Work | Result | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Morocco | Nominated | Academy Awards, USA | Best Actress in a Leading Role |
| 1958 | Witness for the Prosecution | Nominated | Golden Globe | Best Actress - Drama |
| 1958 | Witness for the Prosecution | 2nd place - Golden Laurel | Laurel Awards | Top Female Dramatic Performance |
| 1960 | Motion Picture (On 8 February 1960. At 6400 Hollywood Blvd) | Won | Walk of Fame | Star on the Walk of Fame |
| 1962 | Judgment at Nuremberg | Won | David di Donatello Awards | For her performance. |
| 1980 | For her contributions to the German film over the years. | Won | German Film Awards | Honorary Award |
| 2003 | Acting | Won | Online Film & Television Association | OFTA Film Hall of Fame |