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Kaaren Verne

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Kaaren Verne
Verne in 1942
Born
Ingeborg Greta Katerina Marie-Rose Klinckerfuss

(1918-04-06)6 April 1918
Died23 December 1967(1967-12-23) (aged 49)
Cause of deathheart ailment
Resting placeCalvary Cemetery, St Paul, Minnesota
Other namesKaren Verne
Catherine Young
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1966
Spouse(s)Arthur Young (1936-1945) (divorced)
Peter Lorre (1945-1950) (divorced)
James Powers (1951-1967) (her death)
ChildrenAlastair Young (1937-2015)
Catharine Lorre Baker (1953-1985) (adopted)[1]

Kaaren Verne (6 April 1918 – 23 December 1967), was a German-born actress. Sometimes billed as Karen Verne, she was originally a stage actress and member of the Berlin State Theatre.

Life and career

Verne was born in Berlin and christened Ingeborg Greta Katerina Marie-Rose Klinckerfuss,[2] Related to the Bechstein family, her first marriage took place when she was 17.[3]

She fled[4] the Nazis in 1938 and made her English language film debut in the 1939 British film Ten Days in Paris. When British film production stopped during World War II, she emigrated to the United States.[3]

At first, the studios tried to downplay her German heritage by briefly changing her professional name to Catherine Young, but after America's entry into World War II, the publicity value of a Teutonic actress who had turned her back on Nazism was too good to avoid.

Verne was married three times, to:

  • Musician Arthur Young (30 August 1936 - May 1945; divorced); 1 son, Alastair, who lived in South West England (1937-2015)
  • Actor Peter Lorre (25 May 1945 - 1950; divorced)
  • Film historian James Powers (1951 - 23 December 1967; her death)

Verne and James Powers adopted Peter Lorre's daughter Catharine following his death in 1964.

Verne remained in films until her death, appearing in such films as Ship of Fools (1965).[5] She died at age 49 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, St Paul, Minnesota.

Filmography

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=104554157
  2. ^ Youngkin, Stephen D. (2005). The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2360-7.
  3. ^ a b "As Exotic as Dietrich or Lamarr". Wide World News. 10 February 1942. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/73350/Kaaren-Verne/biography
  5. ^ "Movies: Biography for Kaaren Verne". The New York Times.