Gertrude Welcker (16 July 1896 – 1 August 1988) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

stage and

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She appeared in 64 films between 1917 and 1925.

Biography

Gertrude Welcker was born in Dresden on 16 July 1896. Her father, who was editor-in-chief and general manager of the Posener Tageblatt, died in 1909. She had a younger brother named Herbert (born 1898). Welcker visited

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

's acting school in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. From 1915 to 1916 she starred in productions at the Albert Theater in Dresden. From 1916 to 1919 she performed at the Deutsches Theater, Kammerspiele, and

Volksbühne The Volksbühne ("People's Theatre") is a theater in Berlin. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (Rosa Luxemburg Square) in what was the GDR's capital. It has been called Berlin's most iconic theatre. About The V ...

. There, she was seen as a prostitute in

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

's ' in a production of , as Lesbia in Felix Hollaender's staging of

Friedrich Hebbel Christian Friedrich Hebbel (18 March 1813 – 13 December 1863) was a German poet and dramatist. Biography Hebbel was born at Wesselburen in Dithmarschen, Holstein, the son of a bricklayer. He was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneum ...

's ', as Recha in

Lessing Lessing is a German surname of Slavic origin. The original Sorbian form, ''Lěsnik'', means either "forest dweller" or "woodman", ''lěs'' meaning "wood forest". People with the surname Lessing include a German family of writers, artists, musicians ...

's ''

Nathan the Wise ''Nathan the Wise'' (original German title: , ) is a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing from 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. It was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsches ...

'', and as sister Martha in

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of Naturalism (literature), literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into h ...

's '. In addition to these roles, she played under Marion Reinhardt's direction of

Georg Büchner Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchn ...

's ''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Literary realism, Realism in the so-called Vormär ...

'', a maid Sophie in

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

's ''

Intrigue and Love ''Intrigue and Love'', sometimes ''Love and Intrigue'', ''Love and Politics'', or ''Luise Miller'' (, ; literally "''Cabal and Love''") is a five-act Play (theatre), play written by the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller. His third play, it was ...

'' and Desdemona in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'', and Jessica in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''. In 1917 Gertrude Welcker began her career as a film actress. Her film debut was in ''Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer'' (1917), followed by ''Rafaela'' (1917). She next appeared as an angel in the film '' Hans Trutz in the Land of Plenty'' directed by her stage partner

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

. Her most famous roles include Gesine von Orlamünde in ''

Chronicles of the Gray House ''Chronicles of the Gray House'' () is a 1925 German silent historical drama film directed by Arthur von Gerlach and starring Paul Hartmann, Rudolf Forster and Lil Dagover. It is also known as ''At the Grey House''. The narrative is set in t ...

'', and Countess Dusy Told, the wife of a millionaire in

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's '' Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'' (1922), in which the title character abducts and abuses her. Other major productions in which Welcker participated were

Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early life and career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, ...

's '' Lady Hamilton'', and

Carl Froelich Carl August Hugo Froelich (5 September 1875 – 12 February 1953) was a German film pioneer and film director. He was born and died in Berlin. Biography Apparatus builder and cameraman From 1903 Froelich was a colleague of Oskar Messter, one of ...

's ''Luise Miller'' (after Schiller's ''Intrigue and Love''). In low-budget productions such as ' and ', she played the lead role. She portrayed the character of Queen Margaret in the controversial film ''

The Women House of Brescia ''The Women House of Brescia'' () is a 1920 German-language silent film directed by Hubert Moest. The film's alternative name was ''The House of Pillory''. The film was considered highly controversial for the depiction of prostitution. The film ...

''. The film was rejected by the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...

on grounds that it depicted prostitution. In 1925 Welcker ended her career as a film actress and in 1930 retired from the stage as well. In July 1930 she married Swedish painter

Otto Gustaf Carlsund Otto Gustaf Carlsund (11 December 1897 – 25 July 1948) was a Swedish avant-garde artist and art critic, connected to cubism, purism, neo-plasticism, and concrete art. Biography In 1924 he moved to Paris to study under Fernand Léger and Améd� ...

, whom she had met during a visit to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. They divorced in August 1937. Before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she had a brief career as an editor at the

Universum Film AG UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. The original UFA was established as on December 18, 1917, as a direct response t ...

. In 1941 she became active for the Red Cross. Shortly before the end of the war, Gertrude Welcker managed to escape to Sweden, where she spent the rest of her life living under the name Gertrud Carlsund. Gertrude Welcker died in Danderyd, Stockholm on 1 August 1988. Her estate was rediscovered in 2005.

Filmography

* '' Hans Trutz in the Land of Plenty'' (1917) * ''Panzerschrank Nr. 13'' (1917) * ''Mr.Wu'' (1918) * ''Er soll Dein Herr sein'' (1918) * ''Es werde Licht (3)'' (1918) * ''Der Fluch des Nuri'' (1918) * ''Der Tänzer'' (1918) * '' The Adventure of a Ball Night'' (1918) * ''Sein letzter Seitensprung'' (1918) * '' The Mirror of the World'' (1918) * '' Nocturne of Love'' (1919) * ''Der Fluch der Vergangenheit'' (1919) * ''Kurz ist der Frühling'' (1919) * ''Die Geisha und der Samurai'' (1919) * ''Die geliebte Tote'' (1919) * ''

The Devil and the Madonna ''The Devil and the Madonna'' (German: ''Der Teufel und die Madonna'') is a 1919 German silent drama film directed by Carl Boese and starring Gertrude Welcker, Magnus Stifter and Reinhold Schünzel.Bock & Bergfelder p.434 The film's sets were de ...

'' (1919) * ''Die Verführten'' (1919) * '' The Mask'' (1919) * ''Die Diamanten des Zaren'' (1919) * '' The Dancer'' (1919) * ''Die Duplitzität der Ereignisse'' (1919) * ''Das Werk seines Lebens'' (1919) * '' Algol: Tragedy of Power'' ''Algol. Tragödie der Macht'' (1920) * '' The Lady in Black'' (1920) * ''

Evening – Night – Morning ''Evening – Night – Morning'' () is a 1920 silent German drama film directed by F. W. Murnau. The film is considered to be lost. It was shot at the Weissensee Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Neppa ...

'' ''Abend - Nacht - Morgen'' (1920) * ''

Dolls of Death ''Dolls of Death'' () is a 1920 German silent crime film directed by Reinhard Bruck and starring Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann, and Bernhard Goetzke Bernhard Goetzke (5 June 1884 – 7 October 1964) was a German stage and film actor, re ...

'' (1920) * ''

Blackmailed Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a threat ...

'' (1920) * ''Planetenschieber'' (1920) * ''Die schöne Miß Lilian'' (1920) * ''Fata Morgana'' (1920) * ''Eine Frau mit Vergangenheit'' (1920) * ''

'' (1920) * '' The Sons of Count Dossy'' (1920) * ''Seine drei Frauen'' (1920) * '' A Debt of Honour'' (1921) * ''

The Flight into Death ''The Flight into Death'' (German: ''Der Flug in den Tod'') is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Bruno Ziener and starring Ernst Winar, Gertrude Welcker and Josefine Dora. It premiered in Berlin on 22 July 1921.Grange p.95 Cast * Ge ...

'' (1921) * ''

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. She is mainly remembere ...

'' (1921) * '' The Golden Bullet'' (1921) * '' Lady Hamilton'' (1921) * ''Die Minderjährige'' (1921) * ''Das Recht der freien Liebe'' (1921) * ''Sturmflut des Lebens'' (1921) * '' Jim Cowrey is Dead'' (1921) * '' Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'' ''Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler'' (1921) * '' Dämon Zirkus'' (1922) * '' Shadows of the Past'' (1922) * '' The Pearls of Lady Harrison'' (1922) * ''

The Anthem of Love ''The Anthem of Love'' () is a 1922 German silent romance film directed by Heinz Schall and starring Claire Rommer, Johannes Riemann and Ilka Grüning.Grange p. 132 Cast * Claire Rommer * Johannes Riemann * Ilka Grüning Ilka Grüning (bo ...

'' (1922) * '' Between Evening and Morning'' (1923) * ''Luise Millerin'' (1923) * '' Zaida, the Tragedy of a Model'' (1923) * ''Im Rausche der Leidenschaft'' (1923) * ''Dieter – Der Mann unter den Steinen'' (1923) * '' Marionettes of the Princess'' (1924) * '' The Creature'' (1924) * ''Wege der Liebe'' (1924) * '' Goetz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand'' (1925) * ''

'' (1925)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welcker, Gertrude 1896 births 1988 deaths German stage actresses German film actresses German silent film actresses Actresses from Dresden 20th-century German actresses