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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

stage and

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. 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 and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

's acting school in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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 Vol ...

. 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 sixty p ...

's ' in a production of , as Lesbia in

Felix Hollaender Felix Hollaender (1 November 1867 – 29 May 1931) was a German writer, critic, dramaturge and theatre director. At one point he worked as a stage producer with his friend Max Reinhardt. Life Felix Hollaender was born in Leobschütz (as Głubc ...

'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 Johanneu ...

's ', as Recha in Lessing'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 Döbbelinsch ...

'', 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 literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He rece ...

'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 Büch ...

'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 Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German hi ...

'', a maid Sophie in Friedrich Schiller's ''

Intrigue and Love ''Intrigue and Love'', sometimes ''Love and Intrigue'', ''Love and Politics'' or ''Luise Miller'' (german: Kabale und Liebe, ; literally "''Cabal and Love''") is a five-act play written by the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller. His third play, ...

'' and Desdemona in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 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'', 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 provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

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

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

'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's ''

Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...

'', and Carl Froelich'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 film was rejected by the

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

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, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. They divorced in August 1937. Before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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. Its name derives from Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (normally abbreviated as ...

. 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 ''The Adventure of a Ball Night'' (german: Das Abenteuer einer Ballnacht) is a 1918 German silent adventure film directed by Viggo Larsen and starring Gertrude Welcker, Paul Bildt, and Paul Biensfeldt. The film's sets were designed by the art di ...

'' (1918) * ''Sein letzter Seitensprung'' (1918) * ''

The Mirror of the World ''The Mirror of the World'' (German: ''Der Weltspiegel'') is a 1918 German silent film directed by Lupu Pick and starring Adolf Klein, Fritz Richard and Gertrude Welcker. It was the directoral debut of PickKreimeier p.44 who had been a prominent a ...

'' (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'' (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'' ''Abend - Nacht - Morgen'' (1920) * '' Dolls of Death'' (1920) * '' Blackmailed'' (1920) * ''Planetenschieber'' (1920) * ''Die schöne Miß Lilian'' (1920) * ''Fata Morgana'' (1920) * ''Eine Frau mit Vergangenheit'' (1920) * '' The Women House of Brescia'' (1920) * '' The Sons of Count Dossy'' (1920) * ''Seine drei Frauen'' (1920) * '' A Debt of Honour'' (1921) * '' The Flight into Death'' (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. Today, she is mainly re ...

'' (1921) * '' The Golden Bullet'' (1921) * ''

'' (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'' (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 ''Marionettes of the Princess'' (german: Die Marionetten der Fürstin) is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Gertrude Welcker, Rudolf Forster and Erich Kaiser-Titz. Cast * Gertrude Welcker *Rudolf Forster ...

'' (1924) * '' The Creature'' (1924) * ''Wege der Liebe'' (1924) * '' Goetz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand'' (1925) * '' Chronicles of the Gray House'' (1925)

References

External links

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