Gilda Langer (born Hermengild Langer; 16 May 1896 – 31 January 1920) was a German stage and film actress whose career began in the mid-1910s and lasted until her death in 1920. She appeared both on stage and in silent films; however, all films featuring Langer as an actress are now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

Early life

Gilda Langer was born Hermengild Langer into a

Sudeten German German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part o ...

family in Oderfurt,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now, Přívoz,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

). Around 1915, she met Austrian dramaturge and screenwriter

Carl Mayer Carl Mayer (20 November 1894 – 1 July 1944) was an Austrian screenwriter who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), '' The Head of Janus'' (1920), '' The Haunted Castle'' (1921), ''Der Letzte Mann'' (192 ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

who then took her to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

and helped her to gain an engagement as a stage actress at the Residenz Theatre. Her first role at the theatre was in a production of the Robert Grötzach-penned 1917 play ''Dyckerpotts Erben''.

Film career

In 1917, Carl Mayer announced to the film trade press that Langer would begin appearing in leading lady roles in several films for the newly created Berlin-based Star-Film company. Her first film role was in the 1917 Alexander Antalffy and

Paul Leni Paul Leni (born Paul Josef Levi; 8 July 1885 – 2 September 1929) was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionism, making '' Hintertreppe'' (1921) and '' Waxworks'' (1924) in Germany, and '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1927), '' ...

-directed drama '' The Mystery of Bangalore'', opposite actors

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laughs ...

and

Harry Liedtke Harry Liedtke (12 October 1882 – 28 April 1945) was a German film actor. Early life Liedtke was born in Königsberg, East Prussia to a merchant as the seventh out of 12 children. After the death of his father in 1896, he grew up in an orphanage ...

. This was followed in 1918 by a starring role in the Jenő Illés-directed drama ''

Struggling Souls ''Struggling Souls'' (German: ''Ringende Seelen'') is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Eugen Illés.Krautz p.564 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Kurt Richter. Cast ...

''. After being introduced to filmmaker

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. ...

, Langer would appear prominently in Lang's films '' Halbblut'' and ''

Der Herr der Liebe ''Der Herr der Liebe'' (''The Master of Love'') is a 1919 silent film directed in Germany by Fritz Lang. It was his second film. Carl de Vogt and Gilda Langer starred, as they had in Lang's debut feature, ''Halbblut''. Lang himself is said to hav ...

'', both released in 1919. In 1919, Gilda Langer was cast to play the role of Jane in the

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...

-directed and Carl Mayer and

Hans Janowitz Hans Janowitz (2 December 1890 – 25 May 1954) was a German author. Janowitz was an officer in World War I, but returned from it as a pacifist. Shortly after the war ended, he met the similarly minded Carl Mayer in Berlin, who suggested he work ...

-penned

German Expressionist German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...

horror film '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''. However, Langer became ill before shooting and had to be replaced by actress

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

. Langer's last film role was in the 1919 drama '' The Woman with Orchids'', written by Fritz Lang and directed by

Otto Rippert Otto Rippert (22 October 1869 – 15 January 1940) was a German film director during the silent film era. Biography Rippert was born in Offenbach am Main, Germany, and began his career as a stage actor, working in theatres in Baden-Baden, For ...

Personal life and death

In January 1920, Langer became engaged to Hungarian film director

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

. Langer fell ill with a lung infection after contracting the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

shortly after this engagement and died on 31 January 1920, aged 23. Her funeral was held on 4 February 1920 and she was interred at the Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf cemetery in

Stahnsdorf Stahnsdorf is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Geography It is situated on the Teltow plateau, about southwest of the Berlin city centre, and east of Potsdam. Neighbouring municipalities are the town ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, Gilda 1896 births 1920 deaths Deaths from Spanish flu German stage actresses German film actresses German silent film actresses Austrian stage actresses Austrian film actresses Austrian silent film actresses Sudeten German people German Bohemian people 20th-century German actresses 20th-century Austrian actresses Actors from Ostrava Moravian-German people