Dorothy Clara Louise Haas (29 April 1910 – 16 September 1994) was a German-American actress and singer who played in
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 ...
and
American films
This is a list of films produced by the American film industry from the earliest films of the 1890s to the present.
1890s
* List of American films of the 1890s
1900s
* List of American films of 1900
* List of American films of 1901
* List ...
. After moving to the United States, she often appeared in
Broadway plays
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. She became a naturalized US citizen and married
Al Hirschfeld
Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.
Early life and career
Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex apa ...
, a noted portraitist and
caricaturist
A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures.
List of caricaturists
* Abed Abdi (born 1942)
* Abril Lamarque (1904–1999)
* Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003)
* Alex Gard (1900–1948)
* Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977)
* Alfre ...
in New York City.
Life and work

Haas was born in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, Germany, to Charles Oswald Haas, a bookseller of British-German origin, and Margarete Maria (née Hansen). She was already an accomplished actress in
German cinema before moving to the United States.
Her father Charles was half-German, but had grown up in England, and had British citizenship. Dolly and her sister, Margarete, attended Jacob Loewenberg's girls' school Lyzeum in Hamburg, the ''Anerkannte
höhere Mädchenschule
Höhere Mädchenschule or Höhere Töchterschule were names of historic schools for the higher education of girls in German-speaking countries between the beginning of the 19th century and 1908. The names may mean higher education, but also educati ...
''. The Haas family's personal records, including diaries and letters, are currently held by the
Center for Jewish History
The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
in New York City, New York.
Marriage and family
Haas married German-born film director
John Brahm
John Brahm (August 17, 1893 – October 12, 1982) was a German film and television director. His films include ''The Undying Monster'' (1942), ''The Lodger (1944 film), The Lodger'' (1944), ''Hangover Square (film), Hangover Square'' (1945), ''Th ...
. At one time, he was resident director for acting troupes such as
Deutsches Theater and the
Lessing Theater, both 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 ...
.
They divorced in 1941.
After moving to the US, Haas became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She married again in 1943, to
Al Hirschfeld
Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.
Early life and career
Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex apa ...
in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. They lived in New York, where he worked for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' as a portraitist and caricaturist. His work was also published in ''
The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
''. They had a daughter, Nina, born in 1945.
Career
Dolly Haas had her debut as a professional actress in 1927 in Berlin. She worked at the city's
Großes Schauspielhaus
The Großes Schauspielhaus (Great Theater) was a theater in Berlin, Germany, designed by architect Hans Poelzig for theater director Max Reinhardt. The structure was built as a market hall in 1867 and then served as a circus and event venue. Poel ...
theatre, before embarking on a film career. The latter took her to England and to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
, United States.
Haas enjoyed a brief but successful stage career in the United States as well. She made her New York stage debut in 1941 in
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and Theatrical producer, producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio- ...
's production of ''
The Circle of Chalk.''
She also performed with
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
and
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993) was an American actress best known for her work in movies of the silent era. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was dubbed the "F ...
in the 1947 revival of ''Crime and Punishment''.
In 1946 Haas followed
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific (musica ...
in the lead role in ''
Lute Song
The term lute song is given to a music style from the late 16th century to early 17th century, late Renaissance music, Renaissance to early Baroque music, Baroque, that was predominantly in England and France. Lute songs were generally in stroph ...
'' for the touring production.
[ Her co-star, ]Yul Brynner
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...
, said that Haas's casting substantially improved the show. He said, "Dolly Haas understood the part. She had an affinity for it, and the play immediately improved. It wasn't at all that Dolly was a better actress. She was just better casting for the part than Mary."[
Mary Martin agreed with Brynner's assessment, and helped Haas to prepare for the role in the short time allotted for rehearsal. Haas also performed in Off Broadway productions of '']The Threepenny Opera
''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...
'' and ''Brecht on Brecht''.
Although Haas did not appear in many English language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
films, she had an important role in Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's 1953 film, '' I Confess''. Haas was a personal friend of Hitchcock, and he cast her as Alma Keller, the wife of the murderer—janitor Otto Keller. This high-profile film also starred Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''.
He is best remembered f ...
, Anne Baxter
Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway theatre, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe, and t ...
, Karl Malden
Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's '' All My Sons'' and Tennessee Will ...
and Brian Aherne
William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 190210 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States.
His first Broadway appearance in '' The Barretts of ...
.
Death
Haas died 16 September 1994 from ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, aged 84.
Filmography
* ''Dolly Gets Ahead
''Dolly Gets Ahead'' () is a 1930 German musical film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Dolly Haas, Oskar Karlweis, and Grete Natzler. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by Heinz Fenschel and J ...
'' (1930) - Dolly Klaren
* '' One Hour of Happiness'' (1931) - Die Puppe
* ' (1931) - Antoinette Kampf
* '' The Virtuous Sinner'' (1931) - Hedwig Pichlers-Tochter
* ' (1931) - Antonia
* '' You Don't Forget Such a Girl'' (1932) - Lisa Brandes
* '' Things Are Getting Better Already'' (1932) - Edith
* '' A Tremendously Rich Man'' (1932) - Dolly
* ''Scampolo
''Scampolo'' is a 1958 German film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Romy Schneider, Paul Hubschmid, and Georg Thomalla. Schneider plays the title role.
Plot
Scampolo is a young, poor girl who lives on the island of Ischia. She falls ...
'' (1932) - Scampolo
* ''Großstadtnacht'' (1932) - Madeleine Duchanef
* '' Das häßliche Mädchen'' (1933) - Lotte
* ''Die kleine Schwindlerin'' (1933) - Annette
* '' Little Girl, Great Fortune'' (1933) - Annie Schierke
* '' The Page from the Dalmasse Hotel'' (1933) - Friedel Bornemann
* ''Ein Mädel mit Tempo'' (1934) - Susanne 'Susi' Wegener - Tochter
* '' Girls Will Be Boys'' (1934) - Pat Caverley
* ''Warum lügt Fräulein Käthe?'' (1935) - Käthe Wilkens - Fotografin
* '' Broken Blossoms'' (1936) - Lucy
* '' Star for a Night'' (1936) - Chorine (uncredited)
* '' Spy of Napoleon'' (1936) - Eloise
* '' Carefree'' (1938) - Minor Role (uncredited)
* '' The Bank Dick'' (1940) - Script Girl (uncredited)
* '' Unfinished Business'' (1941) - Woman (uncredited)
* ''I Married an Angel
''I Married an Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodger ...
'' (1942) - Infanta (uncredited)
* ''Du Barry Was a Lady
''Du Barry Was a Lady'' is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and Buddy DeSylva. '' (1943) - Miss April (uncredited)
* ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'' (1952) - First Little Girl (uncredited)
* '' I Confess'' (1953) - Alma Keller
* ''Main Street to Broadway
''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known ...
'' (1953) - Herself (uncredited)
* ''Armstrong Circle Theatre
''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with '' The United States Steel Ho ...
'' (1954, TV Series) - Sister Madeline
* '' Studio One'' (1950-1956, TV Series) - Mrs. Kneiper (final appearance)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Dolly
1910 births
1994 deaths
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American television actresses
Deaths from ovarian cancer in New York (state)
German women singers
German musical theatre actresses
German film actresses
Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
Actresses from Hamburg
Musicians from Hamburg
20th-century German actresses
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American singers
20th-century German musicians
20th-century American women singers
Naturalized citizens of the United States