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 her as an actress are now considered lost.

Early life

Gilda Langer was born as Hermengild Langer into a

Sudeten German German Bohemians ( ; ), later known as Sudeten Germans ( ; ), were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of Czechoslovakia. Before 1945, over three million German Bohemians constitu ...

family in Oderfurt,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now

Přívoz Přívoz (, briefly until 1920 and 1939-1945 also ''Oderfurt'') is a municipal part of the city of Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region in the Czech Republic. It lies in the Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Repub ...

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

). Around 1915, she met in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

the Austrian dramaturge and screenwriter Carl Mayer, who took her to

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 ...

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, 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 (cinema), German Expressionism, making ''Hintertreppe'' (1921) and ''Waxworks (film), Waxworks'' (1924) in German ...

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

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

and Harry Liedtke. This was followed in 1918 by a starring role in the

Jenő Illés Jenő Illés (28 January 1879 in Debrecen - 17 October 1951 in Budapest) was a Hungarian cinematographer and film director. He worked for most of his career in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry and is often credited as Eugen Illés. Par ...

-directed drama '' Struggling Souls''. After being introduced to filmmaker

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 ...

, Langer appeared prominently in Lang's films ''

Halbblut ''Halbblut'' () was a 1919 German silent film directed by Fritz Lang: "A story of two men and one woman, in four acts." It is the first film Lang Film director, directed. It stars Carl de Vogt, Ressel Orla, Gilda Langer, Carl Gebhard-Schröder, P ...

'' and '' Der Herr der Liebe'', 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 German film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer, active during the Silent film, silent era. He is widely-known for directing the landmark 1920 film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ...

-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 Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

horror film ''

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' () is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. The quintessential work of early German Expressionist cinema, it tells the story of an insane hypno ...

''. 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, Forst ...

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 ...

. Shortly after this engagement, having contracted the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

, Langer fell ill with a lung infection, and died on 31 January 1920, aged 23. Her funeral was held on 4 February 1920 and she was interred at the Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery in Stahnsdorf,

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, Gilda 1896 births 1920 deaths Burials at Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in Germany 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