Lilly Flohr (born Elisabeth Günsburger; 15 October 1893 – 7 July 1978) was an Austrian

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

film 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 (), lit ...

and singer who worked in the

German film industry The film industry in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema made major technical and artistic contributions to early film, broadcasting and television technology. Babelsberg became a household synonym for the early 2 ...

during the

silent era 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) ...

Biography

Elisabeth Günsburger was born on 15 October 1893 into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. She grew up in an artistic environment due to her father being a musician, actor, and painter. Günsburger made her stage debut at the

Raimund Theater The Raimund Theater is a theatre in the Mariahilf district of Vienna, Austria. Named after the Austrian dramatist Ferdinand Raimund, the theatre was built by an association of Viennese citizens and opened on 28 November 1893 with Raimund's pla ...

in Vienna at 8 years old, and trained at the Imperial Conservatory. From 1915 to 1916 she performed at the

Theater am Schiffbauerdamm The ''Theater am Schiffbauerdamm'' () is a theatre building at the ''Schiffbauerdamm'' riverside in the Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, opened on 19 November 1892. Since 1954, it has been home to the Berliner Ensemble theatre company, found ...

, and from 1917 to 1919 she was employed at the Berliner Theater, where she also acted as the title role in the world premiere of

Walter Kollo Walter Kollo (28 January 1878 – 30 September 1940) was a German composer of operettas, Possen mit Gesang, and Singspiele as well as popular songs. He was also a conductor and a music publisher. Kollo was born in Neidenburg, East Pruss ...

's operetta ''The Great Komtess''. Günsburger took on the stage name Lilly Flohr, and made her film debut in ''A Song of Hate and Love'' (1918), followed by ''Die Erbin'' (1918), and '' The Girl from Acker Street'' (1920). She became a popular actress in the 1920s, starring in films such as

The House in Dragon Street ''The House in Dragon Street'' (German: ''Das Haus in der Dragonerstrasse '') is a 1921 German silent crime film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Edmund Löwe, Werner Krauss and Lilly Flohr. The film premiered in Berlin on 24 June 1921 ...

(1921), ''How The Girl From Acker Street Found a Home'' (1921), which was the sequel to ''The Girl from Acker Street'', ''

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

'' (1922), ''

Fridericus Rex ''Fridericus Rex'' (German: ''Fridericus Rex - 1. Teil: Sturm und Drang'') is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Arzén von Cserépy and starring Otto Gebühr, Albert Steinrück and Gertrud de Lalsky. It portrays the life of the ...

'' (1922), and ''Children of the Street'' (1928). Flohr was unable to make the transition to sound films, which resulted in her retiring from the film industry, and returning to the stage. In 1934, Flohr was banned from performing in Germany due to her Jewish identity. Following the

Anchluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

in 1938, she emigrated to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, where she continued her stage career alongside other German-speaking emigrants. She later moved to Australia, where she died on 7 July 1978. She is buried at Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens.

Selected filmography

* ''

King Krause ''King Krause'' (German: ''König Krause'') is a 1919 German silent comedy film directed by Heinrich Bolten-Baeckers.Töteberg p.56 Cast In alphabetical order * Conrad Dreher * Lilly Flohr * Sabine Impekoven * Fritz Lion * Richard Ludwig * Ann ...

'' (1919) * '' The Girl from Acker Street'' (1920) * ''

Doctor Klaus ''Doctor Klaus'' (german: Doktor Klaus) is a 1920 German silent comedy film directed by Heinrich Bolten-Baeckers and starring Conrad Dreher.Töteberg p. 72 Cast In alphabetical order * Leona Bergere as Marie * Conrad Dreher as Lubowski * Lilly ...

'' (1920) * ''

'' (1921) * '' A Day on Mars'' (1921) * ''

'' (1922) * '' The Diadem of the Czarina'' (1922) * ''

Fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Salesgirl from the Fashion Store ''The Salesgirl from the Fashion Store'' (german: Die Kleine aus der Konfektion) is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Wolfgang Neff and starring Reinhold Schünzel, Lilly Flohr and Evi Eva.A New History of German Cinema p. 61 The fi ...

'' (1925) * '' Reveille: The Great Awakening'' (1925) * ''

Children of the Street ''Children of the Street'' (German: ''Kinder der Straße'') is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Carl Boese and starring Lissy Arna, Heinrich George and Rudolf Biebrach.Parish & Canham p.26 The film's art direction was by Karl Machu ...

'' (1929)

References

Bibliography

* Dietrich Scheunemann. ''Expressionist Film: New Perspectives''. Camden House, 2006.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flohr, Lilly 1893 births 1978 deaths Austrian film actresses Austrian silent film actresses Austrian stage actresses Actresses from Vienna Austrian Jews Jews who emigrated to escape Nazism Austrian emigrants to Australia