Paula Denk (; 18 January 1908 in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

– 9 January 1978 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a German actress. She was a star of stage, screen, radio and television whose career spanned five decades. Denk’s list of acting credits begins in the 1930s, with films such as ''

The Love Hotel ''The Love Hotel'' () is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Anny Ondra, Mathias Wieman and Peter Voß.Bock & Bergfelder p. 348 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets were designed by the art dir ...

'' (1933, as Lilo), ''

Escapade Escapade or Escapades may refer to: Transportation *Beneteau Escapade, a French sailboat design * HMS ''Escapade'', a 1934 Royal Navy destroyer that served in World War II *'' Just Escapade'', an American two-seat kit-built light aircraft Films ...

'' (1936, as Vera, the bride) and the comedy '' Peter, Paul and Nanette'' (1935, as Adele), in which she was described as “a slender brunette, especially attractive as a pert maid” in a 1940 ''New York Times'' review. During this period she also appeared in many stage productions, and was immortalized as one of the stars featured in a now-collectible set of

cigarette cards Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarettes ...

in 1936, along with such popular international stars of the day as Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant. Denk was part of a circle that included writer

Klaus Mann Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann (with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship) and Go ...

and famous actor/director

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hambur ...

. Among collaborations between Gründgens and Denk is a 1948 stage production of Anton Chekhov’s ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'', in which they starred as Trigorin and Irina. In 1951, Denk played Lavinia Chamberlayne in a radio adaptation of TS Eliot’s play ''

The Cocktail Party ''The Cocktail Party'' is a verse drama in three acts by T. S. Eliot written in 1948 and performed in 1949 at the Edinburgh Festival. It was published in 1950. It was the most popular of Eliot's seven plays in his lifetime, although his 1935 pl ...

'' (staged as ''Die Cocktail Party''). Gründgens directed the production, which also starred his ex-wife,

Marianne Hoppe Marianne Hoppe (26 April 1909 – 23 October 2002) was a German theatre and film actress. Life and work Born in Rostock, Hoppe became a leading lady of stage and films in Germany. She was born into a wealthy landowning family and was initial ...

. Recordings of the play remain available today. In the 1950s, Denk began appearing in television roles, highlighted by a performance as Margot in ' (1958), and Leonida in ''Ein Tag in Paris'' (1966), in which Denk co-starred with

Horst Tappert Horst Tappert (26 May 1923 – 13 December 2008) was a German film and television actor best known for the role of Inspector Stephan Derrick in the television drama ''Derrick''. Biography Horst Tappert was born on 26 May 1923 in Elberfeld ...

, who in 1975 would invite her to appear in an episode of his popular and long-running hit series, ''

Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...

''. Denk also appeared as Frau Price-Ridley in a popular adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ''

The Murder at the Vicarage ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' is a work of detective fiction by the British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edi ...

'', produced in German as ''Mord im Pfarrhaus'' (1970).

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1933) *''Rosen aus dem Süden'' (1934) *'' Peter, Paul and Nanette'' (1935) *'' Family Parade'' (1936) *''

'' (1936) *''Das Konzert'' (1956, TV film) *' (1958, TV film) *''Geliebt in Rom'' (1963, TV film) *''Ein Tag in Paris'' (1966, TV film) *''Mord in Pfarrhaus'' (1970, TV film) *''

'' - Season 2, Episode 4: (1975)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Denk, Paula 1908 births 1978 deaths 20th-century German actresses German expatriates in Namibia