Petra Unkel (3 March 1925 – 2001), also known as Petra Unkel-Klinder, was a Hungarian-born actress of
German film, singer, voice actress, radio
spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
and
cabaret artist, who was active in the industry from 1929 until 1958.
Life and career
Unkel was born in
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, in what was then the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
, as the daughter of opera tenor Petra Unkel (1880–1942),
Unkel started became her career as a
child star. She made her debut appearance on screen in 1929 as a four-year-old during the
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
era, in ''
Napoleon at Saint Helena'', starring
Werner Krauss as
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. Her first starring role came three years after in the 1932,
operetta film ''
Melody of Love''. Making the successful transition as an adult star, she appeared in films for the next four decades, with her final screen appearance in 1958.
From 1946 she also appeared as a performer and singer in cabaret. As a voice artist she lent herself to becoming a radio spokeswoman, and provided voices for such stars as
Nancy Olson
Nancy Ann Olson (born July 14, 1928) is an American retired actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Sunset Boulevard (film), Sunset Boulevard'' (1950). She co-starred with William Holden in ...
,
Bridgette Bardot and
Micheline Presle
Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922 – 21 February 2024) was a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting her career in 1937, she starred or appeared in over 150 films ...
. She also provided dubbing of American fellow child star
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...
in the German version of the film ''
Since You Went Away'' (1944).
Unkel died in
Kempten
Kempten (; ) is the largest town of Allgäu, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. The population was about 68,000 in 2016. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later taken over by the Romans, who called the town ''Cambodunum''. K ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
in 2001.
Selected filmography
* ''
Napoleon at Saint Helena'' (1929)
* ''
Melody of Love'' (1932)
* ''
The Country Schoolmaster'' (1933)
* ''
Pappi'' (1934)
* ''
The Valiant Navigator'' (1935)
* ''
The Saint and Her Fool'' (1935)
* ''
The Private Life of Louis XIV'' (1935)
* ''
The Time with You'' (1948)
* ''
The Court Concert
''The Court Concert'' () is a 1936 German historical film, historical romantic comedy film directed by Douglas Sirk, Detlef Sierck (later known as Douglas Sirk), and starring Mártha Eggerth, Johannes Heesters, and Kurt Meisel.Hake p. 142 It was ...
'' (1948)
* ''
Hello, Fraulein!'' (1949)
* ''
Artists' Blood'' (1949)
* ''
Unknown Sender'' (1950)
* ''
The Lady in Black'' (1951)
* ''
Sensation in San Remo'' (1951)
* ''
Professor Nachtfalter'' (1951)
* ''
I'm Waiting for You'' (1952)
* ''
House of Life'' (1952)
* ''
Scandal at the Girls' School'' (1953)
* ''
The Charming Young Lady'' (1953)
* ''
The Beginning Was Sin'' (1954)
* ''
The Dark Star'' (1955)
* ''
The Fisherman from Heiligensee'' (1955)
* ''
Love's Carnival'' (1955)
* ''
Two Bavarians in St. Pauli'' (1956)
* ''
Salzburg Stories'' (1957)
References
Bibliography
* Waldman, Harry. ''Nazi Films in America, 1933-1942''. McFarland, 2008.
External links
*
1925 births
2001 deaths
Actresses from Budapest
German film actresses
Hungarian film actresses
{{Germany-film-actor-1920s-stub