Massary, Fritzi

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MASSARY, FRITZI

MASSARY, FRITZI (Friederike Massarik ; 1882–1969), Vienna-born actress and singer. In 1903 she converted to Protestantism. Massary made a reputation in musicals on the Berlin stage and created numerous roles in works by Leo Fall, Oscar Straus, and others. After leaving Nazi Germany she appeared in London in Noel Coward's Operette, 1938, her last appearance on the stage. In 1939 she settled in California. Her husband and partner on stage was Max Pallenberg, the German actor. Her style as a singer served as a model for modern diseuses.

bibliography:

C. Stern, Die Sache die man Liebe nennt (1998).

[Marcus Pyka (2nd ed.)]

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