Schneider, Magda (1909–1996)

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Schneider, Magda (1909–1996)

German actress. Born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, on May 17, 1909; died in Schöenau, Germany, on July 30, 1996; married Wolf Albach-Retty (a leading actor of Vienna's Volkstheater); children: Romy Schneider (1938–1982, an actress); Wolf-Dieter Albach-Retty.

Born on May 17, 1909, in Augsburg, Germany, Magda Schneider used her training in singing and dancing to begin her acting career in light opera. In 1931, she entered the film industry with her debut film, Two in a Car. One of the most popular prewar German actresses, she made more than 70 films, including The Story of Vicki and Be Mine Tonight. Her most memorable film performance came in 1933 as the romantic lead in Max Ophüls' Liebelei, known in English as Flirtation. In the 1950s, Schneider acted in a number of supporting roles with her daughter, the actress Romy Schneider , first in When the White Lilacs Bloom Again and later in the popular "Sissi" films, a series about the Austro-Hungarian royal family. The films were released in the United States in 1962 as Forever, My Love.

sources:

"Magda Schneider, German Actress, 87," in The New York Times. August 2, 1996, p. B7.

Bonnie Burns , Ph.D., Cambridge, Massachusetts

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