Wera Engels
Known for Acting · 18 credits
- Born
- 1909-05-12
- Died
- 1988-11-16
- Place of birth
- Kiel, Germany
Biography
Wera Engels was a daughter of a German Admiral and Governor of the then German colony Tsing-tau-China. After successful leading roles in productions of the well-established German UFA-studios in Babelsberg as well as in France, Engels was invited to Hollywood. Producers saw her as a cheap alternative to Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. She was contracted with RKO.
Engels was given roles under Walter Futter and M.H. Hoffman. She and the silent movie super star Mary Pickford became best friends. By 1935 she returned to Germany, but left soon thereafter, because of the decline of the German movie industry caused by the Nazi propaganda machine. Back in Hollywood, she dated Gary Cooper for a while but married the Lithuanian-born actor/writer Ivan Lebedeff. After Lebedeff's death in 1953 of Angina pectoris, she moved back to Europe, where she stayed with several friends in London and Stockholm before she went back to Germany. She lived the rest of her life with Erna Hoffmann (widow of Heinrich Hoffmann, Hitler's friend and personal photographer) in the Munich area.
She died on November 16, 1988 (age 79) in Munich, Germany.
Known For
Movies (18)
Fugitive Road
1934
as Sonya Valinoff
Sweepstake Annie
1935
as Baroness Yvonne Baritska
The Great Impersonation
1935
as Princess Stephanie Elderstrom
Fighting the White Slave Traffic
1927
as Irene Wendtland
The Great Jasper
1933
as Norma McGowd
The Ringer
1932
Talking About Jacqueline
1937
as Jacqueline Topelius
Together We Live
1935
as Sonia
Lützow's Wild Hunt
1927
Stjenka Rasin
1936
as Prinzessin Dolgoruki
English as it is spoken
1931
The Girl from Spree Woods
1928
The Copper
1930
as Mabel
Befehl zur Ehe
1928
Scent of the Woman in Black
1931
as Edith Rance
Hong Kong Nights
1935
as Trina Vidor
Lucky children
1931
Hast Du geliebt am schönen Rhein?
1927
as Ellen Shiffer
About Wera Engels
Wera Engels was a daughter of a German Admiral and Governor of the then German colony Tsing-tau-China. After successful leading roles in productions of the well-established German UFA-studios in Babelsberg as well as in France, Engels was invited to Hollywood. Producers saw her as a cheap alternative to Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. She was contracted with RKO. Engels was given roles under Walter Futter and M.H. Hoffman. She and the silent movie super star Mary Pickford became best friends. By 1935 she returned to Germany, but left soon th… With 18 credits spanning from 1927 to 1937, Wera Engels has appeared in 18 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for Wera Engels movies, Wera Engels filmography, or the latest projects starring Wera Engels can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Wera Engels Movies
- Fugitive Road (1934) — as Sonya Valinoff
- Sweepstake Annie (1935) — as Baroness Yvonne Baritska
- The Great Impersonation (1935) — as Princess Stephanie Elderstrom
- Fighting the White Slave Traffic (1927) — as Irene Wendtland
- The Great Jasper (1933) — as Norma McGowd
Where to Watch Wera Engels Films
Most Wera Engels movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Wera Engels, check our movies catalogue and browse page.