The talented, but completely unrealized actress Louise Rainer has left in her memory not only memorable images in films and performances, but also an amazing fact - twice in a row she became the owner of the famous Hollywood Oscar.
Start
Louise Rainer was born on January 12, 1910 in a wealthy Jewish family in the city of Dusseldorf (or Vienna, as other sources show). Her parents were Heinrich Rainer and Emily (née Königsberger). As a child, the family had the opportunity to give the girl an excellent home education. She continued her further studies in Vienna, where she made her theatrical debut on the stage of "Dumont". Later, Max Reinhardt invited her to his theater troupe, where she learned to play in the style of impressionism.
On the stage of these theaters, the aspiring actress played several significant characters in the plays of famous playwrights such as Bernard Shaw, Jacques Deval, Pirandello, Shakespeare, German films with her participation were released, the formation of a characteristic tragic actress began when a company agent appeared on her. MGM”(Metro Golden Meyer) and invited the girl to work in Hollywood.
Germany in 1935 was going through difficult times for Jews. With the coming to power of Hitler, there was a threat not only to her theatrical career, but also to her very physical existence. Therefore, Rainer was forced to accept the invitation and go overseas.
Career in Hollywood
At the beginning of her collaboration with the Hollywood company, Louise was supported by her then head, Louis B. Mayer. Since 1936, a film has been released annually with the participation of the actress. She played Anna Held in The Great Siegfried, Oh Lahn in The Fertile Land, Poldi Vogelhuber in The Big Waltz. For the roles of Anna Held and Oh Lan, she is honored both times with the prestigious Oscar. This fact was unique, since no foreign actress had ever received such an honor. The criticism was ambiguous, many were dissatisfied with the results of the jury's work, and the artist herself did not think that she played with dignity. Louise Rainer considered the awards an "Oscar curse".
After receiving awards, the actress continues to act in Hollywood films, but she does not play what she would like, and the pictures are frankly weak. Truly tragic roles, where her talent could be manifested in full force, are not given to her, fees are also not satisfied. Trying to fight the management of the company brings on her the fame of a brawler with an impossible character.
The artist also does not have friendly relations in the team. She is discouraged by the lack of intellectual interlocutors, she is annoyed by the constant talk about "who wears what" and "what was served for dinner at NN's." She wants to develop, live an active life, improve in acting, but narrowly focused Hollywood cannot give her this.
Although she is immensely grateful to the film partners for their support and encouragement. The ability to properly stand in front of the camera, to play not only with emotions, but also with "inner strength", the soul, as we say, the actress received from Hollywood actors.
In the 39th year the company "Metro Golden Mayer" is going to release the objectionable actress from responsibility for the signed contracts.
Involuntary pension
At the beginning of May 1939, Louise Rainer appeared on the stage of a theater in Great Britain, and then in New York.
During the war, the actress is engaged in social activities, is a member of the brigades to maintain morale in the army, plays in the theater. In 44, she starred in a Hollywood film for the last time and later returned there only for an awards ceremony in the nineties. As a US citizen, he chooses the UK as his place of permanent residence.
After the war, Rainer took part in television projects, but not very actively. Once again he appears on the stage of the New York theater and after that he no longer plays.
In 60, the great Federico Fellini invited her to star in his film, including a scene specially written for the actress. She did not like the scene, she was asked to redo it, negotiations dragged on, and, as a result, the director abandoned this idea.
Unexpected was the decision of the 87-year-old actress to star in the Hungarian version of Dostoevsky's The Idiot. More films with her participation did not come out.
For all her negative attitude towards Hollywood and the American system of cinema, Louise Rainer always said that she loves her profession, gets great happiness and satisfaction from it.
Personal life
Throughout her long life, and she lived for 104 years, the actress got married twice.
The first husband is the playwright Clifford Odets. He took her to New York from the hated Hollywood, but life with him did not bring Louise happiness. At his insistence, she was forced to have an abortion. They parted, barely having lived for three years.
The second husband was Robert Knittel, a publisher and a very wealthy man. The marriage with him lasted until his death in 89. The couple had a long-awaited daughter, who was named Francesca. In an interview, the woman admitted more than once that she had a wonderful husband for 45 years.
All this time, the actress lived periodically in England and Switzerland, being in fact a citizen of Germany and the United States.
Despite the fact that there is a star named Louise Rainer on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, until the end of her life she criticized American cinema for the abundance of blood and murder, for the fact that it brings disasters in itself and maintains fear in people.
The filmography of the actress herself includes 13 films.
Her motto is: "Art should bring goodness and beauty."
