Hoppe, Marianne (1911—)

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Hoppe, Marianne (1911—)

German actress of stage and screen. Born in Rostock, Germany, on April 26, 1911; attended Königin Luise Academy; studied acting at Deutsches Theater; married Gustav Gründgens (an actor-director), on June 22, 1926 (divorced 1946); children: one son, Benedikt.

German actress Marianne Hoppe was born in Rostock, Germany, in 1911. She attended business school in Berlin before being accepted at the dramatic arts school of the Deutsches Theater, then under the directorship of Max Rein-hardt. In 1928, she made her debut at the Bühne der Jugend, or Young People's Theatre Group, in Berlin. Subsequently, she joined the Deutsches Theater itself, where, due to her slim figure and androgynous face, she often played masculine roles. From 1930 to 1932, she worked in Frankfurt am Main, after which she joined the Kammerspiele in Munich, where for several years she acted under director Otto Falckenberg. She was known for her modern acting style.

In 1933, Hoppe made her screen debut in Judas von Tirol (Judas of the Tyrol) and that year also appeared in the patriotic film Heideschulmeister Uwe Karsten (Schoolmaster Uwe Karsten). It was the role of Elke in Der Schimmelreiter (The Rider of the White Steed), however, that launched her career as one of Germany's leading film actresses. She was best known for her serious parts, notably in the melodramas Auf Wiedersehen, Franziska! (1941) and Romanze in Moll (Romance in a Minor Key, 1943). Also

memorable were her forays into films with a decidedly American flavor, such as Capriolen (Caprices, 1938), in which she played a daredevil aviator, and Kongo-Express (1939), in which she portrayed Renate Brinkmann, who leaves her alcoholic fiancé to marry an upright German. Hoppe also worked on stage and screen with her husband, actor-director Gustav Gründgens, whom she married in 1936. One of her best film performances was in the role of Effi Briest in Der Schritt vom Wege (The False Step, 1939), directed by Gründgens.

In 1946, following World War II, Hoppe divorced Gründgens and moved to Bavaria with their son, Benedikt. However, her later career included frequent appearances at the Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf, where Gründgens was director. In 1961, she made her television debut in the long-running detective series "Der Komissar" (The Commissioner). Hoppe was named a permanent member of West Germany's Akademie der Künste in 1965. One of her last memorable stage performances was as the mother in Tankred Dorst's play Chimborazo (1975), in Berlin.