Mady Christians
1

Mady Christians

Born

January 17, 1892

Died

October 29, 1951 (59 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marguerita Maria "Mady" Christians (January 19, 1892 – October 28, 1951) was an Austrian actress and naturalized US citizen who had a successful acting career in theatre and film in the United States until she was blacklisted during the McCarthy period. She was born on January 19, 1892 to Rudolph Christians, a well-known German actor, and his wife, Bertha. Her family moved to Berlin when she was one year old, and to New York City in 1912, where her father became the Irving Place Theatre's general manager. Five years later she returned to Europe to study under Max Reinhardt.

She appeared in a number of European films prior to the early 1930s. In 1929, she starred in the first full sound film made in Germany It's You I Have Loved. In 1933, she toured the United States in a play called Marching By and was offered a Broadway contract the following year that allowed her, like a number of other German artists, to seek refuge from the Nazi regime in the United States.

On Broadway, Christians played Queen Gertrude in Hamlet and Lady Percy in Henry IV, Part I, staged by director Margaret Webster. Webster was part of a small but influential group of lesbian producers, directors, and actors in theater (a group that included Eva Le Gallienne and Cheryl Crawford). Webster and Christians became close friends: according to Webster biographer Milly S. Barranger, it is likely that they also were lovers.

She also starred in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine. She originated the title role in the 1944 play I Remember Mama. Her last movie roles were in All My Sons, based on the play by Arthur Miller, and Letter from an Unknown Woman, both released in 1948.

During World War II, Christians was involved in political work on behalf of refugees, rights for workers (especially in theater and film), and Russian War relief, political efforts that would bring her to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other anti-communist institutions and organizations. In addition to her political work, Christians also publicly criticized the House Committee on Un-American Activities in early 1941 and likened the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee's investigation of propaganda in US film to Nazi harassment of film and radio artists in the 1930s. In 1950, the FBI's internal security division began investigating Christians, who had been identified as a "concealed communist" by a confidential informant. When Christians' name appeared in Red Channels, the so-called bible of the broadcast blacklist, her career was effectively over.

The Philco Television Playhouse

The Philco Television Playhouse

Mama · (1 episode)

6.3

1948

All My Sons

All My Sons

Kate Keller

6.2

1948

Letter from an Unknown Woman

Letter from an Unknown Woman

Frau Berndle

7.8

1948

Address Unknown

Address Unknown

Elsa Schulz

6.4

1944

Tender Comrade

Tender Comrade

Manya Lodge

6.3

1944

Heidi

Heidi

Dete

6.8

1937

The Woman I Love

The Woman I Love

Florence

0.0

1937

Seventh Heaven

Seventh Heaven

Marie

6.6

1937

Come and Get It

Come and Get It

Karie Linbeck

6.8

1936

Ship Cafe

Ship Cafe

Countess Boranoff

0.0

1935

Escapade

Escapade

Anita

0.0

1935

A Wicked Woman

A Wicked Woman

Naomi Trice, aka Naomi Stroud

5.0

1934

The Only Girl

The Only Girl

Empress Eugénie

0.0

1933

Manolescu, der Fürst der Diebe

Manolescu, der Fürst der Diebe

Comtesse Maria Freyenberg

6.0

1933

The Only Girl

The Only Girl

Kaiserin Eugenie

6.0

1933

Salon Dora Green

Salon Dora Green

Dora Green

0.0

1933

Frederica

Frederica

Friederike

0.0

1932

The Black Hussar

The Black Hussar

Marie Luise

6.5

1932

The Fate of Renate Langen

Renate Langen

0.0

1931

My Incognito Heart

La reine Alexandra

0.0

1931

Love Comes But Once

Love Comes But Once

Königin Alexandra von Gregorien

0.0

1930

Dich hab’ ich geliebt

Dich hab’ ich geliebt

Inge Lund

0.0

1929

Meine Schwester und ich

Meine Schwester und ich

Margarete von Marquardstein

0.0

1929

The Runaway Princess

The Runaway Princess

Princess Priscilla

0.0

1929

Und Nelson spielt

Und Nelson spielt

6.0

1929

The Burning Heart

The Burning Heart

Dorothee Claudius

0.0

1929

A Woman with Style

A Woman with Style

0.0

1928

Fräulein Chauffeur

Fräulein Chauffeur

Steffi Walker

0.0

1928

The Duel

The Duel

0.0

1928

Queen Louise

Queen Louise

Königin Luise

0.0

1927

Heimweh

Princess Lydia Trubetskoy

0.0

1927

Grand Hotel...!

0.0

1927

Der Sohn der Hagar

Lore

0.0

1927

Die Welt will belogen sein

Mery

0.0

1926

Die geschiedene Frau

Die geschiedene Frau

0.0

1926

Die Königin von Moulin Rouge

die Herzogin

0.0

1926

Wien, wie es weint und lacht

Sefi

0.0

1926

Zopf und Schwert

Zopf und Schwert

0.0

1926

Nanette macht alles

Nanette macht alles

0.0

1926

The Waltz Dream

Prinzessin Alix

5.6

1926

Der Farmer aus Texas

Der Farmer aus Texas

Mabel Bratt

0.0

1925

In the Slums of Berlin

In the Slums of Berlin

Regine Lossen

5.0

1925

In the Valleys of the Southern Rhine

Bettina von Wittelsbach

0.0

1925

Mensch gegen Mensch

Mensch gegen Mensch

0.0

1924

Soll und Haben

Soll und Haben

Baroneß Leonore von Rothensattel

0.0

1924

Michael

Michael

Woman (uncredited)

6.3

1924

The Finances of the Grand Duke

The Finances of the Grand Duke

Großfürstin Olga von Rußland

6.6

1924

The Lost Shoe

The Lost Shoe

Violante

5.3

1923

Die Buddenbrooks

Die Buddenbrooks

Gerda Arnoldsen

5.0

1923

A Glass of Water

A Glass of Water

6.0

1923

Der Wetterwart

Der Wetterwart

0.0

1923

The Loves of Pharaoh

The Loves of Pharaoh

6.6

1922

Wer unter Euch ohne Sünde ist

0.0

1921

Peter Voss, Thief of Millions

Peter Voss, Thief of Millions

Gert Nissen

0.0

1921

Am anderen Ufer

Ebba von Thorn

0.0

1918

Nachtschatten

0.0

1918