Camilla Horn
Born
April 25, 1903
Died
August 14, 1996 (93 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The daughter of a railroad official, Camilla Horn was educated in Germany and Switzerland. She initially trained as a dressmaker and received her first job experience in a fashion salon in Erfurt. This was merely a stepping stone for a performing career which began with dance lessons in Berlin and subsequent acting studies under Lucie Höflich. The lithe, blond and strikingly beautiful Camilla soon appeared in cabaret revues staged by Rudolf Nelson. By 1926, she was employed as an extra at Ufa, where she was spotted by the director F.W. Murnau, who found in her the ideal representation of Gretchen for his seminal production of Fausto (1926) . The role catapulted Camilla to instant stardom. Within a year, she was signed by United Artists in Hollywood, befriending Charles Chaplin and, more importantly, studio chairman Joseph M. Schenck. The friendship with Schenck may, or may not, have led to an affair -- depending on which story one is to believe -- but it did result in two high profile starring roles opposite John Barrymore in the torrid melodramas Tempestad (1928) and Amor eterno (1929), both produced by Schenck. Neither film was a commercial success.
With the coming of sound, Camilla returned to Europe, briefly appearing on stage in London and Paris, before resuming her screen career in Germany. As the 1930's went on, she rarely turned down a role, playing anything from baronesses and fashion models, to vamps and 'fallen women'. The quality of her films was variable, but there were several noteworthy standouts, such as Hans in allen Gassen (1930) (opposite Hans Albers), Fiesta en palacio (1934) and Payasos (1938) (as a circus artiste, again with Albers).
During this tumultuous decade, Camilla conducted a lengthy affair with the singer Louis Graveure, fifteen years her senior. This came to an end in 1938, when Graveure was suspected of espionage by the Gestapo and fled to England, via the Cote d'Azure. After her luxury villa in Berlin was ransacked in search for non-existent clues, Camilla's outspoken criticism of the Nazi regime reached a point where it got her into serious trouble. She saw out the first half of her career with a trio of long forgotten films made in Italy. Having failed in an attempt to flee to Switzerland, she kept a low profile and even tried her hand at farming. After the war, she had a stint as an interpreter for the occupying U.S. forces in Germany. Camilla made a successful return to the stage in a 1948 Frankfurt production of Jean Cocteau's "L'Aigle a Deux Tetes" (aka 'The Eagle Has Two Heads'). She spent the latter half of her acting career playing grand dames, matriarchs and worldly ladies with colourful backgrounds, in both films and on television. In 1974, she was awarded the 'Filmband in Gold' (also known as 'Lola') for lifetime achievement in the German film industry. In her 1985 autobiography, "Verliebt in die Liebe" ('In Love with Love'), she happily recounted her marriages and liaisons.

Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau
Herself / Gretchen (archive footage)
2002
Wenn ich sonntags in mein Kino geh'...
Self
1992
Spiders
1989

Schloß Königswald
Fürstin Großmutter
1988

Der Unsichtbare
Olga Benjamin
1987

The Black Forest Clinic
Dr. Rens′ Mutter · (1 episode)
1985

Unheimliche Geschichten
(1 episode)
1982
Frankies Braut
Frau von Kieblitz
1982
Bayerischer Filmpreis
Self · (1 episode)
1979
Immer bei Vollmond
Wegelin's Mother
1970
He's at It Again
Paula
1970
Gestern gelesen
Frau von Marwitz · (1 episode)
1969

Appointment in Beirut
Evelyn Brown
1968
Dreizehn Briefe
Frau Neumann · (1 episode)
1967
Die Erbin
Elizabeth Almond
1958
Vati macht Dummheiten
Baronin von Baran
1953
Königin der Arena
Diana Bianca, Dompteuse
1952
Deutscher Filmpreis
Self · (1 episode)
1951

Gesucht wird Majora
Gritt Faller
1949

Intimitäten
Helene
1948
Seine beste Rolle
Elise Sander
1944

Broken Love
Corinna Dellys, l'amante di Alberto
1942

Friedemann Bach
Mariella Fiorini
1941

Die keusche Geliebte
Renée Lemonier
1940

Die letzte Runde
Lilly
1940
Herz ohne Heimat
Dina Horster
1940
Polterabend
Lissi
1940

Zentrale Rio
Diane Mercier
1939
Roman eines Arztes
Käthe Üding - seine Frau
1939

In geheimer Mission
Marion
1938

Fahrendes Volk
Pepita, Kunstreiterin
1938
Rote Orchideen
Gräfin Ogolenska
1938
Crooks in Tails
Vera Dalmatoff
1937
Sein letztes Modell
Maria Várady
1937

White Slaves
Manja - seine Tochter
1937

The Red Rider
Hasia Nowrowska
1935

Ich sehne mich nach dir
Ivonne Brandt
1934

Der letzte Walzer
Vera
1934

A Waltz for You
Fürstin Stefanie
1934

The Luck of a Sailor
Louise
1934

Die große Chance
Helga
1934

Der Doppelgänger
Jenny Miller
1934

If I Were King
Inge Winkler
1934

Racoczy-Marsch
Vilma
1933

Money Governs the World
Lilly
1933

Matinee Idol
Sonia Vance
1933

The Love Nest
Fifi
1933

Moral und Liebe
Vera
1933
The Return of Raffles
Elga
1932

The Cheeky Devil
Alice Ménard
1932

The Five Accursed Gentlemen
Camilla
1932

The Night Without Pause
Letta Larbo
1931

Frivolous youth
1931

I Go Out and You Stay Here
Gaby
1931

The Song of the Nations
1931

Sunday of Life
Ellen Hobart
1931

Hans in Every Street
Elisabeth, the Bride
1930

The Great Passion
Eva von Loe
1930

Morals at Midnight
Nelly Wendt
1930

Fundvogel
Andrea
1930
Mein Herz gehört Dir...
Diane D'Artois
1930
Die Königsloge
Alice Doren
1929

Three Around Edith
Lady Edith Trent
1929

Eternal Love
Ciglia
1929

Tempest
Princess Tamara
1928
Der fröhliche Weinberg
Clärchen Gunderloch
1927

Eva and the Grasshopper
Camille de Saxe
1927

The Bordellos of Algiers
Adrienne Brisson
1927

Madame Wants No Children
1926

Faust
Gretchen Marguerite
1926

Tartuffe
(uncredited)
1926

Ways to Strength and Beauty
1925