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

Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau

Herself / Gretchen (archive footage)

7.0

2002

Wenn ich sonntags in mein Kino geh'...

Self

0.0

1992

Spiders

0.0

1989

Schloß Königswald

Schloß Königswald

Fürstin Großmutter

1.0

1988

Der Unsichtbare

Der Unsichtbare

Olga Benjamin

3.5

1987

The Black Forest Clinic

The Black Forest Clinic

Dr. Rens′ Mutter · (1 episode)

6.2

1985

Unheimliche Geschichten

Unheimliche Geschichten

(1 episode)

0.0

1982

Frankies Braut

Frau von Kieblitz

8.0

1982

Bayerischer Filmpreis

Self · (1 episode)

0.0

1979

Immer bei Vollmond

Wegelin's Mother

0.0

1970

He's at It Again

Paula

4.0

1970

Gestern gelesen

Frau von Marwitz · (1 episode)

0.0

1969

Appointment in Beirut

Appointment in Beirut

Evelyn Brown

5.3

1968

Dreizehn Briefe

Frau Neumann · (1 episode)

0.0

1967

Die Erbin

Elizabeth Almond

0.0

1958

Vati macht Dummheiten

Baronin von Baran

0.0

1953

Königin der Arena

Diana Bianca, Dompteuse

0.0

1952

Deutscher Filmpreis

Self · (1 episode)

6.0

1951

Gesucht wird Majora

Gesucht wird Majora

Gritt Faller

0.0

1949

Intimitäten

Intimitäten

Helene

0.0

1948

Seine beste Rolle

Elise Sander

5.2

1944

Broken Love

Broken Love

Corinna Dellys, l'amante di Alberto

5.0

1942

Friedemann Bach

Friedemann Bach

Mariella Fiorini

5.5

1941

Die keusche Geliebte

Die keusche Geliebte

Renée Lemonier

5.0

1940

Die letzte Runde

Die letzte Runde

Lilly

0.0

1940

Herz ohne Heimat

Dina Horster

0.0

1940

Polterabend

Lissi

0.0

1940

Zentrale Rio

Zentrale Rio

Diane Mercier

5.0

1939

Roman eines Arztes

Käthe Üding - seine Frau

0.0

1939

In geheimer Mission

In geheimer Mission

Marion

0.0

1938

Fahrendes Volk

Fahrendes Volk

Pepita, Kunstreiterin

4.0

1938

Rote Orchideen

Gräfin Ogolenska

5.0

1938

Crooks in Tails

Vera Dalmatoff

0.0

1937

Sein letztes Modell

Maria Várady

0.0

1937

White Slaves

White Slaves

Manja - seine Tochter

0.0

1937

The Red Rider

The Red Rider

Hasia Nowrowska

0.0

1935

Ich sehne mich nach dir

Ich sehne mich nach dir

Ivonne Brandt

0.0

1934

Der letzte Walzer

Der letzte Walzer

Vera

0.0

1934

A Waltz for You

A Waltz for You

Fürstin Stefanie

5.0

1934

The Luck of a Sailor

The Luck of a Sailor

Louise

0.0

1934

Die große Chance

Die große Chance

Helga

0.0

1934

Der Doppelgänger

Der Doppelgänger

Jenny Miller

6.0

1934

If I Were King

If I Were King

Inge Winkler

0.0

1934

Racoczy-Marsch

Racoczy-Marsch

Vilma

0.0

1933

Money Governs the World

Money Governs the World

Lilly

0.0

1933

Matinee Idol

Matinee Idol

Sonia Vance

5.0

1933

The Love Nest

The Love Nest

Fifi

0.0

1933

Moral und Liebe

Moral und Liebe

Vera

0.0

1933

The Return of Raffles

Elga

0.0

1932

The Cheeky Devil

The Cheeky Devil

Alice Ménard

0.0

1932

The Five Accursed Gentlemen

The Five Accursed Gentlemen

Camilla

0.0

1932

The Night Without Pause

The Night Without Pause

Letta Larbo

0.0

1931

Frivolous youth

Frivolous youth

0.0

1931

I Go Out and You Stay Here

I Go Out and You Stay Here

Gaby

0.0

1931

The Song of the Nations

The Song of the Nations

0.0

1931

Sunday of Life

Sunday of Life

Ellen Hobart

0.0

1931

Hans in Every Street

Hans in Every Street

Elisabeth, the Bride

7.0

1930

The Great Passion

The Great Passion

Eva von Loe

6.5

1930

Morals at Midnight

Morals at Midnight

Nelly Wendt

0.0

1930

Fundvogel

Fundvogel

Andrea

0.0

1930

Mein Herz gehört Dir...

Diane D'Artois

0.0

1930

Die Königsloge

Alice Doren

0.0

1929

Three Around Edith

Three Around Edith

Lady Edith Trent

0.0

1929

Eternal Love

Eternal Love

Ciglia

5.5

1929

Tempest

Tempest

Princess Tamara

6.4

1928

Der fröhliche Weinberg

Clärchen Gunderloch

0.0

1927

Eva and the Grasshopper

Eva and the Grasshopper

Camille de Saxe

8.0

1927

The Bordellos of Algiers

The Bordellos of Algiers

Adrienne Brisson

0.0

1927

Madame Wants No Children

Madame Wants No Children

0.0

1926

Faust

Faust

Gretchen Marguerite

7.9

1926

Tartuffe

Tartuffe

(uncredited)

7.2

1926

Ways to Strength and Beauty

Ways to Strength and Beauty

7.1

1925