Luise Rainer
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- January 12, 1910 in Düsseldorf, Germany
- Died
- December 30, 2014
- Active Years
- 1932–2019 (88 Years)
- Total Credits
- 38 credits in database
Biography
Luise Rainer was a German-born film actress born on January 12, 1910, in Dusseldorf, Germany. She was the first person to receive two Academy Awards for acting, winning them back-to-back for her roles as Anna Held in The Great Ziegfeld and as O-Lan in The Good Earth. Her training began in Germany at age 16 under stage director Max Reinhardt. She was the first actor to win more than one Academy Award and was the longest-lived Oscar recipient at the time of her death on December 30, 2014. Her last Hollywood movie was in 1943. Rainer was the daughter of Emilie Königsberger and Heinrich Rainer, a businessman.
Career overview
Luise Rainer was a German-born film actress who was the first person to receive two Academy Awards for acting. She was the first thespian to win multiple Academy Awards and the first to win them back-to-back. Her back-to-back Oscars were won for her role as Anna Held in The Great Ziegfeld in 1936 and for playing O-Lan in The Good Earth in 1937. Her career was brief, and her last Hollywood movie was in 1943.
Rainer's training began in Germany at the age of 16 under leading stage director Max Reinhardt. She was recognized as a distinguished Berlin stage actress and performed with Reinhardt's Vienna theater ensemble. Following critical acclaim for her stage and film acting, MGM signed her to a three-year contract and brought her to Hollywood in 1935. Some filmmakers anticipated she might become another leading female star like Greta Garbo.
Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 12, 1910, Rainer was the daughter of Emilie Königsberger and Heinrich Rainer, a businessman. She died on December 30, 2014. At the time of her death, she was the longest-lived Oscar recipient.
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Career timeline
Full Filmography
38 titles- Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019) as (archive footage)
- Luise Rainer: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2011)
- Hollywood Chinese (2007) as Self
- Ziegfeld on Film (2004) as Herself (interviewee, and in clips from The Great Ziegfeld)
- Poem: I Set My Foot Upon the Air and It Carried Me (2003) as Actor - Gesang Der Geister Über Den Wassern
- Frank Capra's American Dream (1997) as Self (archive footage)
- The Gambler (1997) as Grandmother
- Brisant (1994) as Self
- That's Entertainment! III (1994) as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992)
- Boulevard Bio (1991) as Self
- A Dancer (1991) as Anna
- Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood (1987) as SElf
- The Love Boat (1977) as Dorothy Fielding
- Film Emigration from Nazi Germany (1975) as Self
- Combat! (1962) as Countess De Roy
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951) as Chambermaid
- Lux Video Theatre (1950) as Mrs. Page
- Lux Video Theatre (1950) as Caroline
- Suspense (1949)
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
- The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1948)
- Hostages (1943) as Milada Pressinger
- Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940) as Self (archive footage)
- The Toy Wife (1938) as Gilberte 'Frou Frou' Brigard
- The Great Waltz (1938) as Poldi Vogelhuber
- Another Romance of Celluloid (1938) as Self (uncredited)
- Dramatic School (1938) as Louise Mauban
- The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937) as Countess Olga Mironova
- The Good Earth (1937) as O-Lan
- The Romance of Celluloid (1937) as Self (archive footage)
- Big City (1937) as Anna Benton
- The Great Ziegfeld (1936) as Anna Held
- Escapade (1935) as Leopoldine Dur
- Heut' kommt's drauf an (1933) as Marita Costa
- Madame has a visitor (1932)
- Sehnsucht 202 (1932) as Kitty
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Luise Rainer best known for?
Luise Rainer is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Brisant (1994), That's Entertainment! III (1994), MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992), Boulevard Bio (1991).
When and where was Luise Rainer born?
Luise Rainer was born on January 12, 1910 in Düsseldorf, Germany. They passed away on December 30, 2014.
How many credits does Luise Rainer have?
Luise Rainer has accumulated over 38 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1932 to 2019.
What is Luise Rainer's background in cinema and television?
Luise Rainer was a German-born film actress born on January 12, 1910, in Dusseldorf, Germany. She was the first person to receive two Academy Awards for acting, winning them back-to-back for her roles as Anna Held in The Great Ziegfeld and as O-Lan in The Good Earth. Her training began in Germany at age 16 under stage ...
Luise Rainer by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992) — aged about 82
- Combat! (1962) as Countess De Roy — aged about 52
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951) as Chambermaid — aged about 41
- That's Entertainment! III (1994) as (archive footage) (uncredited) — aged about 84
- Boulevard Bio (1991) as Self — aged about 81
- The Oscars (1953) as Self — aged about 43
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