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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0394806
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q72890
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Filmography (Movies)
Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau
Character:Herself / Gretchen (archive footage)
Release Date:26/11/2002
Wenn ich sonntags in mein Kino geh'...
Character:Self
Release Date:20/12/1992
Spiders
Character:
Release Date:23/08/1989
Schloß Königswald
Character:Fürstin Großmutter
Release Date:14/01/1988
The Adventures of Superhero
Character:Mother
Release Date:08/10/1987
Frankies Braut
Character:Frau von Kieblitz
Release Date:01/01/1982
Immer bei Vollmond
Character:Wegelin's Mother
Release Date:13/03/1970
He's at It Again
Character:Paula
Release Date:30/01/1970
Appointment in Beirut
Character:Evelyn Brown
Release Date:20/09/1968
Die Erbin
Character:Elizabeth Almond
Release Date:09/07/1958
Vati macht Dummheiten
Character:Baronin von Baran
Release Date:02/12/1953
Königin der Arena
Character:Diana Bianca, Dompteuse
Release Date:19/12/1952
Gesucht wird Majora
Character:Gritt Faller
Release Date:02/09/1949
Intimitäten
Character:Helene
Release Date:03/02/1948
Seine beste Rolle
Character:Elise Sander
Release Date:20/01/1944
L'angelo del crepuscolo
Character:Anna
Release Date:07/12/1942
Paura d'amare
Character:
Release Date:29/03/1942
Broken Love
Character:Corinna Dellys, l'amante di Alberto
Release Date:10/03/1942
Friedemann Bach
Character:Mariella Fiorini
Release Date:25/06/1941
Die keusche Geliebte
Character:Renée Lemonier
Release Date:27/12/1940
Die letzte Runde
Character:Lilly
Release Date:20/11/1940
Herz ohne Heimat
Character:Dina Horster
Release Date:06/08/1940
Polterabend
Character:Lissi
Release Date:21/03/1940
Zentrale Rio
Character:Diane Mercier
Release Date:04/10/1939
Roman eines Arztes
Character:Käthe Üding - seine Frau
Release Date:14/09/1939
In geheimer Mission
Character:Marion
Release Date:16/12/1938
Fahrendes Volk
Character:Pepita, Kunstreiterin
Release Date:15/12/1938
Rote Orchideen
Character:Gräfin Ogolenska
Release Date:07/09/1938
Crooks in Tails
Character:Vera Dalmatoff
Release Date:25/08/1937
Sein letztes Modell
Character:Maria Várady
Release Date:23/04/1937
White Slaves
Character:Manja - seine Tochter
Release Date:05/01/1937
The Red Rider
Character:Hasia Nowrowska
Release Date:01/02/1935
Ich sehne mich nach dir
Character:Ivonne Brandt
Release Date:20/12/1934
Der letzte Walzer
Character:Vera
Release Date:27/11/1934
A Waltz for You
Character:Fürstin Stefanie
Release Date:11/08/1934
The Luck of a Sailor
Character:Louise
Release Date:26/04/1934
Die große Chance
Character:Helga
Release Date:30/03/1934
Der Doppelgänger
Character:Jenny Miller
Release Date:01/02/1934
If I Were King
Character:Inge Winkler
Release Date:09/01/1934
Racoczy-Marsch
Character:Vilma
Release Date:15/12/1933
Money Governs the World
Character:Lilly
Release Date:13/10/1933
Matinee Idol
Character:Sonia Vance
Release Date:29/08/1933
The Love Nest
Character:Fifi
Release Date:01/07/1933
Moral und Liebe
Character:Vera
Release Date:03/02/1933
The Return of Raffles
Character:Elga
Release Date:27/09/1932
The Cheeky Devil
Character:Alice Ménard
Release Date:28/04/1932
The Five Accursed Gentlemen
Character:Camilla
Release Date:23/03/1932
The Night Without Pause
Character:Letta Larbo
Release Date:22/12/1931
Frivolous youth
Character:
Release Date:18/07/1931
I Go Out and You Stay Here
Character:Gaby
Release Date:09/04/1931
The Song of the Nations
Character:
Release Date:17/03/1931
Sunday of Life
Character:Ellen Hobart
Release Date:29/01/1931
Hans in Every Street
Character:Elisabeth, the Bride
Release Date:23/12/1930
The Great Passion
Character:Eva von Loe
Release Date:24/08/1930
Morals at Midnight
Character:Nelly Wendt
Release Date:20/06/1930
Fundvogel
Character:Andrea
Release Date:19/05/1930
Mein Herz gehört Dir...
Character:Diane D'Artois
Release Date:23/02/1930
Die Königsloge
Character:Alice Doren
Release Date:21/11/1929
Three Around Edith
Character:Lady Edith Trent
Release Date:12/11/1929
Eternal Love
Character:Ciglia
Release Date:11/05/1929
Tempest
Character:Princess Tamara
Release Date:27/05/1928
Der fröhliche Weinberg
Character:Clärchen Gunderloch
Release Date:20/12/1927
Eva and the Grasshopper
Character:Camille de Saxe
Release Date:10/06/1927
The Bordellos of Algiers
Character:Adrienne Brisson
Release Date:10/05/1927
Madame Wants No Children
Character:
Release Date:14/12/1926
Faust
Character:Gretchen Marguerite
Release Date:13/10/1926
Tartuffe
Character:(uncredited)
Release Date:25/01/1926
Ways to Strength and Beauty
Character:
Release Date:16/03/1925
Television Appearances
Images
