Camilla Horn

Camilla Horn

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.

KNOWN FOR
CREDITS
PHOTOS

TV Series

Unheimliche Geschichten

Unheimliche Geschichten

0
Gestern gelesen

Gestern gelesen

0
The Black Forest Clinic

The Black Forest Clinic

6.2
Dreizehn Briefe

Dreizehn Briefe

0
Deutscher Filmpreis

Deutscher Filmpreis

6
Bayerischer Filmpreis

Bayerischer Filmpreis

0

Movies

Faust

Faust

7.905
Polterabend

Polterabend

0
Tempest

Tempest

6.4
Eternal Love

Eternal Love

5.542
A Waltz for You

A Waltz for You

5
Königin der Arena

Königin der Arena

0
Der Doppelgänger

Der Doppelgänger

6
Fahrendes Volk

Fahrendes Volk

4
Friedemann Bach

Friedemann Bach

5.5
Schloß Königswald

Schloß Königswald

1
Rote Orchideen

Rote Orchideen

5
Appointment in Beirut

Appointment in Beirut

5.5
If I Were King

If I Were King

0
The Cheeky Devil

The Cheeky Devil

0
Die keusche Geliebte

Die keusche Geliebte

5
White Slaves

White Slaves

0
Die letzte Runde

Die letzte Runde

0
Wenn ich sonntags in mein Kino geh'...

Wenn ich sonntags in mein Kino geh'...

0
Immer bei Vollmond

Immer bei Vollmond

0
He's at It Again

He's at It Again

4
Broken Love

Broken Love

5
Mein Herz gehört Dir...

Mein Herz gehört Dir...

0
Frivolous youth

Frivolous youth

0
Seine beste Rolle

Seine beste Rolle

5.2
The Great Passion

The Great Passion

6.5
Herz ohne Heimat

Herz ohne Heimat

0
Hans in Every Street

Hans in Every Street

7
Sein letztes Modell

Sein letztes Modell

0
Roman eines Arztes

Roman eines Arztes

0
The Red Rider

The Red Rider

0
Gesucht wird Majora

Gesucht wird Majora

0
Zentrale Rio

Zentrale Rio

5
Vati macht Dummheiten

Vati macht Dummheiten

0
Intimitäten

Intimitäten

0
Crooks in Tails

Crooks in Tails

0
Racoczy-Marsch

Racoczy-Marsch

0
Der Unsichtbare

Der Unsichtbare

3.5
Fundvogel

Fundvogel

0
Spiders

Spiders

0
The Love Nest

The Love Nest

0
Tartuffe

Tartuffe

7.2
The Bordellos of Algiers

The Bordellos of Algiers

0
Three Around Edith

Three Around Edith

0
Matinee Idol

Matinee Idol

5
Frankies Braut

Frankies Braut

8
The Luck of a Sailor

The Luck of a Sailor

0
In geheimer Mission

In geheimer Mission

0
Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau

Los 5 Faust de F. W. Murnau

7
Ich sehne mich nach dir

Ich sehne mich nach dir

0
The Return of Raffles

The Return of Raffles

0
Eva and the Grasshopper

Eva and the Grasshopper

8
Die Erbin

Die Erbin

0
Die große Chance

Die große Chance

0
Moral und Liebe

Moral und Liebe

0
Die Königsloge

Die Königsloge

0
Der fröhliche Weinberg

Der fröhliche Weinberg

0
Madame Wants No Children

Madame Wants No Children

0
Sunday of Life

Sunday of Life

0
Ways to Strength and Beauty

Ways to Strength and Beauty

7.1
Money Governs the World

Money Governs the World

0
I Go Out and You Stay Here

I Go Out and You Stay Here

0
Der letzte Walzer

Der letzte Walzer

0
The Song of the Nations

The Song of the Nations

0
The Night Without Pause

The Night Without Pause

0
The Five Accursed Gentlemen

The Five Accursed Gentlemen

0
Morals at Midnight

Morals at Midnight

0