Marlene Dietrich was of the sultriest actresses of the silver screen. Holding both German and American citizenship, Dietrich’s lengthy career was constantly reinvigorated by her ability to reinvent herself. Identified by an image of glamour and exoticism, Dietrich’s international fame as a performer and ability to captivate audiences led her to be one of the highest-paid actresses of her day. Marie Magdalene “Marlene” Dietrich was born in Berlin to Louis and Wilhelmina Dietrich. Her father was a police lieutenant, while her mother came from a wealthy family who owned a jewelry store and clock-making company. Louis and Wilhelmina would have two children—Marlene and her older sister, Elisabeth—before Louis’ death in 1907.
Dietrich carried out her education at the Auguste-Viktoria Girls’ School and graduated from the Victoria-Luisen-Schule. There, she studied the violin but also became passionate about theater and poetry. While an injury to her wrist prevented her career as a concert violinist, her first job was playing violin in a pit orchestra to accompany silent film screenings in Berlin. After four weeks on the job, she was fired. Next, Dietrich found work as a chorus girl in several Berlin revues, unsuccessfully auditioning for theatrical director Max Reinhardt’s drama academy. Despite this audition, she continued to work as a chorus girl and even carried out several small dramatic roles under the new stage name of Marlene Dietrich. As a child, Dietrich was nicknamed “Lena” and “Lene”, leading her to combine her first name and nickname in order to form what would become her new first name—Marlene.
