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Upon seizing control, Adolf Hitler appointed Joseph Goebbels as the Reich's 'minister of propaganda.' Goebbels manipulated the German populace by producing films that either distracted them with lighthearted comedies and musicals or indoctrinated them with Nazi ideologies.
Starting in 1939, American movies were prohibited in Germany. This created a surge in demand for films made by the Universum Film-Aktien Gesellschaft (UFA), the primary studio under Nazi control.
These shifts posed significant challenges for German actresses. Those who declined to align with the Nazi Party were ostracized from the film industry. Numerous others escaped abroad, pursuing opportunities across Europe and even in Hollywood.
Yet, for some women, the allure of wealth and stardom outweighed their ethical concerns, leading them to willingly support the Nazi regime.
10. Lida Baarova
Lida Baarova, a renowned actress from Prague, joined the UFA in 1935 for her debut German film, Barcarole. Despite receiving offers from Hollywood, she chose to remain in Germany. She was engaged to Gustav Frohlich, a prominent actor who had parted ways with his Jewish wife to sustain his career. Both Lida and Gustav actively supported the Nazis to advance their professional aspirations.
Goebbels was utterly infatuated with Lida Baarova. Their affair spanned two years, significantly boosting Lida's career. She secured the most coveted roles, amassing considerable wealth and fame.
Their affair created chaos for both Gustav and Magda Goebbels, Joseph's wife. Hitler eventually intervened, ordering Lida Baarova to be deported back to Prague to resolve the domestic conflict.
In 2016, the German film Devil’s Mistress depicted the affair between Baarova and Goebbels. Their relationship was also examined in the documentary Zkaza krasou.
9. Brigitte Horney
Unlike many actresses who eagerly joined the UFA, Brigitte Horney rejected the allure of wealth and fame. She prioritized artistic freedom, choosing to collaborate with actors and directors of her choice, particularly her close friend and former co-star, Joachim Gottschalk.
Gottschalk's Jewish wife and children led to his exclusion from UFA projects. In 1941, upon learning that Gestapo agents were en route to arrest his family and send them to concentration camps, the Gottschalks chose to end their lives together, ensuring they would all die together rather than face such a grim fate.
The tragic loss of her friend deeply affected Brigitte Horney, bringing the harsh reality of Nazi power into sharp focus. Likely fearing for her safety, she reluctantly participated in the 1944 propaganda film Am Ende der Welt (The End of the World). However, the film remained unreleased until after World War II, as Joseph Goebbels deemed it unsatisfactory.
Overwhelmed by fear, Horney fled to Switzerland, abandoning her husband in Germany. Post-war, she eventually became a US citizen and married Hanns Swarzenski, a Jewish art historian.
8. Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey, an actress born in England, had resided in Germany since the age of eight. Discovered during her career as a professional dancer, she rose to fame in silent films. Her success took her across the globe, where she acted in multiple languages, including French, English, and German.
In 1933, Harvey relocated to the USA to pursue a Hollywood career. After two years of struggling with minor roles, she returned to Berlin in 1935, where her stardom was assured. Her allegiance to the Third Reich brought her immense wealth, starring in numerous films and receiving a luxurious car and home as rewards.
Harvey frequently starred in Hitler's beloved German musicals. Her petite and delicate appearance often landed her roles as the charming, innocent girl-next-door. By 1942, she had returned to the US, volunteering in Los Angeles and traveling extensively. Her timely departure from Germany spared her from the worst of World War II's violence.
7. Sybille Schmitz
In 1932, a year before the Nazis took control of the UFA, Sybille Schmitz signed a five-year contract with the studio. However, Joseph Goebbels disapproved of Schmitz. Her reserved nature, dark hair, and sharp features, which didn't align with Aryan ideals, led to her being cast in science fiction films or as complex characters like spies and femmes fatales.
Sybille landed a career-defining role in the 1943 film Titanic. However, the production faced significant issues. After investing millions in an elaborate production that failed, Goebbels banned the film from German theaters.
Sybille never had the opportunity to showcase her acting talent, stuck in a contract she never desired. Despite Goebbels' interference, post-war filmmakers who fled Germany criticized her for continuing to work under Hitler's regime.
Sybille Schmitz ultimately committed suicide.
6. Marika Rokk
Marika Rokk, born in Cairo, Egypt, to Hungarian parents, gained fame after training in dance and acting globally. She starred in three acclaimed German musicals, achieving immense success. Her rise coincided with Joseph Goebbels' efforts to secure UFA contracts to rival American musical stars.
Marika excelled as a dancer and acrobat, specializing in gymnastics and circus acts. Though she couldn't match Lilian Harvey's traditional dance skills, she showcased her talent through tap-dancing and acrobatics on screen.
Once her popularity soared, Marika demanded higher pay from the UFA, threatening to return to Hungary if her terms weren't met. She married director Georg Jacoby, securing coveted roles and earning 30,000 reichsmarks per film. Adjusted for inflation, this would make her a millionaire today, showcasing her ability to turn Nazi ambitions to her benefit.
5. Renate Muller
Renate Muller was a leading actress in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. When the Nazis took control, Joseph Goebbels attempted to pair her with Hitler. Renate declined the role of Hitler's mistress and also rejected offers to star in Nazi propaganda films.
Goebbels, suspicious of her refusal of fame and wealth, ordered the Gestapo to surveil her. They discovered her relationship with a Jewish man, who fled to England to escape persecution.
Renate attempted to reunite with her lover in England but was barred from leaving by the Gestapo. Under relentless pressure, she eventually agreed to star in the anti-Semitic film Togger, playing a journalist.
Shortly after, she admitted herself to a hospital and either fell or leaped from a third-floor window. The details surrounding the 31-year-old’s death remain unclear. A film inspired by her life, Liebling der Gotter (Sweetheart of the Gods), was released in 1960.
4. Zarah Leander
Zarah Leander was celebrated for her powerful, resonant voice and striking presence. Despite her success in Swedish cinema, the Nazis were initially hesitant to cast her in German films. However, when Hollywood expressed interest, Joseph Goebbels quickly offered her a UFA contract.
While her UFA work brought her wealth and fame, Goebbels ensured she couldn't leave Germany. Zarah sent earnings to her Swedish home, but the Nazis paid her in German marks instead of Swedish kronor to keep her tied to Germany. Goebbels even proposed a lavish mansion in exchange for her renouncing Swedish citizenship, but she refused to forsake her homeland.
In 1943, her German residence was destroyed in an Allied air raid, allowing Zarah to flee back to Sweden. In her autobiography, Es War so Wunderbar!, she revealed her friendships with gay men, which persisted during the Nazi era. Her influence extended to drag shows, where performers often sang her songs.
In 1986, a documentary titled My Life for Zarah Leander was released, offering an in-depth look into the performer's personal and professional life.
3. Heidemarie Hatheyer
Heidemarie Hatheyer is most renowned for her role in Ich klage an (I Accuse), where she portrayed a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis. In the film, her character and her fictional husband choose assisted suicide to avoid a life of pain and hardship.
The remainder of the film unfolds in a courtroom, where doctors, lawyers, and judges debate whether the husband should face murder charges. This film is considered one of the most impactful Nazi propaganda pieces, as it concludes that euthanasia is morally acceptable, aligning with the T4 Program, a Nazi initiative that mandated the mass killings of individuals with disabilities and terminal illnesses.
Following World War II, Ich klage an was prohibited from public distribution. Despite this, Heidemarie’s performance remains strikingly powerful, illustrating how her acting contributed to widespread tragedy. For those interested in viewing one of the most notorious Nazi propaganda films, it is available online with English subtitles.
2. Kathe Von Nagy
Kathe von Nagy stood out as one of the few actresses with non-Germanic features to thrive in Nazi-era films. Born into a wealthy Hungarian family, she studied French and German and became a published writer in Budapest. Dissatisfied with her family business, she transitioned to acting in silent films during the 1920s.
Her first husband, Constantin J. David, was Jewish but resided in Italy, avoiding the fate of other German Jews. As an established actress, Kathe continued her career under Nazi rule but limited her involvement during the war.
Unlike many actresses under scrutiny, Kathe had the freedom to work internationally, starring in films in France and Italy while maintaining her relationship with her husband.
1. Kristina Soderbaum
Kristina Soderbaum's acting career took off after she married Veit Harlan, Joseph Goebbels' favored director. Naturally, Goebbels’s friendship with her husband propelled Kristina to stardom.
Kristina consistently portrayed the ideal German woman: humble, devoted, and deeply emotional. She swiftly earned the title of Germany’s sweetheart.
In 1940, she appeared in Jud Suss, one of the most virulently anti-Semitic films produced by the UFA. The story follows Kristina’s character, a kind-hearted woman engaged to her beloved, who is raped by a Jewish man. Her fiancé is tortured, and the trauma leads her to drown herself.
The film fueled widespread anti-Semitic sentiment. Its release, timed just before the Nazis announced their plans for concentration camps, was no accident. Many hold Kristina Soderbaum partly accountable for the atrocities of the Holocaust.
