Fern Andra
Encyclopedia
Fern Andra was an American
actress, film director
, script writer and producer
. Next to Henny Porten and Asta Nielsen
she was one of the most popular and best-known actresses in German
silent film
s of the 1910s.
in 1893, the daughter of a circus
performer and an opera singer, Andra was already appearing in public in a tightrope act by the age of four. She later trained in song and dance. As early as 1899, in New York
, she made her first film, a version of Uncle Tom's Cabin
.
She remained however with the circus, with which she embarked on an extensive tour across the United States
, Canada
and Europe
. In Berlin
she met Max Reinhardt
, who gave her acting lessons. In 1913 she appeared in her first German film, Das Ave Maria. Still only moderately well-known, she made her only Austria
n film in 1915: Zwei Freunde. From 1916-18 she appeared almost exclusively on camera with Alfred Abel
. In 1920 she starred in Robert Wiene
's expressionist
horror film
Genuine
. In the mid-1920s she lost her public appeal in Germany.
On July 4, 1922, Andra was involved in the Hamburg-Berlin mail plane accident. The pilot, World War I
flying ace
Lothar von Richthofen
, was killed. Andra was initially misreported as dead but survived. Her companion, director Georg Bluen, died the following day from his injuries. From 1928 she worked in the UK and the US, later expanding her range to include radio and television.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, script writer and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. Next to Henny Porten and Asta Nielsen
Asta Nielsen
Asta Nielsen , was a Danish silent film actress who was one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1910s and one of the first international movie stars. Seventy of Nielsen's 74 films were made in Germany where she was known simply as Die Asta...
she was one of the most popular and best-known actresses in German
Cinema of Germany
Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film.Unlike any other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnesses major changes to its...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s of the 1910s.
Biography
Born as Vernal Edna Andrews in Watseka, IllinoisWatseka, Illinois
Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S...
in 1893, the daughter of a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performer and an opera singer, Andra was already appearing in public in a tightrope act by the age of four. She later trained in song and dance. As early as 1899, in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, she made her first film, a version of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
.
She remained however with the circus, with which she embarked on an extensive tour across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
she met Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
, who gave her acting lessons. In 1913 she appeared in her first German film, Das Ave Maria. Still only moderately well-known, she made her only Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n film in 1915: Zwei Freunde. From 1916-18 she appeared almost exclusively on camera with Alfred Abel
Alfred Abel
Alfred Abel was a German film actor, director, and producer. He appeared in over 140 silent and sound films between 1913 and 1938...
. In 1920 she starred in Robert Wiene
Robert Wiene
Robert Wiene was an important film director of the German silent cinema.Robert Wiene was born in Breslau, as the elder son of the successful theatre actor Carl Wiene. His younger brother Conrad also became an actor, but Robert Wiene at first studied law at the University of Berlin. In 1908 he also...
's expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Genuine
Genuine (film)
Genuine is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene. It was also released as Genuine: A Tale of a Vampire....
. In the mid-1920s she lost her public appeal in Germany.
On July 4, 1922, Andra was involved in the Hamburg-Berlin mail plane accident. The pilot, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
, was killed. Andra was initially misreported as dead but survived. Her companion, director Georg Bluen, died the following day from his injuries. From 1928 she worked in the UK and the US, later expanding her range to include radio and television.
Marriages
Fern Andra was married four times; all of the unions were childless:- Baron Friedrich von und zu Weichs (died in 1917)
- Kurt Prenzel (married 1923 or 1924; divorced)
- Ian KeithIan Keith-Life and career:Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John...
(married 1932; divorced) - Gen. Samuel Edge Dockrell (died in 1973)