Marion Michael
Encyclopedia
Marion Michael was a German
film
actress and singer. She was best known for her role in the 1956 film, Liane, Jungle Goddess
. She was also the second German actress, after Hildegard Knef
, to appear nude on film, when she starred in the German film, The Sinner
in the 1950s.
Michael was born Marion Ilonka Michaela Delonge in Königsberg
(now Kaliningrad
). She was selected for the role of Liane in Liane, Jungle Goddess out of 12,000 prospective actresses. She was only 16 at the time of the filming, which took place om location in Africa
, and she controversially appeared topless during the first half of the movie. The movie was a box office success. However, none of her following 10 films over the next six years were as successful.
Michael suffered injuries in a car accident during this time period. She returned to acting, but stopped again in 1965. She suffered a bout of depression
and, unusually, moved from West Germany
to Communist East Germany.
Michael sometimes returned to film and television acting later in her life, but only rarely. However, despite her lack of screen time after the 1960s she remained a well known German film icon. Her last onscreen appearance was in a 1996 German television musical
about her life, entitled Liane
.
Michael died of heart failure in Gartz
, Brandenburg
, at the age of 66.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actress and singer. She was best known for her role in the 1956 film, Liane, Jungle Goddess
Liane, Jungle Goddess
Liane, Jungle Goddess is a 1956 West German film directed by Eduard von Borsody.-Plot:...
. She was also the second German actress, after Hildegard Knef
Hildegard Knef
Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef was a German actress, singer and writer. She was billed in some English language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff.-Early years:...
, to appear nude on film, when she starred in the German film, The Sinner
The Sinner
The Sinner is a 2003 mystery novel by Tess Gerritsen, the third book of the Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli series.-Plot:The Sinner involves Detective Jane Rizzoli and a main character new to the series, first seen in "The Apprentice" as a minor figure, medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles...
in the 1950s.
Michael was born Marion Ilonka Michaela Delonge in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(now Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
). She was selected for the role of Liane in Liane, Jungle Goddess out of 12,000 prospective actresses. She was only 16 at the time of the filming, which took place om location in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and she controversially appeared topless during the first half of the movie. The movie was a box office success. However, none of her following 10 films over the next six years were as successful.
Michael suffered injuries in a car accident during this time period. She returned to acting, but stopped again in 1965. She suffered a bout of depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and, unusually, moved from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
to Communist East Germany.
Michael sometimes returned to film and television acting later in her life, but only rarely. However, despite her lack of screen time after the 1960s she remained a well known German film icon. Her last onscreen appearance was in a 1996 German television musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
about her life, entitled Liane
Liane
Liane is a female given name and may refer to one of the following;* Liane Bahler, German professional racing cyclist;* Liane Balaban, Canadian actress;* Liane Berkowitz, member of the German resistance movement during World War II;...
.
Michael died of heart failure in Gartz
Gartz
Gartz is a town in the Uckermark district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the West bank of the Oder River, about 30 km south of Szczecin .-Overview:...
, Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, at the age of 66.