- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGertrud Maria Pfiel
- Gertrud Pfiel was born in present day Croatia, the daughter of an engineer and inventor. A strikingly beautiful blonde with high cheekbones and expressive blue eyes, she grew up in Vienna where she was trained as a singer and dancer, embarking on a theatrical career by the age of fifteen. Until 1944, 'Gertraud' regularly performed at various theatres in Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna. During a performance, she came to the attention of the director Fritz Lang, who became instantly enamored with her. Without an audition, Lang gave her a starring role as a defecting Russian spy in Spies (1928), the success of which led to further back-to-back leads in Woman in the Moon (1929) and Hochverrat (1929).
Lang eventually left his wife and long-time collaborator, the screenwriter Thea von Harbou, while Gerda Maurus went onto marry another prolific director, Robert A. Stemmle, who directed her in Daphne und der Diplomat (1937). During the sound era, Gerda was intermittently given further opportunities to shine, including opposite Hans Albers (Dope (1932)) and Paul Hörbiger (Prinzessin Sissy (1939)), but she seemed somehow unable to repeat the success of her earlier (silent) films. Her association, however tenuous, with Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels tainted her career during the immediate post-war period. While her acting ban was eventually lifted, she rarely again graced the screen, but for several more years continued on as a stage actress in Munich and Düsseldorf.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- SpouseRobert A. Stemmle(1937 - July 31, 1968) (her death, 1 child)
- Her charm did not only turn Joseph Goebbels' head but also the communist dramatist Friedrich Wolf.
- Director Fritz Lang was as usual in search of new unknown faces for his movies. When he met Gerda Maurus, who had only experiences in theater until then, he offered her the leading role in his next movie "Spione" (1928). Fritz Lang fell in love with her during the shooting which led to a breaking-off with his wife and writer Thea von Harbou.
- She started her film career at the end of the 20's.
- Especially her protruded cheek bones and her forceful look bewitched the menfolks.
- Gerda Maurus was married with director and writer Robert A. Stemmle since 1937. (Daughter Philine).
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