Person Biography:
Luise Rainer was a renowned German-American actress born on January 12, 1910, in Dusseldorf, Germany. She was the daughter of Emilie (Königsberger) and Heinrich Rainer, a businessman. Rainer's early life was marked by her love for the stage, and she was discovered by the legendary theater director Max Reinhardt while performing in Germany. She joined Reinhardt's theatrical company in Vienna, Austria, and spent years developing her craft under his guidance.
Rainer's career took off in the early 1930s, and she became a popular stage actress in Berlin and Vienna. She made her screen debut as a teenager and appeared in three German-language films before moving to the United States. Her American debut was in the 1935 film "Escapade," where she replaced Myrna Loy and co-starred with William Powell.
Rainer's breakthrough role came in 1936 when she played Anna Held in "The Great Ziegfeld," a biopic about the famous showman Florenz Ziegfeld. Her performance earned her her first Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first thespian to win back-to-back Oscars. Her second Oscar came in 1937 for her portrayal of O-Lan in "The Good Earth," a film adaptation of Pearl S. Buck's novel.
However, Rainer's career soon went into decline, and she became the first notable victim of the "Oscar curse." She rejected Hollywood's values and eventually left the film industry, citing the lack of intellectual conversation and concern with ideas among the movie colony. Rainer married playwright Clifford Odets in 1937, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1940.
Rainer continued to work in theater and television, making her Broadway debut in 1942 and appearing in several war bond rallies and Army Special Service tours. She married publisher Robert Knittel in 1945 and had a daughter with him. Rainer's retirement from acting lasted for 53 years, until her brief comeback in the 1997 film "The Gambler."
Throughout her life, Rainer remained humble and unassuming, despite her numerous accolades. She passed away on December 30, 2014, at the age of 104, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most talented and iconic actresses of her time.
