Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich Facts
| Sign | Capricorn |
| Born |
Dec 27, 1901 Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany |
| Died |
May 6, 1992 Paris, France |
| Age | Died at 90 |
| Total Facts | 38 |
According to daughter Maria Riva, Dietrich had a long-standing dislike of actress Loretta Young.
Appears on the sleeve of The Beatles "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Became an American citizen on March 6, 1937.
Born at 9:15pm-CET
Campaigned for the role of Mama Hanson in I Remember Mama (1948) but Irene Dunne, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#60). [1995]
Fell and broke her left leg at her last ever last stage appearance in Sydney, Australia, September 1975.
First German actress to be Oscar-nominated.
Grandmother of production designer J. Michael Riva.
Her estate, consisting of about 300.000 pieces, was bid for 8 mio. German marks by the city of Berlin, Germany.
Her father, a Berlin police lieutenant, died after he fell off a horse when she was ten years old.
Her make-up man said she kissed so hard that she needed a new coat of lipstick after every kiss.
In a posthumous gift of forgiveness, she left her vast collection of memorabilia to the city of Berlin.
In Italian films, she was dubbed by either Lidia Simoneschi, Tina Lattanzi or Andreina Pagnani.
Interred at Friedhof III, Berlin-Friedenau, Germany.
Interviewed in "Talking to the Piano Player: Silent Film Stars, Writers and Directors Remember" by Stuart Oderman (BearManor Media).
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue"
Lived out her life in apartment #12E at 993 Park Avenue in Manhattan where Jamie Lee Curtis had earlier stayed with then fiance J. Michael Riva (Dietrich's grandson) during the Trading Places (1983) shoot.
Marlene suffered from bacilophobia, the fear of germs.
Marlene's father was Lt. Louis Erich Otto Dietrich, who died when she was very young. Her mother remarried to Colonel Eduard von Losch, who was killed in WWI.
Measurements: 35-24-33 (in 1930), 36 1/2-26-33 (mid-1950s), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Mother of Maria Riva.
Never worked without a mirror on the set so she could constantly check her makeup and hair.
Once said that her favorite meal was hotdogs and champagne.
Proficient on the musical saw.
Received the U.S. War Department's 'Medal of Freedom', in 1947, for entertaining American troops in WWII and her strong stand against Naziism.
She demanded that Max Factor sprinkle half an ounce of real gold dust into her wigs to add glitter to her tresses during filming.
She prided herself on the fact that she had slept with three men of the Kennedy clan - Joseph P. Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and John F. Kennedy.
She spent her last decade in her apartment on the avenue Montaigne in Paris, during which time she was not seen in public but was a prolific letter-writer and phone-caller. In 1984, Academy Award winning actor Maximilian Schell persuaded her to be interviewed for a documentary, but she did not appear on screen.
She sucked lemon wedges between takes to keep her mouth muscles tight.
She thought of feet to be the ugliest part of the human body, and therefore always tried to hide them in one way or another
She was voted the 43rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Ten years after her death, Berlin - the city of Dietrich's birth which she shunned for most of her life - declared her an honorary citizen. On April 18, 2002, the city's legislature bestowed honor on her as "an ambassador for a democratic, freedom-loving and humane Germany." The declaration hoped this "would symbolize the city of Berlin's reconciliation with her."
The only show-business friend she ever had was Mae West. However, they never saw one another outside the Paramount lot.
Was considered for the role of Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950) after Claudette Colbert was forced to pull out of the project due to back injury. However the part was given to Bette Davis, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.
Was made a Chevaliere of the Legion by France.
Was named #9 Actress on The AFI 50 Greatest Screen Legends
Won a Special Tony Award in 1968.