Marlene was involved with music since she was a child, she was an excellent violinist. But after an accident in the tendon of one of her hands, which made it impossible for her to pursue a career as a violinist, she gave up the instrument. Upon turning 21, Dietrich began singing and performing in cabarets in Berlin. The city's cultural scene was buzzing and, at one of her presentations, the young, beautiful and blonde girl caught the attention of an American director looking for a star for his new film.
Already in Hollywood, Marlene Dietrich assumed clothes previously acceptable only for men and thus became an icon of various styles. With just over five years in Hollywood, at age 38, Marlene Dietrich has become the highest paid woman on the big screen.
Dietrich was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931, but lost the statuette, won by MGM's first lady, Edith Norma Shearer (1902-1983).
The actress has her star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Cinema category.
Marlene Dietrich, born Marie Magdalene Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany, on December 27, 1901, died in Paris, France, on May 6, 1992, aged 90.
Marlene Dietrich was married to silent film director, screenwriter and producer Rudolf Sieber (1897-1976) from 1923 to 1976 until she became a widow. They had one daughter, the American actress of German origin, Maria Elisabeth Riva (1924-), now 98 years old.
