Luise Rainer

She was married to playwright Clifford Odets from January 8, 1937, to May 14, 1940.

Her second marriage was with publisher Robert Knittel on July 12, 1945, that lasted till his death on June 15, 1989. The couple had a daughter Francesca Knittel-Bowyer, born on June 2, 1946.

She celebrated her centenary on January 12, 2010, in London.

She was born on January 12, 1910, in Düsseldorf, Germany in an upper-class Jewish family to Heinrich Rainer and Emmy Koenigsberger, as their only daughter among three children.

Her father, Heinrich had become an orphan at 6 and went to America to live with his uncle. He became a successful businessman and returned to Europe later. Luise Rainer’s mother was a talented pianist.

Rainer was raised in Hamburg and Vienna. She was adored by her father who lovingly called her 'Mausele' ('Little Mouse'). However his intensity of love that often took the form of tyrannical possessiveness resulting in his controlling behaviour was of concern for her and her mother, who was a doting wife but unfortunately suffered from her husband’s controlling love.

Though Rainer remained a quiet child at home, she was very active in athletics in school and became a brave mountain climber and champion runner.

Although she loved her father she gradually realised that he wished to marry her off to the “right man” after she attended a good finishing school and thus would also be destined to lead life in a man’s world as her mother. This was in contrast to her rebellious and tom boyish nature.

Her debut in stage happened at 16 when by sheer chance she played Wendla, as the original actress fell ill, in Wedekind's ‘Spring Awakening’ staged at the Dusseldorfer Schausspielhaus' School of Stage Art and impressed many as an untrained actress.

Theatre personalities Louise Dumont and Gustav Lindemann soon signed a two year contract with her and from 1928 she began performing at the ‘Dumont Theatre’ in Dusseldorf.

Around 18 years of age she came under the guidance of legendary stage director Max Reinhardt and with time proved her mettle as a remarkable and gifted young actress in Berlin. Soon she began touring with Reinhardt's theatre company in Berlin, Vienna and other cities across Europe.

Her early stage performances included plays like ‘Measure for Measure’ by William Shakespeare; ‘Men in White’ by Sidney Kingsley; ‘Saint Joan’ by George Bernard Shaw; and ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ by Luigi Pirandello. She also performed in some German films during that time.

In 1934, she was spotted by ‘MGM’ talent scout Phil Berg in one of the stage performances of ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’. Soon she was signed into a three year contract in Hollywood.

‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ has a star dedicated to her at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard.