Camilla Spira
 

Camilla Spira was born on March 1st 1906 in Hamburg, Germany the daughter of actors Lotte and Fritz Spira, as well as sister of actress Steffie Spira.
 

She attended Max Reinhardt’s acting school from the age of 13, soon obtaining theatre parts in Hamburg, Vienna and Berlin.

A pioneer of the silent film era, in 1924 at age 18, Camilla Spira made her film debut, going on to appear in 68 films until 1986.

In 1930 Camilla Spira was chosen for the role of Josepha in Erik Charrell’s operetta “Im Weißen Rössl” (The White Horse Inn), and received great critical acclaim. Additionally, in the same year, she appeared with Max Ehrlich in the Rudolf Nelson revue “Der Rote Faden” alongside a stellar line-up of Berlin Cabaret stars which also included Wilhelm Bendow, Kurt Geron and entertainment “new-comer” Marlene Dietrich.

Because Camilla Spira’s father was Jewish, in 1933 following the fascists’ arrival in power, she no longer was permitted to appear on stage… until the creation of the Jüdische Kulturbund (Jewish Cultural Federation), but then exclusively before Jewish audiences.

Following the 1938 pogrom, Camilla Spira fled to Amsterdam with her husband and two children, where she worked in exile until the whole family was deported to Westerbork Concentration camp in 1943.

At Camp Westerbork, Camilla Spira was cast as leading lady in the cabaret performances organized under the direction of Max Ehrlich along with Willy Rosen… until her mother came forward to lie on her behalf, saying that Fritz Spira had not in fact been her biological father, but instead it was an Aryan with whom she’d had an affair. This total falsehood, resulted in Camilla Spira being officially declared Aryan and enabled her release together with her husband and children, who all then went into hiding until the end of the war.

In 1947, Camilla Spira returned to Berlin and for the next 20 years resumed her film career with great success, also becoming a TV star. Camilla Spira died 1997 in Berlin at age 91.

Her husband Dr. Hermann Lisner died in 1977, and one of her daughters, Susanne Thaler, was an important German political personality.

Partial Filmography
1924: Mutter und Sohn

1925: Das Herz am Rhein

1931: Mein Leopold

1932: Grün ist die Heide

1932: Gehetzte Menschen

1933: Morgenrot

1933: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse

1949: Die Buntkarierten

1950: Dr. Semmelweis – Retter der Mütter

1950: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor

1952: Der fröhliche Weinberg

1952: Pension Schöller

1954: Emil und die Detektive

1955: Des Teufels General

1955: Der letzte Mann

1955: Himmel ohne Sterne, Regie: Helmut Käutner

1957: Der tolle Bomberg

1958: Freddy, die Gitarre und das Meer

1958: Nachtschwester Ingeborg

1958: Der Czardas-König

1958: Vater, Mutter und neun Kinder

1959: Freddy unter fremden Sternen

1959: Rosen für den Staatsanwalt

1962: Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt

1962: Affäre Blum

1963: Piccadilly Null Uhr zwölf

1969: Der Kommissar, Folge: Das Ungeheuer (TV-Serie)

1972: Motiv Liebe, Folge: Goldener Käfig (TV-Serie)

1973: Die Powenzbande (TV)

1987: Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg: Im Spreeland (TV)

1991: So wie es ist, bleibt es nicht. Die Geschichte von Camilla
         und Steffie Spira, Filmbiographie