In 1910, Hollywood became a part of Los Angeles, and this is the year when the film industry moved here with the consequent influx of  people related to its different departments. The earliest Hollywood Germans included famous persons like Carl Laemmle who founded Universal Studios. The German director Ernest Lubitsch and the German actor Conrad Veidt were the foremost among the successful people who came to Hollywood from Europe in the 1920s. After 1932, in the era of Hitler, the Nazis drove film talent to England and France and ultimately to Hollywood in a majority of cases. This influx was no less than a shock for many talented people in the film industry because their increasing unemployment increased at a faster rate compelling many to do odd jobs for survival. Wolfgang (Air Force One).

1. Leni Riefenstahl

Helen Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, German Empire in August, 1902 and died in Pocking, Germany in September, 2001 at the age of 101. Immediately after launching  the film Triumph of the Will, she became famous. And according to The Economist, ‘Triumph of the Will sealed her reputation as the greatest filmmaker of the 20th century.’ She was Hitler’s favorite director. Leni Riefensthal’s prominence in the Third Reich owing to her personal friendship with Hitler overshadowed her fame in the film industry. After the defeat in World War II, she was arrested but released without any charges. Recalling the interrogation she said, ‘They kept asking me over and over again whether I was having a romance with Hitler. ‘Are you Hitler’s girlfriend?’ I laughed and answered the same way each time: ‘No, those are false rumors. I only made documentaries for him.” The Associated Press described her as ‘Acclaimed pioneer of film and photographic techniques.’

2. Ernest Lubitsch

The famous German director in Hollywood, Ernest Lubitsch, was born in Berlin, Germany on January 29, 1892 and died in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. on November 30, 1947. He was reputed as Hollywood’s most elegant and sophisticated director on account of his urbane comedies. His films were regarded as unique for having ‘the Lubitsch touch.’ In recognition of his distinguished contributions to motion pictures, he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1947. He was nominated thrice for The Best Director. Lubitsch’s Carmen (Gipsy Blood) was selected as one of the ’15 Most Important Movies of 1921’ by The New York Times.

3. Roland Emmerich

Roland Emmerich was born in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany on November 10, 1955. He is a German film director, and most of his films are in English and Hollywood productions. His films have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide. He started with The Noah’s Ark Principle which was a part of his university thesis. In partnership with his sister, he co-founded Centropolis Film Productions and debuted with his film Joey. He is ranked as the 14th highest all-time-grossing director. He has directed many successful films like Star Gate, 10,000 BC, and Godzilla which gained international fame. He is known as an environmentalist. He likes to create awareness about the dangers of smoking and global warming through his film characters.

4. Wolfgang Petersen

Wolfgang Petersen was born in Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany on March 14, 1941. He is a German film director and his feature film Das Boot released in 1982 was nominated for six Academy Awards of which two went to Peterson. He was also nominated for BAFTA and DGA awards. His film Enemy Mine was not a box office success. In the Line of Fire released in 1993 gave him sufficient box success to afford and continue with his successful production of Air Force One. His other successful works include; The Perfect Storm and Red Corner.

5. Leonardo Di Caprio

Leonardo Wilhelm Di Caprio was born to the German mother Irmelin and George Di Caprio, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on November 11, 1974. He was educated at Seeds Elementary School, John Marshal High School, and Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. He debuted with Sci-fi horror film Critters in 1993 and was critically appreciated for his role in This Boy’s Life. He received meritorious recognition for his performance in Romeo & Juliet and won hearts and international fame for his performance in James Cameron’s Titanic. He has been nominated eight times for a Golden Globe Award and won the Golden Globe Award for his performance in The Aviator. Leonardo Di Caprio has won many other nominations and awards. He was nominated for Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He is one of the very few famous persons whose fame has done no harm to him and who did not allow fame to obstruct the way to maintain cordial relationships with old friends and relatives. He is an unparalleled actor, environmentalist, and philanthropist.

6. Conrad Veidt

Conrad Veidt was born Hans Walter Conrad Veidt to Amalie Marie and Philip Heinrich Veidt in Berlin, Germany on January 22, 1893 and died in Hollywood, California, U.S. on April 3, 1943 at the age of 50. He joined the German Army in 1915 as a non-commissioned officer and partook in the Battle of Warsaw. During the battle he contracted pneumonia and jaundice. Since he could not recover fully, he was discharged from the Army and joined a theatre. Conrad appeared in more than 100 films from 1916 to 1943. He performed in two best films of the silent era; The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Man Who Laughs. He opposed Nazi rule and settled in England first then moving later to Hollywood. He is best known for his role in The Thief of Baghdad and Casablanca. He died of a heart attack while playing golf in 1943.

7. Christopher Franke

Christopher Franke was born in Germany on April 6, 1953. He attended Berlin Conservatory to study classical music. He set up a studio in a music school which became a popular learning center for young musicians. He was a member of the electronic group Tangerine. Gradually shifting from the rock origins he shifted to keyboards and became the first to use the analog sequencer for live performances. After leaving the Tangerine group he founded Sonic Images, Earthtone, and the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra. Christopher Franke has worked with famous artists in numerous films and TV series.

8. Carl Laemmle

Carl Laemmle was born in Radstrasse, Laupheim, Wurttemberg, Germany on January 17, 1876 and died of cardiovascular disease in Beverly Hills, California at the age of 72 on September 24, 1939. He pioneered American filmmaking and founded one of the primary film studios; Universal. He had been directly or indirectly involved in more than 400 films. He came to the U.S. in 1884 and worked as an office manager and began buying nickelodeons. He gradually developed it into a known film distributor The Laemmle Film Service. On June 8, 1912 four film studio owners; Carl Laemmle of IMP, Pat Power of Powers Picture Company, Mark Dintenfass of Champion Films, and Bill Swanson of American Ã’°clair signed a contract to merge their studios. The four cofounded the Universal Motion Picture Manufacturing Company on 235 acres in San Fernando Valley, California.

9. Florian Maria Georg Christian

Florian Maria George Christian was born to Leo Ferdinand Graf Henckel and Anna Maria Von Berg in the noble family of Graf Henckel Von Donnersmarck in Cologne, Germany on May 2, 1973. His father was former President of the German Division of the Order of Malta. He is a famous German film director from Hollywood and best known for writing and directing  his  2007 Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others and the film Tourist. He graduated from high school standing first in his class. He studied Russian literature in Leningrad for two years and passed the Soviet State Exam for Teachers of Russian as a Foreign Language. He is fluent in English, German, Russian, and Italian languages.

10. Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich was born to Erich Otto Dietrich and Wilhelmina Elisabeth Josephine in Schoenberg, German Empire on December 27, 1901 and died in Paris, France on May 6, 1992 at the age of 90. She performed as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel directed by Joseph Van Sternberg. It brought her international fame and leveled the way for her to enter into a contract with Paramount Pictures in the U.S. for Hollywood films like Shanghai Express and Desire. This sealed her fate as the highest-paid actress of her time. Marlene Dietrich received her U.S. citizenship in 1939 and performed as a high-profile, frontline entertainer during World War П.

Conclusion:

Birds of a feather fly together, and it was this intuitive togetherness of the Germans during the testing time of the great influx of Germans into Hollywood that enabled them to survive under difficult conditions. The German influx reduced the number of opportunities for them. Their common concerns emerged as their weaknesses in the beginning were converted to their strengths with the passage of time. Those who opined that Germans were not so successful in Hollywood had to change their opinion as quite a few of the German in Hollywood succeeded in achieving unprecedented fame.