Biographies: Elissa Landi - Actor

Biographies

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An Austrian actress, born in Venice, Italy, as Elizabeth Marie Christine von Kühnelt. Elissa Landi received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 for her film work. Elissa married twice and had one child. Her credits include By Candlelight (1933), Always Goodbye (1931), and The Count of Monte Cristo (1934). Elissa's father was an Austrian officer related to the Austrian ruling family. She grew up in Austria and studied in England. She began her career by working at the Oxford Playhouse, and she appeared in London's West End theaters. She gained great fame after playing the role of Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello. She also worked in European cinema. With German, French, Swedish, and British productions, she wrote her first novel in 1924 and made her first silent film, London (1926), a British production. Her first talkie was Knowing Men (1930). Elissa felt that her ambition would be fulfilled in the United States, so she went there in 1931 and achieved success in Broadway theaters. She signed a contract with Fox Film and MGM. She moved away from the screen and devoted herself to writing, where she published six novels. She settled in the USA with her husband and daughter after obtaining American citizenship. She died in Kingston, New York, USA, on October 21, 1948, from cancer.

• 8 November 2023
• Toqa Hesham