Liselotte Pulver

Lilo Pulver
Pulver in 1968
Born
Liselotte Pulver

(1929-10-11) 11 October 1929 (age 95)
Bern, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
OccupationActress
Years active1949-2007
SpouseHelmut Schmid (m. 1961-1992, his death)
Children2

Liselotte Pulver (born 11 October 1929), sometimes credited as Lilo Pulver, is a Swiss actress. Pulver was one of the biggest stars of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, where she often was cast as a tomboy. She is well known for her hearty and joyful laughter.[1] Her films outside of German cinema include A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), One, Two, Three (1961) and The Nun (1966).

Early life

Pulver was born in Bern to civil engineer Fritz Eugen Pulver and his wife Germaine.[2][3] From 1945 on Pulver attended commercial school. After graduating in 1948, she worked as a model and took acting classes at the Bern conservatory, now part of the Bern University of Applied Sciences. Following small parts at the Bern Theatre (Stadttheater Bern), she appeared at the Schauspielhaus Zürich.[4]

Film career

Pulver's first film role was in the 1949 American-Swiss co-production Swiss Tour.[5] Her breakthrough movie role was "Vreneli", the wife of the lead in Uli, der Knecht (1954), made after the novel of Swiss author Jeremias Gotthelf.[6] Pulver became one of the biggest stars of German-language cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, often nicknamed "Lilo" Pulver.[7][8][9] She was very often seen in comedies, most notably I Often Think of Piroschka (1955), The Zürich Engagement (1957), The Spessart Inn (1958) and Kohlhiesel's Daughters (1962). One of her more serious film roles was as Tony Buddenbrook in The Buddenbrooks (1959), a movie adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel of the same name. She also appeared in another Thomas Mann adaptation, Confessions of Felix Krull (1957) with Horst Buchholz in the title role of a charming and narcissistic conman.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Pulver was involved in a number of American and French film productions. Her first Hollywood film was Douglas Sirk's war melodrama A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), in which she and John Gavin played a young German couple whose happiness is doomed at the end of the Second World War. She was James Cagney's attractive secretary "Fräulein Ingeborg" in Billy Wilder's comedy One, Two, Three (1961). In 1963, for her role as a Russian woman in A Global Affair, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as best supporting actress. In France, she appeared alongside Anna Karina in Jacques Rivette's film The Nun (1966).

In the 1970s, she increasingly turned towards television roles. From 1978 until 1983 she worked for the German edition of Sesame Street, Sesamstraße. Her last film credit was in 2007, when she played a cameo role in Die Zürcher Verlobung, a remake of The Zürich Engagement. She made a public appearance at the 2018 Bambi Awards, where she accepted a prize for Honorary Achievement.[10]

Personal life

Pulver in the trailer of A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)

In 1960, she met German actor Helmut Schmid on the set of Gustav Adolf's Page: they married on 9 September 1961 and had two children. Her daughter committed suicide in 1989. Her husband died in 1992 of a heart attack. As of 2008, Pulver lives secluded in Perroy, Canton Vaud on the shores of Lake Geneva; she also has an apartment at the Burgerspital [de], a retirement home near Bern.[11]

Awards

Partial filmography

Year Title Role Director Cast Notes
1949 Swiss Tour Leopold Lindtberg Cornel Wilde, Simone Signoret
1950 The White Hell of Pitz Palu Maria Rolf Hansen Hans Albers, Adrian Hoven
1951 A Heidelberg Romance Susanne Edwards Paul Verhoeven O. W. Fischer
1952 Klettermaxe Corry Bell Kurt Hoffmann Albert Lieven
Fritz and Friederike Friederike Géza von Bolváry Albert Lieven
1953 Have Sunshine in Your Heart Miss Helm Erich Waschneck Carl Wery
We'll Talk About Love Later Bianca Merz Karl Anton Gustav Fröhlich, Willy Fritsch, Paul Hörbiger
The Bogeyman Trixie Carl Boese Hans Reiser
I and You Brigitte Alfred Weidenmann Hardy Krüger
1954 Men at a Dangerous Age Anna Carl-Heinz Schroth Hans Söhnker
School for Marriage Marianne Rainer Geis, Anton Schelkopf Paul Hubschmid, Cornell Borchers, Wolf Albach-Retty
Uli the Farmhand Vreneli Franz Schnyder Hannes Schmidhauser
The Last Summer Jessika Tolemainen Harald Braun Hardy Krüger
1955 Reaching for the Stars Christine Carl-Heinz Schroth Erik Schumann, Gustav Knuth
Hanussen Hilde Graf O. W. Fischer O. W. Fischer, Klaus Kinski
Uli the Tenant Vreneli Franz Schnyder Hannes Schmidhauser
I Often Think of Piroschka Piroschka Rácz Kurt Hoffmann Gustav Knuth, Gunnar Möller
1956 My Husband's Getting Married Today Thesi Petersen Kurt Hoffmann Johannes Heesters, Paul Hubschmid
1957 The Adventures of Arsène Lupin Mina von Kraft Jacques Becker Robert Lamoureux, O. E. Hasse French film
The Zürich Engagement Juliane Thomas Helmut Käutner Paul Hubschmid, Bernhard Wicki
Confessions of Felix Krull Zaza Kurt Hoffmann Horst Buchholz
1958 The Spessart Inn Franziska von Sandau Kurt Hoffmann Carlos Thompson, Günther Lüders, Wolfgang Neuss
A Time to Love and a Time to Die Elisabeth Kruse Douglas Sirk John Gavin, Erich Maria Remarque American film
Arms and the Man Raina Petkoff Franz Peter Wirth O. W. Fischer
The Gambler Polina Claude Autant-Lara Gérard Philipe French film
1959 The Beautiful Adventure Dorothée Durand Kurt Hoffmann Robert Graf
The Buddenbrooks Antonie Buddenbrook Alfred Weidenmann Hansjörg Felmy, Nadja Tiller, Hanns Lothar, Lil Dagover
1960 A Glass of Water Queen Anne Helmut Käutner Gustaf Gründgens
The Haunted Castle Charlotte von Sandau Kurt Hoffmann Georg Thomalla
Gustav Adolf's Page Gustl Leubelfing Rolf Hansen Curd Jürgens
1961 La Fayette Marie Antoinette Jean Dréville Michel Le Royer, Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins, Vittorio De Sica French film
One, Two, Three Fräulein Ingeborg Billy Wilder James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Pamela Tiffin, Hanns Lothar American film
1962 Where the Truth Lies Catherine Henri Decoin Juliette Gréco French film
Kohlhiesel's Daughters Liesel Kohlhiesel / Susi Kohlhiesel Axel von Ambesser Dietmar Schönherr
1963 Breakfast in Bed Liane Clausen Axel von Ambesser O.W. Fischer, Lex Barker
A Nearly Decent Girl Lili Steiner Ladislao Vajda Martin Held, Alberto de Mendoza
1964 A Global Affair Sonya Jack Arnold Bob Hope, Michèle Mercier American film
Monsieur Elizabeth Bernadac Jean-Paul Le Chanois Jean Gabin, Philippe Noiret, Mireille Darc French film
1965 Praetorius Violetta Höllriegel Kurt Hoffmann Heinz Rühmann
Man from Cocody Baby Christian-Jaque Jean Marais French film
1966 Hocuspocus Agda Kjerulf Kurt Hoffmann Heinz Rühmann
The Nun Mother de Chelles Jacques Rivette Anna Karina French film
The Rainmaker Lizzie Curry Franz Peter Wirth TV film
The Gardener of Argenteuil Hilda Jean-Paul Le Chanois Jean Gabin, Curd Jürgens French film
1967 Glorious Times at the Spessart Inn Anneliese von Sandau Kurt Hoffmann Harald Leipnitz, Vivi Bach, Hannelore Elsner
1969 Pistolen-Jenny Jenny Alfred Weidenmann TV film
The Wedding Trip Hannelore Schmidt Ralf Gregan [de] Dieter Hallervorden
1970 The Cotton Pickers Mrs. Pratt Jürgen Goslar TV miniseries
1971 Timo Erika Gerber Rolf Hädrich TV series, 13 episodes
1972 Hoopers letzte Jagd [de] Jenny Richardson Claus Peter Witt [de] Horst Tappert TV film
Five Leaf Clover Daisy Edmond Freess [fr] Philippe Noiret French film
1975 Monika and the Sixteen Year Olds Mrs. Annelie Charly Steinberger Maria Zürer, Oliver Collignon, Klausjürgen Wussow, Teri Tordai
1979 Bread and Stones Mrs. Bodenbauer Mark Rissi [de] Sigfrit Steiner, Walo Lüönd, Beatrice Kessler [de]
1986 Le Tiroir secret Maryse Michèle Morgan, Jeanne Moreau, Michael Lonsdale French TV miniseries
1996 The Superwife Alma Winkel Sönke Wortmann Veronica Ferres, Heiner Lauterbach, Til Schweiger
2004 René Deltgen – Der sanfte Rebell Michael Wenk Götz George, Nadja Tiller, Artur Brauner, Michael Verhoeven Luxembourgian documentary
2007 The Zürich Engagement [de] herself Stephan Meyer [de] Lisa Martinek, Christoph Waltz, Tim Bergmann, Hannelore Hoger, Jan Fedder, Sonja Kirchberger TV film

References

  1. ^ "Das schönste Lachen des Films", Focus (11 October 2009)
  2. ^ "Lilo Pulver", Munzinger-Archiv (in German)
  3. ^ "Liselotte Pulver", Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, 6 April 2010 (in German)
  4. ^ Liselotte Pulver at Filmportal.de (German)
  5. ^ Liselotte Pulver at Allmovie
  6. ^ Uli, der Knecht at IMDb
  7. ^ Article at Bild der Frau regarding her 90th birthday
  8. ^ Interview in Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2010]
  9. ^ Liselotte Pulver, Kino.de
  10. ^ Liselotte Pulver (Bambi 2018), video at YouTube
  11. ^ "Ausstellung zu Lilo Pulver im Filmmuseum Frankfurt" Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, Rhein-Zeitung (19 September 2008) (in German)
  12. ^ "Bayerischer Filmpreis – "Pierrot" – Past recipients" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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