Christa Tordy

Christa Tordy (born Anneliese Uhlhorn, 30 June 1904 – 28 April 1945) was a German film actress. She was discovered while visiting her cousin Mady Christians in Berlin, and briefly became a leading star before retiring after marrying Harry Liedtke. She was murdered along with her husband by the Soviet Red Army at her home during its invasion of Germany during World War II.

Christa Tordy
Born
Anneliese Uhlhorn

(1904-06-30)30 June 1904
Bremen, German Empire
Died28 April 1945(1945-04-28) (aged 40)
Bad Saarow-Pieskow, Nazi Germany
OccupationActress
Years active1926–1928
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1928; died 1945)​
RelativesMady Christians (cousin)

Biography

Christa Tordy was born Anneliese Uhlhorn on 30 June 1904 in Bremen. She spent her childhood in Wiesbaden after her father had retired there. There, she attended high school, graduating at age 17, and began studying art history, archaeology, philosophy, and literary history in Berlin and Munich, finishing her studies in Wrocław with a doctorate. During her time in school, she also participated in student theater, creating and staging plays.[1][2]

In 1925, Tordy visited her cousin Mady Christians[3] while she was working on the film A Waltz Dream. Tordy was noticed by director Ludwig Berger or cinematographer Werner Brandes, who persuaded her to undergo a screen test.

Tordy made her film debut in The Sea Cadet (1926), followed by His Toughest Case (1926). She next starred in Prinz Louis Ferdinand (1927) and Potsdam (1927), both alongside Hans Stüwe. Tordy's final screen appearance was in Love on Skis (1928), which she acted in with her husband Harry Liedtke.

Tordy and Liedtke married on 27 March 1928[4] and Tordy retired from the film industry shortly thereafter. She only appeared in 8 films during her career.

Grave of Harry Liedtke and his spouses Käthe Dorsch and Christa Tordy in Pieskow, Bad Saarow

On 28 April 1945, Christa Tordy and Harry Liedtke were murdered by the Soviet Red Army.[5] Liedtke had tried to save his wife from being raped and murdered, but died after either being smashed on the head with a beer bottle,[6] or after being clubbed to death.[7] Prior to their murder, the couple had attempted suicide.

Tordy and Liedtke's bodies were exhumed in October 1948 and they were buried at Waldfriedhof Saarow-Pieskow Cemetery.[8][9] Upon Liedtke's ex-wife Käthe Dorsch's death in 1957, she was buried alongside the two.

Filmography

Bibliography
  • Hardt, Ursula. From Caligari to California: Erich Pommer's Life in the International Film Wars. Berghahn Books, 1996.

References
  1. http://www.steffi-line.de/archiv_text/nost_film20b40/154_tordy_christa.htm
  2. "The Living Age". 1926.
  3. Kay Weniger: Das große Personenlexikon des Films. Die Schauspieler, Regisseure, Kameraleute, Produzenten, Komponisten, Drehbuchautoren, Filmarchitekten, Ausstatter, Kostümbildner, Cutter, Tontechniker, Maskenbildner und Special Effects Designer des 20. Jahrhunderts. Band 2: C – F. John Paddy Carstairs – Peter Fritz. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3, S. 68.
  4. "The Illustrated London News". April 1928.
  5. Bock, ans-Michael; Bergfelder, im (September 2009). The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema. ISBN 9780857455659.
  6. http://www.steffi-line.de/archiv_text/nost_film20b40/154_tordy_christa.htm#name_info
  7. "Film Culture". 1971.
  8. https://billiongraves.com/cemetery/Waldfriedhof-Saarow-Pieskow/223996
  9. http://www.knerger.de/html/liedtkeschauspieler_50.html
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