Biografia
Grethe Weiser, born Mathilde Ella Dorothea Margarethe Nowka in Hannover, Germany, was a singer, comedian, and actress on both stage and screen. She was raised in Kotsche and Dresden and attended the private Höhere Töchter school. At 18, she married Josef Weiser, with whom she had a son in 1922. The family relocated to Berlin, where Josef opened a cabaret for her. There, Grethe studied acting and singing and performed at the renowned Wintergarten and Cabaret der Komiker, quickly becoming one of Germany's top Couplet and Chansonnette singers. Her film debut was in the silent movie "Männer vor der Ehe" (1927), where she played a supporting role. Later, her husband, being Jewish, chose to leave Germany to protect her career, leading to their divorce in 1934. She then partnered with film producer Hermann Schwerin. Most of her films were lighthearted comedies filled with warmth. In 1960, she performed on stage in Hamburg and Berlin at the Komödie am Hebbel and the Renaissance Theater. In 1968, she received the "Verdienstkreuz" award from the German President. Over her career, she appeared in more than 140 films, including notable titles such as The Divine Jetta (1937), Die große Liebe (1942), where she met and became lifelong friends with Zarah Leander, Gabriela (1950) alongside Leander, Fanfaren der Liebe (1951), which inspired the American remake Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe, Der Onkel aus Amerika (1953) opposite Hans Moser, and Casino de Paris (1957).
