Anna Sophie Ondráková (1902 - 1987)

Born 15 May 1902 in Tarnów, Galizien, Österreich

Wife of Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling — married 16 Jul 1933 in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Deutschland

Died 28 Feb 1987 at age 84 in Hollenstedt, Harburg, Niedersachsen, Deutschland

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Biography

Anny Ondráková is Notable.

Anna Ondrákováwas born 15 May 1903, in the city Tarnów, which was then a part of the Autrian provence of Galacia. Her parents, Bohumír Ondrák, an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, and Anna Ondráková (née Mracek), were both of Czech descent. Anna had two brothers, Tomáš and Jindřich. Anna spent her childhood in Tarnów, Pula, and Prague and was educated at a convent school.

At seventeen, Anna acted in her first film, which was directed by her then boyfriend, director and actor Karel Lamač. When her family learned of it, Anna received a beating from her father and he promptly found an official government position for her. But, Anna was set on a film career and soon moved out of her parents' home to live with Lamač.

Anna acted in Czech and Austrian comedies in the 1920s, under the stage name, Anny Ondra. Her breakout film was 1920's Gilly in Prague for the First Time. She then conquered the German market with the films Eve's Daughters (1928) and Sinful and Sweet (1929). Anna also appeared in some British dramas, most notably Alfred Hitchcock's The Manxman and Blackmail (both 1929).

After some years, Anna wanted to start a family, but Lamač did not want to marry and the relationship ended. On 16 July 1933, Ann married German boxer Max Schmeling, in Bad Saarow, and they quickly became Germany's hottest couple.

• The private citizen Max Siegfried Adolf Otto Schmeling, born on September 28, 1905 at Klein Luckow, district of Prenzlau, residing in Bad Saarow, district of Beeskow-Storkow, married the film actress Anna Sophie Ondrak, born on May 15, 1902 in Tarnow in Poland, residing in Berlin-Charlottenburg in the registry office Berlin-Charlottenburg III, on July 16, 1933.^[1]

Throughout their marriage, German fascists tried to exploit the fame and popularity of Ondra and Schmeling, and they were often seen in photos with Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler - Schmeling portrayed as a German superman (he was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932) and Ondra as a blonde Aryan, despite her Slavic origins. However, the couple never collaborated with the Nazis.

Anna remained close friends with Lamač, and the two formed production company, Ondra-Lamač-Films, which lasted until 1936. Lamač directed her in several silent films, acted with her in films directed by other filmmakers, and continued to work with her after her marriage to Schmeling. Anna played her first self-spoken sound film role alongside Sig Arno in Fairground People (1930), and went on to make some forty more films in the sound era.

After the War, the couple moved to Hollenstedt near Hamburg, where Max was able to build a significant fortune working for The Coca-Cola Company and Anna continued to make films until retiring in 1957. In all, Anna made a total of more than 90 films over the course of her career.

Anna and Max's marriage was a happy one, although childless: Ondra miscarried after a car accident in 1936, and it was to be her only pregnancy. The couple remained married more than 54 years, until her death 28 Feb 1987. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage record Standesamt Charlottenburg III, Nr. 457 von 1933 Ancestry Image
2. ↑ Find a Grave, Datenbank und Bilder (https://de.findagrave.com : aufgerufen 12 April 2021), Gedenkstättenseite für Anny Ondra (15 Mai 1902–25 Feb 1987), Find A Grave: Memorial #10425692, zitierend Saint Andreas Friedhof, Hollenstedt, Landkreis Harburg, Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany ; Gepflegt von Find A Grave.

• Wikipedia: Anny Ondra
• Anny Ondra, wife of former heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling, has died at age 79 The Courier-News Bridgewater, New Jersey 04 Mar 1987, Wed • Page 21