Birell, Tala (1907–1958)

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Birell, Tala (1907–1958)

German-Romanian actress. Born Natalie Bierl, Sept 10, 1907, in Bucharest, Romania (some sources cite Vienna, Austria); died Feb 17, 1958, in Landstuhl i.d. Pfalz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Starred on the European stage; brought to Hollywood as "another Garbo," made US film debut in Nagana (1933), followed by such films as Let's Fall in Love, The Captain Hates the Sea, Air Hawks, Crime and Punishment and Bringing Up Baby; with film career a disappointment, returned to Europe (1951), eventually settling in Eastern Europe, behind the Iron Curtain.