Loebinger, Lotte (1905–1999)

German actress. Name variations: Charlotte Loebinger; Lotte Wehner-Loebinger (used in USSR and preferred by Loebinger even after her 1952 divorce); Lotte Loebinger-Wehner. Born Oct 10, 1905, in Kattowitz, Upper Silesia, Germany (now Katowice, Poland); died Feb 9, 1999, in Berlin, Germany; dau. of a physician; m. Herbert Wehner, June 1927; children: 1 daughter.

Began acting career in Breslau, Lower Silesia; by 1929, was a highly regarded member of Erwin Piscator's ensemble in Berlin; for several years, toured Germany and Switzerland in Carl Crede's play Paragraph 218 (Women in Distress); often appeared on stage with the non-socialist Spielgemeinschaft Berliner Schauspieler (Performance Collective of Berlin Actors); fled Nazi Germany to Poland (1933); immigrated to Soviet Union, where she 1st found work as a member of Gustav von Wangenheim's German theater troupe "Kolonne Links" (Column Left); collaborated with von Wangenheim to produce anti-fascist film Kämpfer (Those Who Struggle, 1936); worked as a German-language announcer in foreign branch of Radio Moscow; returned to war-shattered Berlin (1945) and appeared at Deutsches Theater in several plays (1945–46); was also featured in the 1st post-Nazi films made in occupied Germany; was one of the featured actresses of East Berlin's Maxim Gorki Theater (1952–70s); also served occasionally as a director, mainly producing Soviet plays; appeared in 2 GDR tv films, "Ich will nicht leise sterben" (I Will Not Die Quietly), and "Guten Morgen, du Schöne" (Good Morning, Beautiful Lady).

See also Women in World History.