Hilde Hildebrand 1897-1976

Posted on April 28, 2008

Originally posted May 2006 Updated 28 April 2008

Thirty-two years ago today on 28 April 1976, Hilde Hildebrand the German actress, died alone and largely forgotten in her Berlin-Grunewald home. She was a “late” discovery for me, but from the moment in 1987 when I was first given a record of hers, I was attracted by that “something special” in her voice. Melancholy but chirpy, sad but saucy, that was her trademark and it can be seen in almost all of her film performances and it is something that really appeals to me. Witty nuances were her stock in trade, erotic but never vulgar.

Autographed Photograph dated 9th April 1935 from my collection
Hilde Hildebrand was born Emma Minna Hildebrandt on 10th September 1897 in Hanover. From the age of eight onwards she joined the ballet company of the Hoftheater and moved in 1913 to the Residenztheater in Hanover. Her stage debut followed in 1914 after she completed drama school.
In the 1920s she played prominent part in the Berlin “revue scene”, often causing a furore with her distinguished style and smug cadence which was already well developed.

Hilde appeared in silent films from 1921 onwards, celebrating a success in the original, German version of the Film Viktor, Viktoria in 1933. She was often seen in the role of a middle-aged woman, not always doing so well in life, treated badly by the men who she generally lost to the younger women, something she always did with grace. One of her best performances, in my opinion, was in “Große Freiheit Nr.7″ also starring Hans Albers and Ilse Werner. This film, set in and partly filmed in Hamburg, was made towards the end of the war in 1944, after the big “Firestorm” raids on that city in July 1943. It wasn’t put on general release until after the German capitulation in 1945.

Hilde became a card-carrying member of the Nazi party after 1933, although it is thought that this was more due to her wanting to stay in
work, rather than being a commited Nazi. Around 1941 she fell out of favour with the powers to be, by not always saying what was expected of her (that was the way she was). She was punished by Proganda Minister Goebbels by being given much less work, but it could have been much worse.
The end of the war found her entertaining troops in was is now the Czech Republic, where she was interned by the Russians and badly treated over quite a long period, presumably being raped during that time. Hilde eventually was allowed to return to Germany in 1946/47.

Appearing more often on the Stage than in Films after the war, she also made some TV appearances, one of the last of which was in the “Cult” series
“Der Kommissar” in 1971.

Hilde Hildebrand on Video:

1. Nachts ging das Telefon (1937)
2. Liebe ist ein Geheimnis (1934)
3. Oh Gott, wie sind wir vornehm (1931) with Gustaf Gründgens from the operette Liselotte
4. Die Dame der alten Schule (1932) from the revue Es hat geklingelt

Hilde’s Grave in Waldfriedhof Heerstraße, adjacent to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. 25th May 2006

It’s a shame that Hilde Hildebrand is largely forgotten these days. It was sad to see that here were no special flowers on her grave today, just one white candle. I think she deserves more than that.

» Filed Under Berlin, Berliners, Films, Music

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