She was trained at the Max Reinhardt School of Drama and made her reputation as an ensemble member with the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, 1922-31. In 1925, he gave her the chance to substitute in the play Der sprechende Affe by René Fauchois when the female lead became ill. She learned the difficult role in one day and became a star almost overnight. She left Germany due to her Jewish ancestry in 1933 and subsequently performed on stage in London and New York. She wed industrialist Howard Gould in 1937; they went to New York a year later. At his request she retired from the entertainment.Returned to Germany in 1952, but eventually settled in New York after marrying an American journalist.
