Dolly Haas | |
|---|---|
 Haas in 1955 | |
| Born | Dorothy Clara Louise Haas (1910-04-29)April 29, 1910 |
| Died | September 16, 1994(1994-09-16) (aged 84) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1927–1981 |
| Spouse(s) | John Brahm (m. 1937; div. 1941) Al Hirschfeld (m. 1943) |
Dorothy Clara Louise Haas (29 April 1910[citation needed] – 16 September 1994) was a German-American actress and singer who played in German and American films. After moving to the United States, she often appeared inBroadway plays. She became a naturalized US citizen and marriedAl Hirschfeld, a noted portraitist andcaricaturist in New York City.
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Haas was born inHamburg, Germany, to Charles Oswald Haas, a bookseller of British-German origin,[1] and Margarete Maria (née Hansen). She was already an accomplished actress inGerman cinema before moving to the United States.[2]
Her father Charles was half-German, but had grown up in England, and had British citizenship. Dolly and her sister, Margarete, attended Jacob Loewenberg's girls' school Lyzeum in Hamburg, theAnerkanntehöhere Mädchenschule.[citation needed][3] The Haas family's personal records, including diaries and letters, are currently held by theCenter for Jewish History in New York City, New York.[4]
Haas married German-born film directorJohn Brahm. At one time, he was resident director for acting troupes such asDeutsches Theater and theLessing Theater, both inBerlin.[2] They divorced in 1941.[citation needed]
After moving to the US, Haas became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She married again in 1943, toAl Hirschfeld inBaltimore, Maryland. They lived in New York, where he worked forThe New York Times as a portraitist and caricaturist. His work was also published inThe New York Review of Books. They had a daughter, Nina, born in 1945.[5]
Dolly Haas had her debut as a professional actress in 1927 in Berlin. She worked at the city'sGroßes Schauspielhaus theatre, before embarking on a film career. The latter took her to England and toHollywood, United States.[citation needed]
Haas enjoyed a brief but successful stage career in the United States as well. She made her New York stage debut in 1941 inErwin Piscator's production ofThe Circle of Chalk.[5] She also performed withJohn Gielgud andLillian Gish in the 1947 revival ofCrime and Punishment.[6][7]
In 1946 Haas followedMary Martin in the lead role inLute Song for the touring production.[2] Her co-star,Yul Brynner, said that Haas's casting substantially improved the show. He said, "Dolly Haas understood the part. She had an affinity for it, and the play immediately improved. It wasn't at all that Dolly was a better actress. She was just better casting for the part than Mary."[2]
Mary Martin agreed with Brynner's assessment, and helped Haas to prepare for the role in the short time allotted for rehearsal.[8] Haas also performed in Off Broadway productions ofThe Threepenny Opera andBrecht on Brecht.[5]
Although Haas did not appear in manyEnglish language films, she had an important role inAlfred Hitchcock's 1953 film,I Confess.[9] Haas was a personal friend of Hitchcock, and he cast her as Alma Keller, the wife of the murderer—janitor Otto Keller. This high-profile film also starredMontgomery Clift,Anne Baxter,Karl Malden andBrian Aherne.[10][citation needed]
Haas died 16 September 1994 fromovarian cancer inNew York City, aged 84.[5]
