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Germaine Damar (born August 31, 1929) is a Luxembourgish actress and dancer. Sometimes she used the stage name Ria Poncelet. She started her career as an acrobat and played in nearly 30 German films, including three films in which she was the partner of Peter Alexander.
Damar was born as Germaine Haeck in Pétange. She was the third of four daughters of metallurgical worker Dominique Haeck and his wife Barbara Poncelet. At the gymnastics club of Nidderkuer (Niederkorn) in Luxembourg, the 5-year-old Damar laid the foundations for her future career. With her sister Geny and two gym teachers she formed the acrobatic quartet Los Habaneros. On 10 May 1940, after the invasion of Luxembourg by the German troops, she fled with her parents and siblings to Paris. There, the 12-year-old continued to develop her talents and she performed with her sister Geny and her former gym teacher Atilio Bariviera as Trio Deluxe at the Alhambra and the Bobino. She also took dance classes and was trained in acting and ballet. After World War II, she started a solo career and toured through Europe. She travelled to North Africa and the Orient to perform there with her sister Sylvie and Sylvie's husband as Trio Vialine. In Cairo, they even performed for King Farouk. She used as her stage name Ria Poncelet. In Cairo she also met the actress Zarah Leander, who mediated a screen-test for her in Hamburg in 1952 at Herzog Filmverleih. Although director Robert A. Stemmle was not satisfied with the test, she soon landed her first film role. Director Géza von Cziffra sought a talented dancer to replace the ill Maria Litto in his revue film Tanzende Sterne (Dancing Stars, 1952). He watched the screen-test and gave her the lead part opposite Georg Thomalla. She changed her name from Germaine Haeck into Germaine Damar and the press concluded for some time that she was a French dancer.
Tanzende Sterne (Dancing Stars, 1952) became Damar's breakthrough. Herzog Filmverleih offered her a 5-year contract and she went on to play in a total of 28 films. She appeared in such light entertainment fare as Südliche Nächte (Southern Nights, 1953, Robert A. Stemmle), Die Drei von der Tankstelle (The Three from the Filling Station, 1955, Hans Wolff) with Walter Giller, and Symphonie in Gold (Symphony in Gold, 1956, Franz Antel) opposite Joachim Fuchsberger. Her best known musical was Die Beine von Dolores (The legs of Dolores, 1957, Géza von Cziffra) with Claus Biederstaedt. In France she made the western musical Sérénade au Texas (Serenade of Texas, 1958, Richard Pottier) with Bourvil and Luis Mariano. In three films she was the partner of Peter Alexander. These were the comedies So ein Millionär hat's schwer (It's so hard to be a millionaire, 1958, Géza von Cziffra), Peter schießt den Vogel ab (Peter shoots the bird, 1959, Géza von Cziffra) and Salem Aleikum (1959, Géza von Cziffra). In the early 1960s Damar made two films in Spain, the comedies Cariño mío (Darling, 1961, Rafael Gil) and Escala en Hi-Fi (Scale in Hi-Fi, 1963, Isidoro M. Ferry). Her film Die Beine von Dolores was such a big hit in Argentina, that Damar moved for three years to South America. There she became a popular star with her own TV show. In Germany, Damar had dated with actor Georg Thomalla and producer Andreas C. Schuller, who had ruined her with his flop Glück und Liebe in Monaco (Love and Happiness in Monaco, 1959, Hermann Leitner). In Argentina, she met the American manager Roman G. Toporow and married him.
In 1964, Damar retired and two years later her son Roman Martin Toporow was born. Her husband died in 1993, and Damar has since then lived with her son in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In June 2011 the documentary Germaine Damar – Der tanzende Stern (Germaine Damar, the dancing star) by Michael Wenk was presented at the Luxembourg cinema Ciné Utopia. The former dancing star herself was present and even sang one of her old songs. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
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Inge Meysel was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on television.
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Robert Adolf Stemmle was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 80 films between 1932 and 1967. He also directed 46 films between 1934 and 1970. His 1959 film Die unvollkommene Ehe was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival. He was born in Magdeburg, Germany and died in Baden-Baden, West Germany.
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Peter Shoots Down the Bird is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Peter Alexander, Germaine Damar and Maria Sebaldt.
So ein Millionär hat's schwer is a 1958 Austrian film directed by Géza von Cziffra.
Tante Wanda aus Uganda is a 1957 West German comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Grethe Weiser, Georg Thomalla and Lucie Englisch. The screenplay concerns a strong-willed woman who returns from Uganda and puts the lives of her family in order.
Serenade of Texas is a 1958 French musical western film, directed by Richard Pottier and starring Luis Mariano, Bourvil and Germaine Damar. In the 1890s, a Frenchman discovers that he has inherited property in a rowdy Texas town.
The Legs of Dolores is a 1957 West German musical comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Germaine Damar, Claus Biederstaedt, and Ruth Stephan. It was shot at the Wandsbek Studios in Hamburg. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Dieter Bartels and Theo Zwierski.
Dancing Stars is a 1952 West German musical comedy film directed by Géza von Cziffra and starring Germaine Damar, Georg Thomalla and Fita Benkhoff. It was shot at the Wandsbek Studios of Real Film in Hamburg. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Albrecht Becker and Herbert Kirchhoff.
Angèle Caroline Liliane Josette Marie-José DeGeest was a Belgian singer and actress. Durand was a popular singer in Germany during the early 1950s.
Nicolas Koline (1878–1973) was a Russian stage and film actor. He established himself in Russia as a stage performer with the Moscow Art Theatre. He emigrated from Russia after the October Revolution of 1917 and came to France with La Chauve-Souris cabaret run by Nikita Balieff. In Paris he then joined Joseph Ermolieff's film company at Montreuil. He appeared in numerous French and German films during his career, initially often as a leading player during the silent era and later in supporting roles.
